If you are using iPhone XR/XS or above and planning to update the phone to the latest operating system, don’t you want to know how long iOS 17 takes to install? Or are you in the middle of the installation process but the iPhone update is taking forever? If you have these questions in mind, you will get all the answers here.
Furthermore, in the following sections, you will also learn various methods to update your iPhone and several troubleshooting techniques if the installation fails.
How Long Does iOS 17 Take to Install?
If the ‘Software Update’ screen on your iPhone shows that iOS 17 is available for your device, depending on your network connection, downloading the new operating system may take anywhere between 5 to 15 minutes. Once downloaded, the installation process would be matter of another 15 to 20 minutes, depending on your iPhone model and its memory.
With that said, the total time that your iPhone will take to update to iOS 17 would be somewhere around 20 to 35 minutes.、
How to Fix iPhone Update Taking Forever
Because your question ‘how long does iOS 17 take to install’ has been answered in the previous section, you are suggested to wait for 40 to 50 minutes before considering that the update process got stuck, and needs some troubleshooting.
Now, the solutions may vary depending on how you are trying to update your iPhone, i.e., Over the Air (OTA), or via iTunes or the Finder app. For your convenience, fixes for both cases are explained below.
- If You Are Updating iPhone Over the Air (OTA)
- If You Are Updating iPhone Using iTunes/Finder
- Other Ways to Update iPhone
1. If You Are Updating iPhone Over the Air (OTA)
Updating iOS Over the Air (OTA), also known as a wireless update, means that you can update your iPhone by the Settings app which shows that an updated version of the operating system is available. You can begin the installation process right there. Usually, the update is installed flawlessly and after your phone restarts, it is ready to use normally. However, sometimes things don’t go as expected. Therefore you may get the problems listed below.
- iPhone Stuck on Verifying Update
Once the update file is downloaded, before installation, iPhone connects to the Apple server to verify if the update is authentic. If your device encounters some problem during this process, the phone gets stuck on the ‘Verifying Update’ message. Check this blog for solutions.
- iPhone Update Taking Forever to Download
As mentioned earlier, it takes around 5 to 15 minutes to download the software update file depending on its size, your Internet connection, and the model of the iPhone you are using. If the phone is stuck on the downloading part for more than 25 to 30 minutes, you know that there is a problem that needs to be fixed. Check this blog for solutions.
- iPhone Stuck on Preparing Update
This happens when the update file is downloaded to your iPhone and is being extracted for installation, but somehow the process failed. A couple of reasons for this may include insufficient free space, a corrupt update file, etc. Check this blog for solutions.
- iPhone Stuck on Update Requested
If your iPhone update is taking forever and is stuck on the ‘Update Requested’ message, the issue might be related to an already downloaded update file, the Apple server being busy, unstable network connectivity, etc. Check this blog for solutions.
Now, if your iPhone is taking forever to update to iOS 17 via OTA, you can try iTunes to install the latest software instead.
When you attempt to update your iPhone via iTunes on Windows (explained here) or the Finder app on Mac, the newer version of iOS is downloaded to your PC and then installed on your phone. You can learn how to update your smartphone to iOS 17 through iTunes by following the instructions given below:
- Launch iTunes on a Windows computer (or the Finder app on Mac).
- Use the Lightning Cable to connect your iPhone to the PC.
- Wait while iTunes detects your phone and notifies you about the availability of the newer version of iOS (iOS 17 in this case).
- If the notification doesn’t appear, click the Phone icon from the top of the interface.
- Click Check for Update or Update from the upper portion of the right window.
- Wait while iTunes checks, downloads, and installs iOS 17 on your iPhone.
- Disconnect your iPhone from the computer.
- Continue using it normally.
If you failed to update your iPhone to iOS 17 via both OTA and iTunes/Finder, check the solutions in the third section.
2. If You Are Updating iPhone Using iTunes/Finder
Some people prefer to update iPhone using iTunes or Finder. However, updating your iPhone through the 2 apps doesn’t always work. Sometimes even these methods fail to perform well. If you’re updating to iOS 17 via iTunes or Finder, the problems that you might experience include:
- iTunes Stuck on Extracting Software
After iTunes has downloaded the update file, it may get stuck in the extraction phase. This could be due to the corrupt instance of iOS, an obsolete iTunes version, or something else. Check this blog for solutions.
- iTunes Stuck on Downloading the Software for this iPhone
Your instance of iTunes may get stuck on the downloading process and you may experience that your iPhone update is taking forever. Check this blog for solutions.
- iTunes Stuck on Waiting for iPhone
iTunes may get stuck on the waiting for iPhone screen when the connection between your iPhone and iTunes gets interrupted, the lightning cable is faulty, the wireless network is not stable, or you are using an older, outdated version of iTunes. Check this blog for solutions.
- iTunes Stuck on Preparing iPhone for Software Update
If there is some problem with the downloaded software update file, free space, or network connection, iTunes will get stuck on the ‘Preparing iPhone for Software Update’ message. Check this blog for solutions.
- iTunes Stuck on Verifying Updated iPhone Software
If iTunes successfully downloaded the software update file but got stuck on the verifying updated iPhone software message, the issue could be in the file itself or your iPhone. Check this blog for solutions.
If your iPhone is taking forever to update to iOS 17 using iTunes, you can try the Over the Air (OTA) method (if you haven’t tried it). Please note that you are not able to try this method if your iPhone cannot turn on normally. Follow the step-by-step process below.
- Ensure that your iPhone is connected to a Wi-Fi network.
- Confirm that the phone is at least 50% charged.
- Check and ensure that it is plugged into a power outlet and is charging.
- Tap Settings.
- Go to General.
- Tap Software Update.
- Tap Download and Install. Note: The Download and Install option will be visible and enabled only if iOS 17 is available for your iPhone and the phone is at least 50% charged.
- Wait while the iPhone downloads and installs iOS 17.
If you failed to update your iPhone to iOS 17 via both iTunes/Finder and OTA, check the solutions in the next section.
3. Other Ways to Update iPhone to iOS 17
If none of the above solutions work or you are facing any issues other than those that are listed above when updating to iOS 17, a few troubleshooting alternatives will be explained below.
3.1. Restore iPhone and then Restore the Latest Backup
This process involves restoring iOS via iTunes and then restoring the iPhone from the latest backup. iTunes will install the latest software iOS 17 on your iPhone during the process and you will not lose your data if you have a backup. The instructions are given below.
Step 1. Back up your iPhone
- Use the method explained earlier to connect your iPhone to iTunes and get to the Summary screen.
- From the Backups section on the right window, click to select the This Computer radio button under the Automatically Back Up column.
- Uncheck the Encrypt local backup box.
- Click Back Up Now under the Manually Back Up and Restore column.
- Click Don’t Encrypt on the next box.
- Wait while iTunes backs up your iPhone.
Step 2. Restore your iPhone
- Once done, get back to the Summary screen.
- Click Restore iPhone from the upper portion of the right window.
- Follow the on-screen instructions from there to allow iTunes to download a new instance of the latest iOS file and perform a clean install on your iPhone.
- After the installation is complete, your iPhone will restart automatically.
Step 3. Restore iPhone from backup
When you restore from iTunes backup, you will be asked to turn off Find My iPhone, so you can turn off it first.
- Go to Settings > Your Name (from the top) > Find My > Find My iPhone.
- Tap to turn off the Find My iPhone switch.
- Enter your Apple ID and password.
- Tap Turn Off from the top-right corner.
- Next, connect the phone to iTunes and get back to the Summary screen.
- Click Restore Backup under the Manually Back Up and Restore column of the Backups section in the right window.
- Choose the latest backup from the iPhone Name menu on the next box.
- Click Restore.
- Wait while iTunes restores your iPhone from the backup.
- Continue using your iPhone normally.
3.2. Use Recovery Mode
If your phone doesn’t restart or fails to behave normally after a failed iOS 17 update, it would be a good idea to put it into Recovery Mode and then try to update the iOS or restore the operating system via iTunes. The process is given below.
- Launch iTunes.
- Use the Lightning Cable to connect iPhone to the computer.
- Put iPhone into Recovery Mode: For iPhone 8 or Later and iPhone SE – 2nd Generation, press and release the Volume Up button. Immediately press and release the Volume Down button. Press and hold down the Sleep/Wake button until the Recovery Mode symbol (a Lightning Cable and a PC) appears on the screen. Release the Sleep/Wake button.
- When the iTunes box appears telling you that there’s a problem with your iPhone, click Update and follow the instructions from there to update your phone to iOS 17.
- If iTunes fails to perform an update, get back to Recovery Mode and click Restore iPhone this time.
- Wait while iOS 17 is downloaded and installed on your iPhone.
3.3. Use a Third-Party Tool
If nothing else works, you can try using a third-party tool that has been designed and developed specifically for the purpose. One such program that is being appreciated by many people these days is iMobie AnyFix.
AnyFix is available for both Windows and Mac platforms and can be downloaded from its official website. You can use it to update your iPhone to iOS 17 without losing the data on your device. The software offers the following unique features that iTunes doesn’t have:
- Smart enough to update iOS or iPadOS and allows you to downgrade your iOS/iPadOS to the previous version (if it can be signed) without jailbreaking.
- Offer 3 modes to repair iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS with ease.
- Enter or exit ‘Recovery Mode’ with a single click.
- Enables you to reset your iDevices without iTunes or the Finder app.
- Repair iTunes problems.
Conclusion
The answer to your question ‘how long does iOS 17 take to install’ is merely a matter of 20 to 35 minutes. If you’re stuck somewhere in the middle, you can always try the solutions given in the above sections. Nevertheless, you must remember that erasing everything and restoring the device to factory defaults is the last resort, and you should pick that path if everything else fails to work.
