This is the day of the global rollout of iOS 7, the new operating system for iPhone and iPad / iPod. This is what you need to know about the update.
On Wednesday, September 18th, the global rollout of Apple iOS 7, the new version of the operating system for iPhone and iPad, has started. The update will be available over the air and via iTunes.
What’s new?
Apple’s new operating system was shown for the first time in early June at the annual developer conference, WWDC. The new software for the iPhone and iPad is especially noticeable by a radical new look and some much needed new features.
Some of the most important new features are the control center, app updating in the background, an improved version of Siri, AirDrop and iTunes Radio.
Is my phone compatible?
iOS 7 works on most Apple devices, but not on all of them. The following devices are supported:
- iPhone 4 / iPhone 4S / iPhone 5 / iPhone 5C / iPhone 5S
- iPod touch (5th generation)
- iPad 2 / iPad 3 / iPad 4 / iPad mini
* not all features are available on each device:
- The panorama format is available on iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPod touch 5G.
- The camera and video formats square and sweep to capture are available on iPhone 4 or newer, iPad (from the third generation), iPad mini, and iPod touch (fifth generation).
- The filters in the Camera app are available on iPhone 5 and iPod touch (fifth generation).
- The filters in the Photos app are available on iPhone 4 or newer, iPad (from the third generation), iPad mini, and iPod touch (fifth generation).
- AirDrop is available for iPhone 5, iPad (fourth generation), iPad mini, and iPod touch (fifth generation) and requires an iCloud account.
How do I prepare my device for installation?
Before you install iOS 7, there are few things you can do to process the update in the smoothest possible way.
First make sure that your iPhone, iPod or iPad already have the latest iOS version. For iPhone 5 it is iOS 6.1.4, for all other devices this means iOS 6.1.3 version. You can check which version is running on your device by navigating to Settings and then select ‘General’, ‘Info’.
In addition, it is advisable to make backup to iCloud or iTunes, just in case something should go wrong during the update.
Finally, Apple will probably have a new version of iTunes released for the launch of iOS 7. If you plan to update via iTunes, you should install this version (iTunes 11.1) as soon as it is available.
How do I get the update as soon as possible?
As already mentioned above, it is expected that iOS 7 is already available. That does not mean that you will be able to install the update immediately on your iPhone or iPad. Apple simply cannot roll iOS 7 to everyone at once. If the hundreds of millions of iOS users all at once try to install the update, the servers would fail. Therefore, the update is rolled out in phases.
Your device will automatically check for updates, but if you really cannot wait, you can also manually check if the update is available. Navigate to ‘Settings’, ‘General’, ‘Software Update’. Your device searches for available updates. If the update is available, select ‘Download’ to get it.
To search through iTunes for updates, connect your device to your computer. Select your iPhone or iPad in iTunes under Devices and select ‘Check for updates’ in the Summary pane. If an update is available, select “Download”. Do not disconnect the device go until the update is complete.
