Download iOS 18 for your iPhone. Here’s how to get it now

iOS 18 brings big changes and minor tweaks to your phone, and it’s available for everyone to download today, Monday, September 16. There are a few things you should know before you try to install iOS 18.

Big changes in iOS 18 include a more customizable home screen, a redesigned Control Center and Photo Album, the ability to lock and hide your apps, and RCS support for better text messaging with Android users.

If you want to download and install iOS 18 today, here’s everything you need to know.

For more, check out the nine best hidden features in iOS 18, as well as the seven things you should do right after downloading iOS 18.

Can your iPhone even run iOS 18?

iOS 18 doesn’t work on every iPhone, but luckily the list of supported devices is extensive. You can download and install iOS 18 on iPhone XR or XS (released in 2018) and later.

Read more: iOS 18 is being released on Monday. Can your iPhone even run it?

The iPhone 16 series, which you can pre-order now, will go on sale on September 20. They will run iOS 18 out of the box.

Does iOS 18 have Apple Intelligence features?

Unfortunately, the Apple Intelligence feature won’t be rolling out until next month, in October, with the release of iOS 18.1. If you want to try out some AI features right now, like text message summaries and voice memo transcriptions, you can try the iOS 18.1 developer beta, but you’ll need either the iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max, or the iPhone 16.

Please back up your iPhone before updating to iOS 18

Not everyone will be happy with everything iOS 18 has to offer, which is why it’s important to take precautions before updating iOS 17. The best way to protect yourself is to back up your iPhone before updating to iOS 18. This will give you the option to go back to iOS 17 if iOS 18 doesn’t work for you.

You can update your iPhone via iCloud (Settings > (your name) > iCloud > iCloud Backup > Back up Now)but this is not the right backup for restoring an older iOS version. Instead, you should back up your iPhone using your computer and then create an archive backup.

Check out Jeff’s guide to properly backing up your iPhone if you want to learn how to create a local archive on your Mac or Windows computer.

Do these three things now before installing iOS 18

After backing up your compatible iPhone, here’s what you need to do to ensure the installation process goes smoothly:

• Make sure your iPhone is either fully charged or connected to power. You can’t download a major software update like iOS 18 if your battery is below 50%, so it’s best if you’re plugged in all the time. Even when plugged in, your battery needs to be above 20%, so make sure you take the time to charge.
• Connect your iPhone to a stable Wi-Fi network. You can’t download iOS 18 using your mobile data, so you’ll need to be connected to a good Wi-Fi network. You could also potentially use a hotspot, but the download process might be a bit slow.
• Make sure your phone has enough storage space. iOS 18, like other major software updates, is several gigabytes in size, so you will need enough storage space to download it. If you are running low on storage on your iPhone, you can Settings > Generally > iPhone storage to delete large files and apps. You can also download iOS 18 from your computer without having to free up space on your phone.

You should also check out these simple tricks to optimize your iPhone storage.

How to download and install iOS 18 on your iPhone

Now comes the easy part – downloading and installing iOS 18.

On your supported iPhone, go to Settings > Generally > Software update. If you do this right at 10am PT/1pm ET, you may have to wait a bit for the update to appear, so be patient. Once it appears, head to Upgrade to iOS 18 bottom of the page and then click Update now to install iOS 18 on your phone. Enter your passcode and accept the terms to start the update process.

You should see a loading bar as well as an estimate of how long iOS 18 will take to download and install. Once the download is complete, your phone will reboot and iOS 18 should download to your device.

For more information on iOS 18, check out this iOS 18 review. Plus, learn how to test Apple Intelligence early with the iOS 18.1 developer beta.