Updating/upgrading your iPhone

It is imperative to maintain your iPhone’s software up to date with the latest updates. This proactive measure ensures the security of your device and grants you access to the most recent functionalities introduced by Apple into iOS.

Difference between updates and upgrades

An update is an enhancement to the current version of iOS, such as iOS 15.8. Installing an upgrade entails upgrading to a different version of the software, for instance, transitioning from iOS 18 to iOS 26

Which iPhones are eligible for upgrades?

For iOS 15, the iPhone 6s and above can run iOS 15 and all the version upgrades of iOS 15, until the newest version

For iOS 16, the iPhone 8 and above can run iOS 16

For iOS 17 the iPhone XR/XS and above can run iOS 17

For iOS 18: The iPhone XR/XS and above can run iOS 18

For the iPhone SE: the second and third gen can run iOS 26

For iOS 26: The iPhone 11 and above can run iOS 26

What is the latest version?

For iPhones that support iOS 26, the latest version is iOS 26.0

For iPhones that support iOS 18, the latest version is iOS 18.7

For iPhones that support iOS 17, the latest version is iOS 17.7.7

For iPhones that support iOS 16, the latest version is: iOS 16.7.11

For iPhones that support iOS 15: the latest version is iOS 15.8.4

Which phones are not eligible for upgrades?

Here on the Apple Support Community we get a lot of questions about updating older iPhones.

Think about the iPhone 6, or the iPhone 5S.

The iPhone 5S/6/6plus cannot update further then iOS 12.5.7

The iPhone 5C cannot update further then iOS 10.3.4

The iPhone 4S cannot update further then iOS 9.3.6

The iPhone 4 cannot update further then iOS 7.1.2

The iPhone 6S/6Splus cannot update further then iOS 15.8.4

The iPhone 7/7plus cannot update further then iOS 15.8.4

The iPhone SE (2016, first gen) cannot update further then iOS 15.8.4

The iPhone 8 cannot update further then iOS 16.7.11

The iPhone X cannot update further then iOS 16.7.11

The iPhone XR/XS cannot update further then iOS 18.7

Doing the actual upgrade and problems that might occur

Most of the time, you can update your iPhone wirelessly. Go to Settings > General > Software Update, click Download and Install, and the update process will commence. Prior to updating, ensure you have backed up your device. Additionally, turn off Low Power Mode and connect your iPhone to a stable Wi-Fi network. Only 5G-enabled iPhones can update via mobile data, such as the iPhone 12 and later models. Be aware that downloading, verifying, and installing an update can take a considerable amount of time, particularly on older iPhones. If your update fails to install, it could be due to a corrupted download. Remove the update file using the provided instructions and attempt to download the update again.

1. Go to Settings > General > [Device name] Storage.
2. Find the update in the list of apps.
3. Tap the update, then tap Delete Update.
4. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and download the latest update.

Occasionally, wireless updates can encounter difficulties. For instance, when utilizing an iPhone 6S with 16GB of storage, wireless updates frequently display the error message “not enough space to update.” This occurs because wireless updates entail substantial data downloads and processing.

Should wireless updates prove unsuccessful, you can resort to updating via a PC or Mac. However, the process differs slightly between newer Macs and older Macs or Windows PCs. Therefore, I will provide explanations for both processes.

Update your iPhone using a Mac with macOS Catalina or higher

On a Mac with macOS Catalina or higher, you will use the finder in order to upgrade your iPhone. Make sure to Back up your device before starting the upgrade process.

On a Mac with macOS Catalina or later, you will follow the following steps:

1. Open a finder window
2. Connect your device to your Mac via a lighting to usb A or a lightning to usb c cable On the iPhone 15 series, use an usb c to usb c cable.
3. Select your device in the left sidebar of the finder window
4. click general, then click check for update
5. Click download and update.
6. If asked, enter your iPhone passcode

The computer will start downloading the update and installing it to the iPhone. As said earlier, because of the download going to your Mac first, updating via a Mac or pc needs less free space on the iPhone. So when you have an iPhone with almost full storage? Make sure to update via a pc or Mac.

Update your iPhone via a Mac running macOS Mojave or earlier, or on a Windows PC

On macOS Mojave or earlier, or on a windows machine, we won't use the Finder to upgrade your iOS

Instead, we will use iTunes. Make sure to Back up your device before doing any update or upgrade to your phone.

1. Open iTunes
2. connect your device to the computer with an lightning to usb a or a lightning to usb c cable. On the iPhone 15 series, use an usb c to usb c cable.
3. Click device button in the iTunes toolbar
4. In the summary tab, click check for update
5. Click download and update, follow The on screen instructions
6. If asked, enter your iPhone passcode.

And this is it! When you follow these instructions, you should be able to update or upgrade your compatible iPhone without any problems.