Thing you SHOULD do before installing iOS 9

After more than 3 months of waiting (unless you signed up for the public beta), the new operating system for iPhone and iPad, iOS 9, is finally set to make a grand launch TONIGHT! Needless to say, we are very excited to play around with all the cool new features that  iOS 9 is going to bring us.

However, we will discuss those later. Here we are going to talk about some serious stuff – making all your devices – iPhones, iPads and iPods – i0S 9 ready so that the updates go smoothly and you don’t lose any data or applications.

So grab your notepads to start jotting down some valuable to-dos before the big launch tonight.

Check Compatibility

The first thing to check, of course, is whether your device supports iOS 9 or not. As a thumb rule, iOS 9 is compatible with all devices running iOS 7 or 8. In other words, iPhone 4S and above, iPad 2 and above, and 5th gen iPod touch and above. Here is a complete list of devices that can run iOS 9.

Backup Please

Most people don’t backup their devices thinking that Apple’s operating system has to be stable. Well, it is stable but, at the end of the day, it’s a software and many things can go wrong with any software. So do the extra effort and backup all your iOS devices beforehand.

Apple gives you the option to backup on iTunes or iCloud. For a complete new iOS install, we suggest backing up with iTunes because it takes a complete backup of all your applications and data. You can later switch back to iCloud backup.

There are some great third party tools like iMazing that also allow you to take complete backups (including messages and game saves). In fact, if you have such an app, take backup individually on iTunes and the third party software. You can never be too careful!

Clean Your iDevice

Although Apple has drastically reduced the iOS download sizes (from 4.5GB to 1.5GB), you still need to make sure that your device has enough free space. Go to Settings > General > Usage > Manage Storage to check how much space you have and how much space each app is taking. Keep at least 2GB free.

In fact, this is the best time to do some spring cleaning as well. While you are in the Manage Storage section, look at your apps data and delete useless apps, old photos and videos that aren’t serving you any purpose. You will have a clean, clutter-free Apple device ready for iOS9.

Choose the Update Route

As you may know, Apple gives you 2 options for installing software updates – directly on the device and through iTunes. It’s much more convenient to install the update directly on the device instead of plugging it into iTunes. All you need to do is go to Settings > General > Software Update.

Having said that, if your iPhone or iPad is fully loaded and you don’t want to delete anything, you can go with iTunes update, since you don’t need to free up space on your device for this.

Word of Caution

Although Apple has been hard at work to improve the iOS update experience over the years, nothing can totally prepare them for the millions of simultaneous updates. Certain technical glitches like cancelled or slow downloads may arise, especially if you are downloading immediately after the launch.

Also, because it’s a completely new iOS, it’s reasonable to expect some glitches. Apple has been public testing the iOS 9 Beta for a couple of months, but a full launch is a different ball game altogether.

We know it’s difficult to resist, but gather all your will power and wait a couple of days before downloading iOS 9. Yes, you will be little late to the party but your experience will be totally smooth.

That’s all the advice we have for you. Hope your installation goes smoothly. Don’t forget to tell us what you like (and dislike) in this latest version of iOS. Happy updating!!