iTunes preferred method to update iOS?

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Is iTunes still the preferred way to update iOS now? Some years ago it used to be recommended and I followed along for about 10 years.

Is over-the-air (whatever it is called) updating just as reliable now? I used iTunes in previous Windows versions but have not installed it on my Win10 pc because I really hate iTunes. However, if iTunes is still the recommended route to updating,  I will install it.

Thanks

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I use for years OTA updates while connected to wi-fi.
Never had a problem.

Can’t remember the last time I used iTunes for iOS updates.

You can also download the (image) .ipsw file for your device, using your PC, and use iTunes to install the .ipsw.

I always download and keep a copy of the latest .ipsw for my devices.

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Nathan Parker, J9438

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Hmmm….I get this dl site blocked cause it’s not https

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I don’t think I’ve ever used iTunes to update my devices. I always just let my wireless connection handle it. I’ve never had any problems with the wireless connection and I have an iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

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hms

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Thanks for both of your replies. However, I am not familiar with .ipsw files, so I should skip that.
To update, do you request the Download & Install or wait for the device to download on its own that may take 2 weeks or so and then install.

The phones had v14.3 downloaded, but I did not install. Now that option is gone since v14.4 has arrived and may be 2 weeks or more before it automatically downloads v14.4.

Thanks

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I used to use itunes, now it’s over the wifi as my preferred updating mechanism.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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ve2mrx, Nathan Parker, J9438, hms

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hms wrote:

To update, do you request the Download & Install

I have automatic downloads/updates disabled.
I check & download manually.

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ve2mrx, pmcjr6142, hms

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I do not have set to automatically update. It downloads about 2 weeks or so after the update is released and reminds me to install the update .

From what I read, v14.4 is recommended for security purposes, so I suppose I should manually download it rather than waiting 2+ weeks.

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[Alex5723]

DriftyDonN wrote:

Hmmm….I get this dl site blocked cause it’s not https

It does use: https://ipsw.me

• This reply was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Alex5723.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Alex5723.

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ve2mrx, DriftyDonN

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[DriftyDonN]

Seems I recall that itunes was going to be done away with soon…any news on that front? BTW , appreciate the HTTPS reply. BUT the download page is http also ;-(

 

D

• This reply was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by DriftyDonN. Reason: correction , addition

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I take it over the air, but I wait to read whether Alex or Nathan has learned of any problems.

I have never had any problem with an iOS update, don’t think that I can say that for a PC OS update.

Dell E5570 Latitude, Intel Core i5 6440@2.60 GHz, 8.00 GB - Win 10 Pro

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[Alex5723]

Alex5723 wrote:

DriftyDonN wrote:

Hmmm….I get this dl site blocked cause it’s not https

It does use: https://ipsw.me

• This reply was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Alex5723.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Alex5723.

How to update iOS using .ipsw file

Always create a double backup on iCloud and local PC before a major iOS update, using iTunes.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Alex5723.

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ve2mrx, hms, J9438

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Based on your and Rick’s comments about using iTunes, suppose it is iTunes for our iPhones as weare still on v13.7 so going to 14.4 would be a big jump. I put off updating iOS because 1) one never knows the problems that will come up, 2) I really hate using iTunes, and 3) new iOS versions never give me anything substative other than security updates (the same as Windows) although I never use iPhones for banking, etc.

Thanks again for your comments.

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Pros of OTA updates of iOS:

• They’re very convenient.
• They’re much smaller in download size than the equivalent update via iTunes. (Delta updates rather than full iOS images, i.e. only files that have changed.)

Cons:

• Device needs to have 50% battery charge minimum or be on charge.
• Dependent on the speed of your device’s Wi-Fi connection.
• The updates need to unpack themselves on your device before beginning their updating… so much more space on the device is required.
• You’ll usually need to wait for ages whilst Preparing Update:
  
• If you have more than one Apple device then 5GB free iCloud storage space is often not enough to backup prior to any update.
• Good luck if you suffer a glitch. An OTA restore is a painful experience.

However, whilst I tend to always use iTunes – even though the Windows version is poor – I’ve only once had a problem with an OTA update a long time ago, hence why I know what a miserable experience an OTA Restore is (or used to be). I lost the use of my phone for ~3 hours… and have nearly always used iTunes since (unless it’s a critical update and I’m away from home). By comparison, a restore from iTunes takes just a few minutes.

Hope this helps…

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Bill C., Nathan Parker, hms

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Rick Corbett wrote:

If you have more than one Apple device then 5GB free iCloud storage space is often not enough to backup prior to any update.

I pay $0.99/month for iCloud 50GB.

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OTA over Wi-Fi works well for me for updates.

For moving data between two devices, I’m using iMazing now. Works so much better and faster than iCloud. I’ll write a review of it coming up.

Nathan Parker

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AlexEiffel, ve2mrx, Bill C.

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I also use a combination of iMazing and direct updates through iOS.  I set iMazing to automatically backup the phone and ipad when connected through the local wireless network (which is my work network).  I noticed that:

• You cannot update iOS if you are connected using a cellular data network. Bummer.
• Apple Music replaced iTunes on my Mac with Big Sur (OS 11).  On Windows, the latest iTunes is offered through Windows Store, and it has been unreliable for me.
• If you have a phone or tablet with only 16GB of memory, you need 4 GB free for updating.  That is painful.
• Back up the devices first with icloud before you update, especially if your network is not fast.
• After the last update, I lost an important Note on my iPad but it still existed on my phone.  If you have iMazing, you can simply drag and drop to restore the Note.  Via wifi, I shared the Note to email, and it popped right up on my iPad.  Since I was at a customer’s house, I could not use iMazing at the time.
• You also need to have bluetooth enabled and a charged battery.  It complains that it will not back up unless plugged in and locked, but that is not true.  You can manually start the update in Settings as long as it is connected to wifi.
• Go into Settings >General >Software update to check for updates.

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[DriftyDonN]

DriftyDonN wrote:

Seems I recall that itunes was going to be done away with soon…any news on that front? BTW , appreciate the HTTPS reply. BUT the download page is http also ;-(

 

D

• This reply was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by DriftyDonN. Reason: correction , addition

The download pages are HTTPS as well.

iTunes in not going away. On MacOS Catalina, BigSur iTunes have been split into components.

On June 3, 2019, Apple stated that they would no longer include iTunes with future Mac computers. Starting with the operating system macOS Catalina, Apple instead split iTunes into separate apps: Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts

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Nathan Parker

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In macOS Catalina and later, you can now manage your iOS devices using the Finder. Same interface as iTunes had.

Although iMazing does more and well worth the price. It is the iOS device manager Apple should have included with macOS. Now that I’ve used it, I’ll never go back to anything else unless a tornado wipes out all my gear and I’m forced to use iCloud restore.

Nathan Parker

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Alex5723

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Be advised that iTunes has issues updating modern iPhones. You will receive error 4000 unless you remove all locking mechanisms (such as a PIN).  This also means you have to temporarily remove Apple Pay. This applies to phones with Face ID. My X and 11 Pro Max, for instance, do not work with iTunes anymore. My 6S+ and SE V1 do.

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Nathan Parker

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I’ve been doing updates OTA for several years. No problems. I just find it more convenient than powering up my old PC and loading iTunes.

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Nathan Parker

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[Marty]

So far I have resisted upgrading to iOS 14.x due to reports of problems with messaging and also with battery drain.  Have these issues now  been addressed?  Thanks.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Marty. Reason: Omitted a couple of words in original post

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Nathan Parker

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Still seeing battery drain with some devices, but I need to test 14.4 further to see if it corrected it.

Nathan Parker

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Marty

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Once you complete your tests, please share your findings.  Thanks.

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[Alex5723]

Nathan Parker wrote:

Still seeing battery drain with some devices, but I need to test 14.4 further to see if it corrected it.

Which apps are draining your batteries and what is the batteries health ?

• This reply was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Alex5723.

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I’ve been using Finder on my Mac to backup and update my iPhone 6 and iPad Mini 2 .
Access under Locations.

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Nathan Parker

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Updated to iOS 14.4 on my iPhone XR / iPhone SE 2 / iPhone 8, using WiFi and no issues so far.

Also updated to iOS 12.5.1 on an old iPhone 6 and iPod Touch (6th generation), again using WiFi.

I have been using WiFi to update iOS for as long as I remember. No issues.

Please note that if you are still running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, iTunes 12.10.10 (which supports iOS 14.x) is the last version that runs on these operating systems. iTunes 12.11.0 (and later) only runs on Windows 10.

Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.

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Alex5723, Nathan Parker

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As the OP, I recently updated our aging iPhone 7’s to v14.4 from the latest version of 13.

Tried using iTunes that is installed on a Win7 laptop that I always used. I updated to latest version of iTunes for Win7 (think it is v12.7). Both phones failed after the extraction phase with the message “The iPhone “name” could not be updated. An unknown error occurred (4000).” Not very helpful to say the least. I tried each phone twice with the same result. So much for iTunes at least on Win7. As horrible as it is, I have never had an iTunes error. Maybe I would have had better success either with newer phones or iTunes on Win10, or both.

I then did an OA update; seemed to take forever. On both phones, there was an error message that it could not process the update. I hit the Retry option and the update installed  on both.

Hopefully there will not be another urgent iOS update soon. So long iTunes.

Thanks to all who responded.

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I updated two iPhones via WiFi from 13.x to 14.4. The first went without a hitch, but the second kept downloading the update repeatedly.  I finally rebooted that phone, after which things went smoothly.

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You know, I have the same question but slightly different. I always update over the air and have never had an issue.

My question is related to restore – is it better to restore your device from iTunes or iCloud? It appears there is no actual difference between the two according to Apple‘s website, it seems to be just a matter of preference, which if that is the case, I prefer OTA.  I can make a 2nd backup to iTunes, but restore OTA.  Asking the community, is my understanding correct?

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204136
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Nathan Parker

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I will always restore using iMazing now. It went way too well.

Nathan Parker

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dmt_3904

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dmt_3904 wrote:

is my understanding correct?

Yes.
I too restore OTA when getting a new iPhone even though I have local backup too.

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dmt_3904

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Instead of seeing all of the postings on this topic, I am seeing only a few of them.  There’s a message saying that I am “Viewing 3 reply threads”, but where are they?  Instead of seeing the 29 replies that supposedly exist, I am seeing only 4.  Please see the attached screenshot.

Is there a solution to this mystery?

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Please see this post – https://www.askwoody.com/2021/try-to-fix-one-thing-break-another/ it’s an indexing issue.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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