The biggest iOS release ever is now available so if you would like to update your iOS devices (iPhone 4S and above, iPad 2 and above, iPad mini and 5th Generation iPod Touch), head on to your settings menu to check for a software update. The OTA update is worth over 1GB so you’ll have to be patient (especially with our internet problem), and make sure you have at least 5.7GB of empty space on your device. But wait, before you proceed, here are a few things you need to know.
If your poor 16GB device is filled with precious apps, pictures and videos, don’t hit that delete button just yet. Just plug your device into a computer and download the update via iTunes. The file size will be a lot larger, but at least you won’t have to delete your precious files. Additionally, you can also perform a backup first just in case anything goes wrong. They shouldn’t, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry, right?
The OTA update on my iPad mini is only 1.3GB while the update on iTunes is worth 2GB – 90 minutes to download!
The update will take a while to download and be ready for installation. It took me about an hour on my iPhone 5s – 20 minutes to download and another what seems like forever for the install button to appear. You’ll also need at least 50% of battery life for it to perform the update, so do plug it into the charger to perform the update.
Once everything has been completed, you’ll need to go through a set up process. Follow through everything and when it asks if you would like to set up your iCloud Drive, here’s an important thing to note before you tap that yes button. If you have other devices (the iPhone 4 for example) that will not be getting the iOS 8 update, or if you’re using a Mac, you might want to say no to iCloud Drive because it does not support iOS 7 and all OS X versions before Yosemite, for now. iCloud Drive only works on OS X Yosemite, which will be released later this year, so this means that if you enable iCloud Drive, you will not be able to share your files with unsupported devices. Several warnings have popped out around the internet telling those who rely on iCloud for syncing to hold back on that brand new feature.
Please select “Not Now” if you rely on iCloud to sync your files
Finally once the set up has been completed, do head on to the App Store and check for app updates. There should be a handful, so make sure you’re still on Wi-Fi if you do not wish to waste your precious mobile data. Once you’re done with that, here are a few apps you might want to download that makes use of iOS 8:
- SwiftKey Keyboard
- Swype Keyboard
- 1Password Password Manager by AgileBits
Already on iOS 8? Let us know what you think of this big update.
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