How To Get iOS 12 Right Now

Apple has released iOS 12 to the public. Here’s what you need to do to get your hands on the latest iteration of Apple’s mobile device operating system.

Backup Your Device

Whenever a new operating system released comes out there’s an urge for many of us to dive straight in and install it as soon as we can.

If you have an adventurous spirit and absolutely trust software developers to get everything right first time go right ahead.

For the rest of us, back your device up using either iTunes or iCloud before getting started just in case.

Even though Apple has run an open public beta testing campaign there may still be some bugs that need fixing. The last few releases of iOS have been followed by fixes, sometimes released within days of the initial release.

Option 1 – Over The Air Update

The easiest way to update your iPhone or iPad to iOS 12 is to go to Settings app, open the General settings and tap on Software Update.

Make sure your device is charged, or connect it to a power supply, and sit back as the installer does all the work.

Option 2 – Use iTunes

iTunes may have evolved into steaming pile of bloatware over the years that barely anyone uses now that all our media either lives in the cloud or is streamed from subscription services but it’s still useful for backing up and updating iOS devices.

Connect your device to a computer running iTunes, tap on the device’s icon on the toolbar and use the update function in the summary section.

What’s New?

Apple has published some iOS 12 release notes that list the new features and improvements.

As well as improving the performance and making Notifications far more organised by grouping them, most of the in-built apps have been tweaked.

And Screen Time provides a great tool for understanding your own device use and, if you use Family Sharing, understanding and managing how and when younger members of your family use their devices so you can impose sensible limits.

What Devices Are Compatible With iOS 12?

iOS 12 is compatible with the following devices.

iPhones

• 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 6
• iPhone 6 Plus
• iPhone SE
• iPhone 5s

iPads

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

It also works with the sixth generation iPod touch.