Apple’s latest mobile operating system, iOS 26 — yes, if you haven’t been keeping track, it’s coming after iOS 18 — is due out for real soon (September 15), and will be pushed out to hundreds of millions of compatible iPhones within a few days. For the most part, most of these improvements will be smooth and painless.
Also: Every iPhone That Can Be Updated to iOS 26 (and When You Can Install It)
Maybe I’m being overly cautious here, but as someone who’s been through a painful upgrade, I like to take a few precautions before I let a new update run wild on my system. And it’s not like any of these steps are a huge chore or take up a lot of time.
First of all, will you even get iOS 26?
Good question. With every major release, I consistently get messages from people endlessly checking for an update, only to find out that their iPhone is at the end of the upgrade line.
The good news is that if your iPhone is running iOS 18, then there’s a very good chance you’ll get iOS 26. In fact, everything from the iPhone 11 and iPhone SE 2nd gen will get iOS 26, and the only iPhones running iOS 18 that won’t be upgraded are the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR.
Also: Every iPhone That Can Be Updated to iOS 26 (and When You Can Install It)
So, on Monday, the day iOS 26 is released, the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR will be last in line.
Regardless, let’s take a look at how to prepare your iPhone.
1. Release your iPhone
We all have those apps we downloaded and never used, or a game that lost its appeal when we realized it would bombard us with ads every 48 seconds.
This is the perfect time to get rid of those apps and free up some space. The same goes for all those videos you took of that eel in the aquarium and that UFO that turned out to be a drone.
Also: How to Clear iPhone Cache (and Why You Should Do It Before Upgrading to iPhone 17)
To get a complete, deep clean of my camera roll, I use Clean Phone Local. Yes, it costs a few dollars a month, but it could save you from having to spend more money on storage when you buy a new iPhone.
2. Update your apps
I recommend updating all your apps if you have automatic updates disabled and forget about doing them manually. Running older apps on the new iOS release can cause glitches and issues.
Even if things update automatically, I like to do a manual update just to be sure. To open the App Store, tap your profile icon in the top right corner, then scroll down to see upcoming updates. You can tap the Update button next to individual apps, or tap Update to update everything at once.
3. Backup!
After the retreat comes ensuring that what you have left is protected if things go wrong. Imagine your photos are gone, your banking app deleted, or all those open tabs in your browser.
Even if you don’t lose any data, setting up an iPhone from scratch takes a lot of time and effort.
Also: Best cloud storage services: tested by an expert
I recommend having two backups of your data – one in the cloud in case things go bad, and another on your PC or Mac in case things get really bad.
Apple has a support document detailing how to perform effective iCloud backups on a Mac or PC.
4. Put your iPhone on its charger
While it’s technically possible to update iOS with only 50% battery, it’s much better to be safe than sorry and put it on the charger.
Running out of energy to update the average level would not be good.
Also: iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro: I compared the two models and here’s who you should upgrade to
5. Use the best possible internet connection
It’s possible to update your iPhone over a sketchy internet connection, but it’s much better and less frustrating to update over a fast, reliable connection. Choose the best location, whether it’s at home, work, or the nearest Apple Store.
6. Choose a time and place
Now you are ready for the update.
While you could wait for the iOS update to automatically download and install, you can also do what I do: take responsibility and download it on your own terms.
Tap Settings > General > Software Update and start the update whenever you want.
Or you might want to wait
Almost every major iOS update seems to have its fair share of bugs. If your livelihood depends on your iPhone, you might consider holding off on the update for a few days so you can see how buggy this release is, or even wait for the iOS 26.0.1 bug fix release that will inevitably roll out in a few weeks.
Also: Why I’m breaking my 5-year iPhone upgrade cycle — and I’m not alone
However, iOS updates also bring security updates, so I don’t recommend waiting too long.
Additionally, if you want to skip this update for now, you need to make sure your iPhone isn’t going to automatically update itself. To do this, go to Settings > General > Software Update and turn off automatic updates until you’re ready to update.
