How to download iOS 17 on your iPhone – and what to do when it won’t install

Find out how to download iOS 17 (and what to do when it won’t)

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Wondering how to install iOS 17 on your iPhone?Applehas now rolled out the major software update to all iPhones, so we’ve put together this short guide on how to install it – and also what to do when iOS 17 isn’t downloading or is stuck during the update.

iOS 17delivers along list of improvements and new features, including interactive widgets, a new StandBy mode for glanceable info, improved autocorrect and more. So if your iPhone qualifies for the update (you need to have an iPhone XS or later), then it’s well worth installing.

Should you install iOS 17 right away? While there are often small bugs or issues when a major software update rolls out, most of the big ones have been ironed out during the public beta testing stage – so it’s typically fine to install the first full version when it’s released.

Apple released iOS 17 on September 18, so if you’re looking to update your iPhone and test-drive its new treats, here’s how to do it – and also what to do when it stubbornly refuses to download or gets stuck.

Tools and requirements

You’ll need anWi-Fi connectionand acompatible iPhone– here’s a full list of the iPhones that are compatible with iOS 17:

Steps for how to install iOS 17

Step by step guide

1. Go to Software Update

Start by going to theSettings appon your iPhone (either by tapping the icon or searching for Settings). Now go toGeneral > Software Update.

If you have a compatible iPhone (see the list above), you should see an’Upgrade to iOS' messageat the bottom of your screen. If you don’t, wait for a few minutes to see if it appears.

2. Make sure you have enough storage

Tap the ‘Upgrade to iOS’ messageand you should see the install page above, showing a list of iOS 17’s new features and the size of the install. If you’re running short on internal storage, now is a good time to clear some space to make sure iOS 17 is able to install.

To clear space on your iPhone, go toSettings > General > iPhone storage. You’ll see a breakdown of your current storage situation, plus some recommendations of how to clear space (for example, Offload Unused Apps). Once you have a good 10GB of space free, you can move onto the iOS 17 install process.

3. Download and install

On the iOS 17 install page above,tap ‘Download and Install’. This will prompt you toenter your iPhone passcode(the same as the one you use to unlock the phone), followed by a list of Terms and Conditions. Once you’re happy with those,tap ‘Agree’in the bottom right-hand corner.

The Software Update page should now show you an ‘Update Requested’ message, followed by anestimate of how long the iOS 17 downloadwill take (this is typically around 15 minutes). This is a good time toplug your iPhone into powerand wait for it to reboot with iOS 17 (which usually takes another ten minutes after the download has completed).

Troubleshooting

What should you do if iOS 17 is not downloading?

When you try to download iOS 17, a common issue is that the download simply won’t start automatically. To fix this, you can try a few things. Firstly, make sure you’re on Wi-Fi rather than a cellular connection. Another simple fix is simply rebooting your iPhone (hold the side button plus either the volume up or down button simultaneously).But the most common issue preventing iOS 17 from downloading and installing is a lack of available storage space. iOS 17 will show as around 3GB in size, but you’ll need at least 10GB free in order for it to install. So it’s worth going to General > iPhone storage and seeing where you can free up some space.The ‘Offload Unused Apps’ option (which offloads, but doesn’t delete, unused apps) is an easy way to free up a few gigabytes. Large podcasts, videos and photos can also easily hog gigabytes of storage. Once you’ve cleared some unwanted content, reboot your iPhone and return to the iOS 17 install page (Settings > General > Software Update) and it should now start to play ball.

What do you do if iOS 17 is stuck on the ‘preparing update’ stage?

Another common issue when trying to install iOS 17 is that it’ll get stuck on the ‘preparing update’ stage. How do you fix this? Firstly, it’s worth giving it a little more time – this stage can often take an hour or so before it moves onto the installing progress bar.

But if it’s been hours and it feels like the ‘preparing update’ stage is genuinely stuck, then you can try to manually restart the process. Go toSettings > General > iPhone storage, then scroll to the bottom of the page. You should see an iOS 17 file – tap on it, then hit ‘Delete Update’. Now you can restart the iOS 17 install process by following the steps above, after making sure you’re on a solid Wi-Fi connection and have a generous amount of internal storage (at least 10GB) available.

Final thoughts

The iOS 17 update is a major one, so the install process isn’t always smooth –particularly if you’re running short on storage space. But once it’s installed, we’ve found that it runs pretty smoothly and bug-free, even on older iPhones.

It also delivers a slightly head-spinning array of upgrades, so for a full tour of those check out ourguide to iOS 17and our full iOS 17 review.

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

Mark is TechRadar’s Senior news editor. Having worked in tech journalism for a ludicrous 17 years, Mark is now attempting to break the world record for the number of camera bags hoarded by one person. He was previously Cameras Editor at both TechRadar and Trusted Reviews, Acting editor on Stuff.tv, as well as Features editor and Reviews editor on Stuff magazine. As a freelancer, he’s contributed to titles including The Sunday Times, FourFourTwo and Arena. And in a former life, he also won The Daily Telegraph’s Young Sportswriter of the Year. But that was before he discovered the strange joys of getting up at 4am for a photo shoot in London’s Square Mile.

Another reason to avoid edge-lit 4K TVs: they may fail faster than others, according to this report

Google TV will require more RAM for future upgrades – which might leave older TVs and streaming boxes behind

The iPhone 18 series could include a variable aperture, ‘significantly enhancing’ the camera