Apple will release iOS 13 on Thursday, September 19th. This update comes with an amazing dark mode, a redesigned Reminders app and awesome features like Safari download manager and more.
How to Prepare Your iPhone for iOS 13 Release
Here is a checklist to help prepare for iOS 13 release:
1. Check for Device Compatibility
Before we start it is important to know if your iPhone supports iOS 13. iOS 12 supports the following devices:
- iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE.
- iPod Touch 7th generation.
iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max with iOS 13 when they go on sale on Friday, September 20, so you don’t need to worry about preparing for them.
2. Delete Unused Apps
A major OS upgrade is a good time to think over the apps you have installed, and delete ones that you hardly use. While you can always delete apps from your home screen, another way is to go to Settings > General > Storage & iCloud Usage> Manage Storage and then tap on the app you don’t need and hit “Delete App”. You will be able to see how much space is being occupied by the apps, so you can at least delete the ones that are taking up too much storage space.
3. Free Up Space
iOS 13 update will require at least 2GB of free space, so if you’re running low on free space on your iPhone or iPad, it might be a good idea to free up some space by deleting unwanted stuff from your device. You should have at least 2.5GB or more free space to be on the safe side.
Read: 15 Tips to Free up Storage Space on Your iPhone or iPad
4. Install Latest App Updates
App Developers have been working hard to get their apps ready for iOS 13. So don’t forget to install updates for the apps so that you can enjoy all the new iOS 13 features such as dark mode support, and you don’t face any issues.
5. Update to Latest iTunes
If you are planning to install iTunes to install the iOS 13, then make sure you’ve updated to the latest version of iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC.
6. Backup your iOS Device
It is always a good idea to take a backup of your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch before updating it with the latest iOS software update. (Note that if you choose to encrypt your backup using iTunes, along with normal data, secure information like passwords etc. are also backed up.)
You can back up your iOS device using iTunes or iCloud. If you need help then check out our step-by-step guides.
We recommend taking a backup of your iPhone or iPad using the iTunes method, as it will allow you to downgrade to iOS 12 if required.
Warning for Jailbreakers
If you have jailbroken your iOS device and cannot live without your favorite jailbreak apps and tweaks then it is recommended that you avoid updating to iOS 13, until a tool is released to jailbreak iOS 13.
Ready to Install iOS 13
After you’ve followed the steps mentioned above, you should be ready to download and install iOS 13 as soon as it is available and discovering the new iOS 13 features.
iOS 13 will be available as an update via iTunes as well as an over-the-air update, which allows you to download iOS software updates (just incremental changes) without plugging your iOS device to the computer.
You can also update your iOS device to iOS 13 using iTunes by plugging it to your computer. If you want to jailbreak your device in the future, it is recommended to update via iTunes. We’ll be publishing direct download links as soon as they’re available.
Jailbreakers, note that if your device is jailbroken then OTA updates will be disabled, which is good if you plan to hold off updating, but if do want to upgrade, you’ll have to restore via iTunes.
It can take an hour or two to download and install an update, so don’t do it if you’re in a hurry. On the day of the release due to the surge in traffic, it could take even longer to download iOS 13. So you should do it when you have enough time.
iOS 13 Release Time
Apple should release iOS 13 at around 10 AM PST/1 PM EST. Since iOS 4 in 2010, Apple has released a major iOS software update at that time. If you’re wondering what time it will be released in your timezone then we’ve you covered. Check our post if you want to find out what time it may get released in your timezone.
The only piece of advice I would have is to wait for a day to install the update or at least not immediately after iOS 13 is released on Thursday. There is usually a flood of users downloading a major iOS software update, which can slow down the download of the software update and at times has also caused major issues. So be patient and download the iOS 13 software update after the floor of requests has slowed down. It also gives you enough time to find out if there is a major issue with the update.
Please drop us a line if you’ve any questions.
