How to download and install the iOS 7 update on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

Apple's iOS 7.0 is will be available for download today and can be downloaded on compatible iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices. If you own an Apple iPhone 4, iPhone 4s or iPhone 5, your iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad mini or the iPod touch 5th generation you can use the following steps to help you download and install iOS 7.0 on your device.

Cleanup and Backup

Since iOS 7.0 is a major software update, its probably a good time to clean up your old device to get it ready for the new update. Delete contacts and messages you don't need any more, uninstall unnecessary apps that you don't use often or at all, and finally follow those prompts to update what's left to the newest app versions.

You could consider syncing your Camera Roll with iTunes, so as you don't slow the iCloud storage service, delete previous iCloud backups from your phone, and go deeper using the Manage Storage option, telling each individual app to sync or not with iCloud, like in the screenshot on the right.

To check if iCloud backups are enabled, go to Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup, and make sure the iCloud Backup slide is at the ON position. You can also force a manual backup right now by going to Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup and tapping the large Back Up Now button at the bottom of the display.

Since this is a major update it is also advised that you perform a  full backup of your device on your computer. In order to do this you need to have downloaded and installed the latest version of iTunes. Use that same iTunes software first to back up your phone, tablet or media player locally, and iCloud for the rest.

1. Plug your iOS device into your primary computer via the provided cable.
2. Open iTunes.
3. For iTunes 11: 
• In the iTunes window, click the iOS device button on the right.
• In the Backups section, click Back Up Now under "Manually Back Up and Restore."
4. For iTunes 10.7:
• Right-click (or Control click) on your iOS device in the iTunes Source list.
• Choose Back Up from the iTunes device shortcut menu.
5. Allow the backup to complete. You can monitor the status of the backup operation in the iTunes status screen.

Your settings, including application ones and in-app purchases, as well as Messages, Camera Roll, documents, saved games, and other important data can all be backed up in iTunes and restored manually if something goes wrong.

Music, TV shows, apps and books purchased on iTunes can stay in iCloud as they don't count towards your 5 GB of free storage quota, so you can use the storage to back up your mail, documents and recent media that hasn't been synced to your computer. These backups will run automatically when your device is on, plugged in and locked, and will go over Wi-Fi connection, so you don't really need to do much here.

[NOTE] Purchased music isn't backed up in all countries. Purchased movies and TV shows are backed up only in the U.S. Previous purchases may be unavailable if they have been refunded or are no longer in the iTunes Store, App Store, or iBooks Store. Some previously purchased movies may not be available in iTunes in the Cloud. A movie’s product details page in the iTunes Store shows if the movie is unavailable. Check for the full list from Apple here.

Keep in mind that iCloud wouldn't backup music, movies, and TV shows not purchased from the iTunes Store, as well as podcasts and audio books, plus all the photos that were originally synced from your computer.

If, for some reason, you need to downgrade to the previous versions of iOS, you can use programs like TinyUmbrella (Mac / Windows) or iFaith (Windows), in case you are of the hacking and jailbreaking types, and if you are, you probably know already how to save your SHSH blobs with these programs, so you can roll back to undamaged states.

Installing the update

You can download and install iOS 7.0 over-the-air or by connecting your iOS device to iTunes. Installing OTA is quite easy, as you will receive a notification when the update is available and you will just have to follow the onscreen instructions to install the update. You can alternatively manually check for the update by heading to Settings > General > Software update. Who knows the update may have arrived on your device before it has for others.

If you prefer using iTunes to install the update for some reason, simply connect your iOS device to your computer and open iTunes to get started. You will receive a prompt indicating that the update is available for your device. 

Just click through the Download and Update button, and you will have your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch updated to iOS 7 in no time.

Manually installing iOS 7

1. Download iOS 7.0
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2. Download iTunes 11.1
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3. Plug in your iOS device and wait for iTunes to recognize it. Back up your device using iTunes or iCloud before updating. The update will restore your device to its stock form. After you update, iTunes will restore all your files, music, and purchases when it syncs.
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4. Click on your device to load the information panel.
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• In Windows: hold Shift and click "Check for Update"
• In Mac OS X: hold Option and click "Check for Update"
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5. This will launch the file explorer to select the update. Locate where the downloaded update ipsw file is and open it. This will launch manual update in iTunes.
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6. iTunes will extract and verify the update. This is all automated so you just need to wait. Approve updating the device to iOS 7.
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7. This process may take some time, but the progress bar should continue. On the iOS device, you should also see a progress bar.

After the update is installed, the iOS device will restart. Once it's finished, you will have iOS 7 installed. After it completes the update, iTunes should start restoring the device with the most recent backup with all your apps, settings, and music.

Its important to keep in mind that Apple, unlike other manufactures choose to update all iOS devices on the same date and time. So their servers face a huge load when everyone is updating their devices. Apple's activation servers have also been known to go down due to the massive load of activation requests which are sent from around the world. So it may be advisable to wait a day or two before installing the update to make sure that your device is spared from any mishaps.

You may also want to read

		What's new in iOS 7.0 Apple's iOS 7.0 is described as "the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of iPhone," and introduces a new flattened interface with improved notifications, improved multitasking and all new apps.
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		Which iOS 7.0 features will my device receive Apple iOS 7.0 will be available for the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad 4, iPad 3, iPad 2, iPad mini and iPod Touch 5. However not all of the new features will be available across these handsets.