Today is the big day for Apple device owners—the company is putting out updates for its devices, including iOS 15 for iPhone, iPadOS 15 for iPad, and watchOS 8 for Apple Watch. If you want to update your Apple hardware (and you should), here’s how to do it.
How to Update to iOS 15 on iPhone
If you own an iPhone, you’ve probably downloaded an update at one point or another. The process is painless enough, though.
On your device, open Settings. From there, tap “General,” then touch “Software Update.” Your device will check for an update, and if iOS 15 rolled out for you, you’ll see a brief bit of information about it and the option to get it. Next, tap “Download and Install,” and your device will run through the process of updating to the latest version of iOS.
You’ll need to have at least 80% battery or be plugged in for your phone to update. Also, you might want to backup your iPhone before you perform the update to be on the safe side.
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How to Get iPadOS 15 on iPad
If you’re looking to update to iPadOS 15 (and why wouldn’t you be with the extraordinary multitasking changes it brings to the table), the process is the same as on iPhone.
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Open Settings, tap “General,” tap “Software Update,” then tap “Download and Install” once the update has rolled out to you. It’s that simple.
How to Download watchOS 8 on Apple Watch
You can update Apple Watch devices to watchOS 8 using the watch itself or from your iPhone. Either way, you’re going to get a lot of new features with the new OS, so it’s worth downloading as soon as it becomes available.
To update from the Apple Watch, open the Settings app, then tap “General,” followed by “Software Update.” If an update is available for your device, tap “Install,” and, before you know it, you’ll have the latest version of watchOS on your device and all the goodies that come with it.
If you decide to do it from your iPhone, first, open the Watch app. From there, tap “General,” then “Software Update.” Download the update and be ready to enter your Pin on your Apple Watch if asked. A progress wheel will show up on your Apple Watch, letting you know that the installation is underway.
Is Your Device Eligible?
If you’re using an older iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, you may be wondering if your device will be able to get iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and watchOS 8. This is a perfectly valid question. There are so many generations of Apple devices out there, so it’s hard to track which devices are still receiving updates.
Fortunately, Apple made it easy for iPhone and iPad —all devices that received iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 will get iOS 15 and iPad OS 15. That means if your phone was deemed too old for the previous generation’s updates, the same would hold for these.
For watchOS 8, Apple will offer the update to Apple Watch 3 and later devices. If you’re on an original or Series 2 Apple Watch, you’re going to miss out on this (and future) updates.
