How to install iOS 7 on your iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad, and iPad Mini right now

Posted on September 20, 2013

Apple has just officially released iOS 7. If you have a compatible device (listed below), simply visit your device’s Settings menu, click to General, and then Software Update. You can also update to iOS 7 via iTunes 11.1, which was just released on the Apple website (and you will need it if you wish to sync your device via USB.) The original post is below, if for some reason you wish to download iOS 7 in a different way.

Updated: If your iPhone or iPad won’t download iOS 7, it’s almost certainly because Apple’s servers are being completely hammered. We finally managed to get a device to update, though it took quite a few failed attempts. It’s probably worth waiting a few hours until the deluge has calmed down, unless you want to sit there and constantly hit retry. Once you’ve installed iOS 7, check out our guide to all of its new features.

While iOS 7 won’t be released until September 18, it’s possible to download and install iOS 7 today, and install it on your existing iPhone or iPad. You can install iOS 7 on the iPhone 4, 4S, and 5, the fifth-gen iPod Touch, and every iPad and iPad Mini except the original iPad. Installing iOS 7 will give you access to some exciting new features, such as improved multitasking and AirDrop, and the complete visual overhaul will of course make your Apple device look completely different (and cause all of your friends to gape jealously).

There are two routes that you can take to install iOS 7 on your iDevice: You can either sign up for an Apple developer account, which costs you $100 per year, or you can install one of the leaked iOS 7 golden masters. The safest option is to sign up for the developer program, and if you split it between a few friends (you can install iOS 7 on up to 100 devices), it can be very cheap. Once you’ve signed up, you need to add your device’s UDID as a registered test device, and then go ahead and download the correct iOS 7 image for your device from the Apple developer portal. Once you have the image, skip to the installation section below.

If you don’t have $100 to spare, downloading a leaked golden master is a good second option — and, depressingly enough, it’s actually easier than installing the legitimate version. To install iOS 7, grab the correct image for your device from the list below, and then proceed to the installation section.

Related articles

• How to Get Better iOS 7 Battery Life (gottabemobile.com)
• iOS 7 Now Available for Download (mashable.com)
• Apple iOS 7 Update is now out for download : How to download and update (voyagegroupin.wordpress.com)