How to prepare your iPhone for the iOS 17 update

Contents

1. Check your iPhone for compatibility
2. Free up storage space
3. Back up your iPhone data
4. Temporarily pause automatic updating

During its keynote scheduled for this Tuesday, September 12 at 7 p.m. French time, Apple will reveal the deployment date of iOS 17, the latest iteration of the iPhone operating system which brings many new features. iOS 17 should be available to everyone next week if Apple sticks to its usual schedule. But before proceeding with the installation of this latest version, it is preferable to carry out a few actions to avoid unpleasant surprises. We take stock.

1. Check your iPhone for compatibility

First of all, it is imperative to check that your iPhone model is eligible. As Apple clarified during WWDC 2023, all models from the iPhone XS and XR can use iOS 17. The SE model (2nd generation or later) is also compatible. In fact, the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X models, all equipped with the A11 Bionic chip, do not benefit from the operating system update. For the full list of iPhone models that support iOS 17, go to this address (related article link to insert).

2. Free up storage space

To benefit from the features, fixes and security updates of the iOS 17 version, it is advisable to free up storage space on your device. For example, it may be wise to uninstall applications that you no longer use, delete photos or videos in your image library or delete temporary files, especially on Safari. By default, Apple recommends several things you should do to optimize storage space, such as offloading unused apps or deleting attachments in the Messages app. To review the status of your storage and access recommendations, follow these steps:

Meet in Settings,
Click on General,
Select iPhone Storage.

Furthermore, if you have disabled automatic updating, it is recommended to perform this operation manually on all of your applications in the App Store before installing iOS 17.

3. Back up your iPhone data

Before proceeding with a major update, Apple emphasizes the importance of making a complete backup of your data using iCloud, a Mac or a PC. The idea being that if there is a problem during installation, you can easily find the files previously stored on your device. If you want to manually transfer and archive your data to a Mac or PC, the complete procedures are detailed in this article. To back up to Apple’s cloud service, follow these steps:

Plug your iPhone into power and connect to a Wi-Fi network,
Access the app Settings,
Click on your name, located at the top of the drop-down menu,
Meet in iCloud,
Press on iCloud Backup,
Click on Back up now.

There must be enough space available on iCloud to perform a full backup.

4. Temporarily pause automatic updating

Although highly recommended, updating the iPhone operating system may be delayed for a few days. This allows you to wait, for example, until the application of patches to resolve the bugs observed at launch. To block the automatic downloading of the iOS 17 update, follow these steps: