By Hally | Last Updated
“How long does it take for iPhone to prepare update? Recently, I’m going to update my iPhone 15 from iOS 17 to 18. But it gets stuck on preparing update process. I can do nothing to save my iPhone. Please help!”
As a matter of fact, the preparing update process always costs 10-30 minutes. When your iPhone is stuck on this preparing update process, there must be something wrong on your iPhone. It may be one of the following reasons: not enough space on the iPhone for the update; unstable network connection; fails to reach the update server; system error. Now that you know why this problem happens, how to fix iPhone stuck on preparing update and finish the iPhone update? In the following, you can find some methods to solve this iPhone update stuck error.
"I'm updating iOS 16 for my iPhone 13, but it seems to have frozen on preparing update screen. An hour has passed and I still can't access my device, is this normal?"
It has been verified that it takes about 30 minutes for an iPhone to update to iOS 16/17/18. Normally, iOS updates don't last long. The entire update process takes about 20 to 60 minutes to complete. Below is the timeline for backing up, downloading the iOS update system and installing update.
1. (Optional) Back up iPhone - 15-30 minutes depending on the size of the data on your device.
2. Downloading the iOS update software - takes about 5-10 minutes.
3. Installing the update software - usually takes 10 minutes to complete the iOS installation.
Anything can happen during an iOS update to cause it to fail, and it's nothing new for an iPhone to get stuck in preparing update.There are multiple reasons for this.
1. Slow-speed networks. An unstable network can interrupt the downloading process of the iOS update firmware, or even cause further failures.
2. Insufficient storage space on the iPhone. You need to set aside enough storage space to download the firmware successfully, 10GB is better. For example, the update software for iOS 18.0 is 4 GB.
3. The device is running low on power. When the iPhone is in low power mode, it will automatically stop updating. A number of Apple users have complained that their iPhones have failed to update or even bricked due to low battery when updating iOS 18.
It needs a certain storage space for users to download and install the iPhone update. So, if there is insufficient space on the iPhone, you will get the iPhone stuck on preparing update status. Then, it is necessary for you to check the iPhone storage and free up iPhone space:
Step 1: Tap Settings > General> iPhone Storage on your iPhone
Step 2: View the used space on your iPhone. Also, you can get the recommendations to free up space. Besides, you can remove app data and delete unwanted files to get more storage space for iPhone update.
Alternatively, you can use iSunshare iDevice Genius to clear the iPhone storage. This software can help you clean up the crash logs, download file caches, and recording files within simple clicks. In addition, you can delete the large files, such as videos and pictures, from iPhone after backing up to your computer. What's more, you can remove the unused apps to release the space. For details, you can check this tutorial: how to free up space on iPhone with iDevice Genius.
If your iPhone is connected to an unstable network or there are issues with the network settings, the iOS update would not get past on preparing an update process. So if it is the network issues that lead to failure of iPhone update, you can fix it via resetting all the network settings.
Step 1: Tap Settings> General> Reset on your iPhone.
Step 2: Tap on Reset Network Settings and then all previous network configurations will be reset.
Step 3: Restart your iPhone and check whether there are still problems in updating iOS.
When the Apple server for the iOS updates is down, you can not go further to install the iOS update. So you can go to check the Apple server status before updating the iPhone. You can know the status of all Apple servers in this page.
Sometimes, you can force the iPhone to restart the update by removing the update file. In this way, your iPhone may proceed to the update installation without being stuck on Preparing Update process.
Step 1: Open your iPhone, access Settings> General > iPhone storage.
Step 2: In the iPhone storage interface, go to tap the iOS update file. After that, hit Delete Update option to remove the update file. Then, for confirmation, you need to tap Delete Update option again in the pop-out box.
Step 3: After the update file is deleted, you can head to Settings> General > Software Update and then choose Download and Install to start the iOS system update.
If your iPhone stuck on preparing update screen and you cannot get the iPhone back to normal, you can use iSunshare iOS Repair Genius to solve the stuck issue and get the iPhone update to newest iOS version. This software works perfectly with all iOS devices to fix iOS update stuck on preparing update issue and other iOS system issues.
You can learn the detailed steps below. Of course, you need to download the iSunshare iOS Repair Genius iOS system repairing software on your Windows computer and launch it.
Step 1: Hit on the System Repair > Standard Mode option and then the Start button on the coming screen. After that, go to establish the connection between your PC and the iPhone through the USB cable. When it is well-connected, you can click the Next button on the software screen.
Step 2: After the software successfully detects the iPhone, all your device information can be displayed. iSunshare iOS Repair Genius will show you the latest compatible iOS firmware and you just need to hit the Download button to proceed.
Step 3: Lastly, hit on the Repair button and the program will automatically fix the iPhone stuck on preparing update issue for your iPhone. And you can get the successful prompt after minutes.
In conclusion, encountering an iPhone stuck on the "Preparing Update" screen can be frustrating, but there are multiple solutions to resolve this issue. By ensuring you have sufficient storage, a stable network, and checking the Apple server status, you can prevent the problem. Additionally, tools like iSunshare iOS Repair Genius offer an easy fix for more persistent cases.
