Ultimate Guide to iOS 15 Update

Part 1. iOS 15 Awesome New Features

With iOS 15, you iPhone will surely take on a new admirable face. Apple claims that iOS 15 is designed to "give your iPhone a new look, and take it to a whole new level". What we expect is the improvement is not only on the look, but also on the performance. Let's see what new features iOS 15 brings to us.

ios 15 features - New Widgets

New Widgets

  • New widgets for you to get more informations.
  • Choose from different sizes and arrange you like.
ios 15 features - new app library

New App Library

  • Organize your apps into one simple, easy‑to‑navigate view.
  • Your most used apps are always one tap away.
ios 15 features - new message

New Messages

  • Nine conversations to the top of your conversation list.
  • Group conversation can set a visual identity by adding a photo or Memoji, or choose an emoji.
ios 15 features - security

Privacy & Security

  • Get information on the App Store to help you understand the privacy practices.
  • An indicator appears at the top of your screen while an app is using your microphone or camera.
ios 15 features - new maps

New Maps

  • Get cycling directions using bike lanes, paths, and roads.
  • Guides for great places around the world to eat, shop, and explore.
ios 15 features - homekit

HomeKit

  • Set your lights to change color temperature throughout the day.
  • Video cameras and doorbells can identify people you’ve tagged in the Photos app.
ios 15 features - new Siri

New Siri

  • Siri-generated voice will sound more natural for longer sentences.
  • Help you find web answers and send audio messages
ios 15 features - safari

New Safari

  • Translate websites in seven different languages.
  • Tap the Privacy Report button to better understand how websites treat your privacy

Part 2. Prepare for iOS 15 Update

Actually, it is very easy and simple to update your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch to iOS 15. But to make the journey smooth and safe, you'd better do the following preparations first. Especially, make a full backup of your data before you do anything. Why? No one can suffer the loss of iOS data in any cases.

2.1 Check if your device is compatible with iOS 15 (or iPadOS 14)

iOS 15 and iPadOS 14 will be available for all major models of iPhones and iPads. One point to note: some models that supported iOS 12 like iPhone 5/6 no longer support iOS 15. Here are the complete list of iPhones, iPads, and iPods where iOS 15 can definitely be installed.

iPhone
ios 15 compatible iphone

iPhone 2020 range
iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max
iPhone SE (1st, 2nd generation)
iPhone XS, XS Max and XR
iPhone X
iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone 8
iPhone 7 Plus
iPhone 7
iPhone 6S Plus
iPhone 6S

iPad
ios 15 compatible ipad

12.9-inch iPad Pro
11-inch iPad Pro
10.5-inch iPad Pro
9.7-inch iPad Pro
iPad 6th generation
iPad 5th generation
iPad Air 3
iPad Air 2
iPad mini 4

iPod
ios 15 compatible ipod

iPod touch 7th generation


2.2 Backup your iPhone/iPad before iOS 15 update

Do not neglect: a full backup of your iOS device is extremely important before iOS 14 update. Data loss happens A LOT during and after people update to new iOS version every year. So, do remember to backup your iPhone/iPad before you do anything. Whenever anything unexpected happens, we are therefore able to restore our data easily from the iOS backups. Here there are 3 ways to backup your iPhone/iPad easily.

backup iphone for ios 15 update
Backup iDevice with Dr.Fone
  1. Connect iPhone/iPad to PC.
  2. Choose the data types.
  3. 1-click to backup iPhone/iPad in minutes.
Pros:
  • Takes a full backup, or only backs up selected data types.
  • Backup data easily previewed.
  • Restores data to iPhone/iPad selectively.
Cons:

Not free

backup iphone to icloud for ios 15

Backup iDevice to iCloud

  1. Connect your iPhone/iPad to a Wi-Fi network.
  2. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
  3. Tap Back Up Now.
Pros:

Official backup solution. Only 5 GB of free storage.

Cons:
  • Takes at least 20-30 minutes to back up iPhone/iPad.
  • Cannot selectively backup and restore iPhone/iPad.
  • Backup data cannot be previewed.
  • Needs to factory reset iPhone/iPad to restore backup data.
backup iphone in itunes for ios 15

Backup iDevice with iTunes

  1. Open iTunes on computer.
  2. Connect your iPhone/iPad to your computer.
  3. Click File > Devices > Backup, click Back Up Now from Summary page.
Pros:
  • No need to download third-party software.
  • No need to pay for extra iCloud storage.
Cons:
  • Does not support selective backup & restore for iPhone/iPad.
  • Slow backup and restore process.
  • A lot of users encounter errors when using iTunes.

2.3 Free up space for iOS 15 update

When you update your iOS device wirelessly, you might see a message There's not enough available storage to download iOS 15. The new iOS 15 update installer is around 2GB. Your iPhone or iPad also requires 1.5 - 2GB additional free storage to install the iOS 14 update.

So, to update to iOS 15 smoothly, you need at least 4 - 5 GB of free space on your iPhone/iPad. To check available storage on iPhone, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. You can also follow the tips below to free up more space for iOS 15 update.

offload apps for ios 15 update
Offload Unused iOS Apps

Go to Settings > iTunes & App Stores and enable Offload Unused Apps. This will delete the iOS app but keep documents and data so you can restore it later from the App Store.

delete contents for ios 15 update
Delete Downloaded Contents

Videos and music usually takes a lot more storage than you expected. If you use Apple Music, go to Settings > Music > Downloaded Music. Swipe left on the music or album and tap Delete.

delete messages for ios 15 update
Delete Old Messages

Go to Settings > Messages > Message History > Keep Messages > select 30 days, and delete all the messages and attachments older than 30 days. See other tips on deleting iPhone messages.

erase phone for ios 15 update
Dr.Fone - Data Eraser (iOS)

With Dr.Fone - Data Eraser (iOS), we can easily delete all temporary files, App generated files, cached files and unused Apps to free up space. And it also compresses iPhone photos without quality loss.

Part 3. 3 Ways to Update to iOS 15

When the iOS 15 update comes out, your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch will receive the update notice. Generally there are two methods to install iOS 15 on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch: Over the Air and iTunes. You can choose either method to update your iPhone/iPad to iOS 15 based on actual situations.

3.1 Update to iOS 15 wirelessly and using iTunes

update to ios 15 over wifi

Update to iOS 15 Wirelessly

  1. Plug your device into power and connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi.
  2. Tap Settings > General > Software Update.
  3. Tap Download and Install.
  4. Tap Install. Or you can tap Later and choose Install Tonight or Remind Me Later.
  5. If asked, enter your passcode.
update to ios 15 with itunes

Update to iOS 15 via iTunes

  1. Install the latest version of iTunes on your computer.
  2. Connect your iOS device to computer.
  3. Open iTunes and select your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch.
  4. Click Summary, then click Check for Update.
  5. Click Download and Update.
  6. Enter your passcode of your iOS device.

3.2 Update to iOS 15 in 1 click

Steps to update to iOS 15:
  • Connect your iOS device to PC and launch Dr.Fone.
  • Click on the “Repair” module, and go to the iOS Repair option.
  • Select either mode. Confirm your choice by selecting the displayed iOS 15 version and click on the “Start”.
  • Sit back and wait for a while as the application would start downloading the compatible firmware for your iOS device.
Dr.Fone - System Repair (iOS)
  • Downgrade iOS by flashing the previous firmware.
  • Can also update iOS on your iDevices.
  • No dependence on iTunes.
  • Fix all iOS system problems like iOS freezing, white Apple logo, etc.

Part 4. Don't like iOS 15? Downgrade iOS 15 to iOS 14

iOS 15 mainly focuses on the "new look". Quite a few users reported that iOS 15 lacks equal focus on performance and stability. If iOS 15 is causing issues on your iPhone or iPad and driving you crazy, you can actually downgrade from iOS 15 to iOS 14 before Apple stops signing iOS 14 firmware.

Downgrade iOS 15 with Dr.Fone

1
Launch Dr.Fone on your computer and select Repair.
2
Select the standard mode to downgrade your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
3
Select iPhone model, and specify iOS 14 as the firmware you want to download.
4
Once the firmware is downloaded, click Fix Now.
5
After a few minutes, your iPhone will restart and you will have iOS 14 on your iPhone/iPad.

Notice:

  • Make sure to select the "Standard Mode". So your data will remain intact after you downgrade to iOS 14.
  • Dr.Fone - Repair can also help you fix various issues you face with iOS 15 update or downgrade.
  • Click on https://ipsw.me/product/iPhone to check whether the compatible firmware is available.
downgrade ios 15 to ios 14

Downgrade iOS 15 with iTunes

1
Backup your iPhone with Dr.Fone.
2
Go to ipsw.me, select your iPhone model and download the proper IPSW file.
3
Turn off Find My iPhone.
4
Connect your iOS device to computer and run your iTunes.
5
Put device into DFU mode.
6
Search your device icon on iTunes and click it > Choose Summary tab and, (For Mac) press "Option" and click "Restore iPhone (or iPad/iPod)..."; (For Windows) press "Shift" and click "Restore iPhone (or iPad/iPod)…".
7
Find previous iOS ipsw file you have downloaded, select it and click "Open".

Notice:

  • iOS 15 downgrade with iTunes may result in complete data loss. It's very important to backup your data first.
  • You cannot restore your device with the backup that you created with iCloud/iTunes before downgrading. So remember to backup your iPhone with a 3rd party backup tool.

Part 5. iOS 15 Update Tips & Tricks

apps crashing

iPhone apps crashing on iOS 15

App crashing on iOS 15 is the most annoying issue. It arises due to reasons like insufficient memory, system glitches, etc. Check how it is fixable now.

ipados stuck installing

iPadOS 15 stuck on installing

Many people attempted to install iPadOS 15, the first OS Apple tailored for iPad, but finally found the installation just got stuck. Check how to fix quickly.

itunes backup

Cannot restore iTunes backup

Apple’s suspension of iTunes updates may somewhat account for frequent failure to restore iTunes backup on iOS 15. Check how tech geeks resolve this.

downgrade ios 15

Downgrade from iOS 15

Downgrading from iOS 15 without computer may be an ideal option when iOS 15 does not fit your appetite. Follow this tutorial to start the iOS downgrade.

ios 15 update tips and tricks
bricked ipad

iPadOS 15 bricked iPad

iPadOS 15 comes with many amazing features. But what if iPadOS 15 just bricks your iPad before you can even access them. Well, you are not alone. Fixes here!

iphone locked

Cannot get into iPhone on iOS 15

There are many complaints that screen cannot be unlocked when iPhone asking for passcode after iOS 15 update. Find all the tested ways to get around.

music disappearing

Music disappeared after iOS 15 update

It’s disastrous for music lovers after iOS 15 update. This article is designed to troubleshoot this issue by providing 5 solutions to get back your music.

ios 15 lagging

iOS 15 lagging & crashing

If you too have faced iOS 15 crashing or lagging issues, it’s actually easier to fix than you think. Let's check how to fix crashing or lagging issues now.