Although it may appear obvious, rebooting your iPhone can often resolve update issues. Hold down the power button on your iPhone until the "Slide to Power Off" slider appears. If your iPhone lacks a Home button, press and hold both the side and volume buttons at the same time.
Make Sure Your iPhone Has An Internet Connection
To download new iOS updates, your iPhone must be connected to the internet. Some updates, due to their size, necessitate the use of a Wi-Fi connection.
Make Sure You Have Enough Free Space
Check to see if your iPhone has enough space to store the update. iOS updates typically require 750-800 megabytes of free space before installation.
If iTunes Doesn’t Work, Try The Settings App (and Vice-Versa)
You can update an iOS device in two ways: through your computer (iTunes or Finder) or through the Settings app. If you're having problems updating your iPhone using iTunes or Finder, try the Settings app. If the Settings app does not work, use your computer instead.
Updating Your iPhone In iTunes
- Open iTunes on your computer and plug in your iPhone using your Lightning cable (the cable you use to charge your iPhone).
- Click the iPhone button at the top of the iTunes window.
- Click the Update button on the right-hand side of the screen.
- Confirm that you want to update your iPhone by tapping Download and Update.
Updating Your iPhone In Finder
When updating your iPhone on a Mac running macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, you'll use Finder rather than iTunes.
- Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a Lightning cable.
- Open Finder.
- Click on your iPhone under Locations.
- Click Check for Update.
Is Your iPhone Compatible With The New Update?
Every year, a few older iPhones become incompatible with new iOS updates. It's possible that your iPhone will not update because it's incompatible with the new version.
Visit Apple's website to see a complete list of iPhones that can download and install the most recent iOS update.
My iPhone Still Won’t Update!
If your iPhone still won't update, you'll need to restore it in iTunes. Before restoring, make sure you have a backup of your phone because you will be erasing all content and settings from your iPhone.
Know the features and security fixes done by Apple in iOS 15.6.1