How to Get Your Devices Ready for IOS 14 and WatchOS 7 Today

Posted on September 16, 2020 by resourcefulman

Finally. It’s time to roll out Apple’s latest operating systems for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Fuck the public beta. In theory, they should arrive around 10 a.m. PST today, but there are a few things you might want to do while you wait for your various devices to be ready and ready for their updates.

What to do before upgrading to iOS 14 / iPadOS 14

First, and most importantly, I would check if your device can run the latest Apple operating system , otherwise it will all be a moot point. Here is a short list of compatible devices:

iphone

iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhone XR
iPhone X
iPhone 8
iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone 7
iPhone 7 Plus
iPhone 6s
iPhone 6s Plus
iPhone SE (1st generation)
iPhone SE (2nd generation)
iPod touch (7th generation)

iPad:

iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation)
iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation)
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation)
iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation)
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation)
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation)
iPad Pro 10.5-inch
iPad Pro 9.7-inch
iPad (8th generation)
iPad (7th generation)
iPad (6th generation)
iPad (5th generation)
iPad mini (5th generation)
iPad mini 4
iPad Air (4th generation)
iPad Air (3rd generation)
iPad Air 2

Assuming your device is on the list, you should back up your iPhone or iPad . In an ideal world, your phone or desk should already be doing this and sending said backups to iCloud where they live until you need to call them when a disaster strikes. You can check this, as well as the last backup time, by opening the Settings app, tapping your Apple ID and tapping iCloud . Then scroll down a bit until you see “iCloud Backup”. It must be enabled if you have iCloud storage space to back up your device (or two).

Click on it and you will see the last time your device was backed up, right under the “Back up now” link:

Click “Back Up Now” to start another backup, ideally closer to the time you are about to install iOS 14 or iPadOS 14. Make sure you are connected to your home Wi-Fi before starting it.

You can also connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer and back up via iTunes – of your choice. At the very least, it will save you data.

While this should concern you in case an operating system update completely messes with your phone or tablet, there are a few extra precautions you can take as well. Consider copying all of your photos and videos from our device by connecting it to your computer or uploading them to a free service like Google Photos . If you have notes with important information that you can’t afford to lose, it might be time to sign in to your iCloud account and copy them to another location (temporarily or permanently).

Also think about the timing of your update . If you know that you need to use your phone or tablet a lot for work, or if you have an event that requires your participation, you can always postpone the update of the operating system. It will still be there when you’re done, and you won’t end up in the brine if there is a problem with the update for whatever reason.

I wouldn’t ditch all your apps, in particular before installing iOS 14. The new app library features give you all the power you need to clean up stretched app pages (and you might not even have to uninstall anything if you really do). you do not want).

However, if you are upgrading to iPadOS 14, now is a great time to review your iPad and think about what you are using , what you can use, and what you swear you will use, but have not yet gotten started since you installed iOS 13 in Last year. Clearing the iPad of unwanted apps is not a requirement to install a new version of the operating system, but I like to think of the annual update as a quick reminder to do some cropping. This helps reduce the bloat on my device and I only need to worry about it once a year.

While iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 is installing, be sure to read a little about all the cool new features you can play with , including audio recognition and MAC address scrambling , new CarPlay wallpapers , new wallpapers for phones and tablets , back taps , great new widgets . anti-ad tracking , picture-in-picture mode , setting a new default web browser, and more.

What to do before migrating to watchOS 7

There isn’t much you need to do with your Apple Watch before updating your operating system, but here are some tips. First, you can make a backup ; it’s not a separate process, but one that’s wrapped in your regular iPhone backup (obviously from an iPhone that syncs to your Apple Watch). Do this before installing watchOS 7, and it will be a great rescue in case you run into problems.

In fact, the biggest problem you’re likely to run into with a watchOS 7 update is the update itself: it might take a while, especially since you’ll have to update from iOS 14 to watchOS 7 (if I’m right). Make sure you charge your Apple Watch before updating , that both your watch and iPhone are reasonably close to each other (and with good Wi-Fi), and make sure you don’t need to use them for some time. While today’s update is likely to roll out early in the morning (PST), you can wait until bedtime to begin the update process. Hope you’re not using your iPhone while you sleep.

What to do if you were using beta versions of iOS or iPadOS

While this probably won’t be a problem, I like removing beta profiles on my devices before installing the new, latest iOS or iPadOS update. Sometimes I found that my iPhone would not see the new final version if I was still registered when everyone else got the update. So, to make sure I boot Apple’s servers at the same time as the rest, I usually ditch the beta profile in the early hours of the day a new operating system launches. You don’t need to do this unless you really want to, but if you don’t accidentally see a major iOS or iPadOS update when everyone says it’s live, that might be the reason.

What about my AirPods Pro? I want spatial audio!

Relax grasshopper, there is no setting you can click to force a firmware update for AirPods Pro. You will have to jump over a lot of hoops to potentially trigger an update, and it may not work.

If that doesn’t work, just keep using your AirPods Pro. What you end up with is Spatial Audio – and an increasingly useful “auto-switch” feature that makes it easier to use different Apple devices with AirPods Pro.

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