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Software Update: Keep Your Device Up To Date | iOS 17 Guide

Apple releases regular updates to iOS, and it’s a good idea to ensure you keep your device up to date wherever possible.

Many people neglect to update their devices for various reasons, but it’s important to do and incredibly easy. These regular updates don’t just include new features, but also bug fixes and important security updates that will help keep your device as secure as possible.

To check whether you’re running the latest version of iOS, open the Settings app and tap General, followed by Software Update.

This screen will confirm the current version of iOS you have installed. If it says “your software is up to date,” there’s nothing more you have to do. Otherwise, follow the instructions to update.

Automatic updates

Note that you can turn on Automatic Updates from this screen so you don’t have to do this manually every time there’s a new iOS release. The auto-updates will take place overnight when connected to power and Wi-Fi.

Choose your version

Updating your device when Apple’s yearly iOS update rolls around can be a tricky decision – are the new features going to come at the expense of hidden bugs and impaired device performance?

So long as you’re running iOS 15 or above, you can choose whether to update to the latest software or install the latest version of the previous software instead. For example, when the time comes, users may wish to remain on iOS 15 for a while before making the jump to iOS 16.

Whichever choice you make, it will include the latest important security updates – meaning those who don’t want the latest and greatest will still be protected.

Unsupported devices

Apple tends to support old devices for around five years after their release, but if you have an older device you might not be able to update to the latest version of iOS. If the Software Update page shows an older iOS version but still says “your software is up to date,” that means the device is unable to run more recent versions of iOS.

Sadly, the technology world moves quickly and devices older than five years are generally not powerful enough to run the latest software. However, they should continue to function much longer than this running the older version of iOS – so don’t throw those aging devices away just yet!