Installing iOS 12.1 update on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch brings numerous new features and improvements to the iOS devices. Apple has released iOS 12 – the next major iOS update for iPhone and iPad. Update now! This latest iOS 12.1 update let you do even more with your device, so it’s suggested to keep your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch up to date if you don’t want to miss out on the latest new features of Apple’s mobile OS.
Table of Content
- What’s New in iOS 12.1?
- iOS 12.1 Supported Devices
- Backup Before Installing iOS 12.1 Update
- How to Install iOS 12.1 using Software Update on iPhone and iPad
- How to Install iOS 12.1 using iTunes
What’s New in iOS 12.1?
iOS 12 comes with numerous new features. It is relatively an iterative update. The company has made some major changes and improvement in many areas of the iOS including Messages, Notifications, FaceTime, Siri, AR, and more.
iOS 12.1 Supported Devices
Apple iOS 12.1 supports the following Apple devices:
| iOS 12 iPhone Compatibility | iOS 12 Supported iPads | iOS 12 iPod Compatibility |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone XS | 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2nd Gen | iPod touch 6g |
| iPhone XS Max | 12.9-inch iPad Pro 1st Gen | |
| iPhone XR | 10.5-inch iPad Pro | |
| iPhone X | 9.7-inch iPad Pro | |
| iPhone 8 Plus | 9.6-inch iPad | |
| iPhone 8 | iPad Air 2 | |
| iPhone 7 Plus | iPad Air | |
| iPhone 7 | iPad 5 | |
| iPhone 6s Plus | iPad mini 4 | |
| iPhone 6 | iPad mini 3 | |
| iPhone 6 Plus | iPad mini 2 | |
| iPhone 6 | ||
| iPhone SE | ||
| iPhone 5s |
Backup Before Installing iOS 12.1 Update
It is very important to backup your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch either using iCloud or iTunes before installing iOS 12.1 software update. This will prevent loss of your data if anything goes wrong during the update installation process. So, it’s highly recommended to backup your personal data such as photos, videos, messages, contacts, health data, and more.
How to Install iOS 12.1 using Software Update on iPhone and iPad
Want to install iOS 12.1 on your device? The easiest and most user-friendly way to install iOS 12.1 update is through Over-the-Air installation feature directly from your iOS device. It is a quick, easy, and very efficient way of updating the iPhone or iPad software version.
- Make sure you have a backup of your important data (Backup guides linked above.)
- Put your device on charging and connect it to a strong Wi-Fi network.
- Open “Settings” app from your Home screen.
- Tap “General”.
- Go to “Software Update” and let iOS check for the available update.
- Tap “Download and Install”.
- If you see prompt asking you to temporarily remove apps because iOS needs more space for the update, tap “Continue”. iOS will reinstall apps that it removed.
- iOS may prompt you to enter your Passcode. Do it!
- Tap “Agree” to the Terms and Conditions of Apple.
- Tap “Agree” once again to confirm.
- This should begin the iOS 12.1 download process. If it does not begin, you may see “Preparing to download” message. Give it a. few minutes and download will start. Once completed, Tap Install and it will begin installing iOS 12 on your device. Simply follow the on-screen instructions.
How to Install iOS 12.1 using iTunes
While it’s much easier and faster to install iOS over-the-air (OTA) from within the device. However, if you are experiencing issue in installing iOS update over-the-air, or have backup iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch using iTunes, here’s how to install iOS 12.1 via iTunes on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.
There are two ways to install iOS 12.1 using iTunes. One involves updating using the Update feature of iTunes while the other will clean install iOS on your device by removing all the data from it.
How to Install iOS 12.1 Update using iTunes
- Run iTunes on your Windows or Mac computer.
- Plug in your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to your computer.
- Once the iTunes recognizes the device, Select your device as shown in the screenshot.
- Click on Summary pane and then click on “Check for Update” button.
- iTunes will connect to iTunes server to check for the available update and will throw a prompt on your screen.
- Click “Download and Update” button on the pop-up.
- If asked, enter your Passcode.
- Wait and allow iTunes to download and install iOS 12.1 from Apple’s server. Once your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch reboots, it will be running latest iOS firmware.
How to Restore iOS 12.1 IPSW using iTunes
You can also download the full-sized IPSW file and keep it somewhere safe and then use it anytime to restore your device. In this case, you won’t need to download the firmware every time you want to restore it. This is the way to clean install iOS 12.1 on your device.
- Download iOS 12.1 IPSW file for your device:
- Turn off Find My iPhone or Find My iPad option on your device by going into Settings > iCloud > Find My iPhone > Off.
- Open iTunes, Plug in your device to your computer and wait for iTunes to recognize it.
- Select your device, click on Summary pane.
- Hold down the SHIFT key (Windows) or ALT/OPTION key on Mac and click on the “Restore iPad” or “Restore iPhone” button.
- Browse and select the downloaded iOS IPSW file.
- Click Restore to confirm.
- iTunes will start restoring your device to the targeted iOS firmware. Be patient and let iTunes do its thing. Once the device reboots, it’ll b running the firmware you downloaded and restored.
iTunes requires sufficient free space to restore your device. If you don’t have sufficient free space, you’ll be required to manually delete content to make some space.