iPhone How-To Guides — Updating, Storage, Backup & Battery

Written for the Version You're Actually Running

Every settings path here is written against current iOS, and where Apple has moved a control recently we say where it used to be as well — half the frustration of following an old guide is hunting for a menu that was renamed two versions ago. Where a step depends on your specific model, the guide says so and links to that model's page rather than pretending every iPhone behaves the same.

The other half of the frustration is guides that skip the step that actually fails. An update that will not install is nearly always free space or a corrupted download, not the thing most articles lead with; a battery that drains after an update is nearly always reindexing rather than a fault. These pages lead with the cause that is usually responsible and say plainly when the honest answer is to wait.

If you are running a beta rather than a shipping release, the behaviour is different in ways that matter, and our beta troubleshooting guides cover that separately. Everything here assumes ordinary released software.

Updating 10

How to Update Your iPhone to iOS 27 Updating takes about twenty minutes and one decision beforehand — whether you have a backup you… How to Update an iPhone Without Wi-Fi iOS can update over cellular, but only under conditions Apple sets — and a major release will t… iPhone Not Updating — Every Cause and Fix Work through these in order. The first three account for the large majority of cases, and none … How to Turn Off Automatic iOS Updates There are two separate switches here, and turning off the wrong one leaves you with the behavio… How to Update an iPhone from a Mac or PC This is the route to use when the phone is short of space, or when an over-the-air update has a… How Long Does an iOS Update Take? Fifteen to thirty minutes for a major release on a recent iPhone. The variation is almost entir… How to Cancel an iOS Update That's Downloading You can cancel a download safely at any point. You cannot safely cancel an install once it has … How to Update an Old iPhone That's No Longer Supported An iPhone past its last major version is not finished. It is on a different, quieter update tra… "Unable to Verify Update" on iPhone — How to Fix The message means the iPhone could not confirm the update with Apple. Four things cause that, a… How to Update Your iPhone Apps App updates and iOS updates are separate systems with separate settings, and the two get confus…

Storage 10

How to Free Up Space on iPhone — 12 Real Fixes Ordered by how much space each one actually returns, rather than by how easy it is to write abo… What Is "System Data" on iPhone and How to Clear It It is the storage category with the worst advice attached to it. Here is what it really is.… How to Check iPhone Storage and Read the Chart The screen takes a minute to become accurate, which is why so many people act on the wrong numb… How to Offload Apps Without Losing Data The most useful storage feature on the iPhone, and the one people are most reluctant to trust.… How to Clear Safari Cache on iPhone Two different controls, and the one most guides point at also signs you out of everything.… How to Delete iMessage Photos and Attachments Messages is routinely the second or third largest thing on an iPhone, and almost nobody knows i… iPhone Storage Full but Nothing to Delete — What's Going On Five explanations, and in most cases the space is already there — the phone just has not admitt… How to Delete Photos from iPhone but Keep Them in iCloud The thing most people want here does not work the way they expect, and the setting that does so… How to Manage or Upgrade iCloud Storage iCloud and iPhone storage are different things that run out independently, and the fix for one … How Much Free Space an iPhone Actually Needs Two different numbers: what the phone needs to run well day to day, and what it needs for an up…

Backup 10

How to Back Up an iPhone to iCloud Two taps to start, and one thing worth understanding about what it does and does not cover.… How to Back Up an iPhone to a Mac or PC More complete than an iCloud backup, free regardless of size, and the only kind you can restore… How to Transfer Everything to a New iPhone Three routes. Direct transfer is the one to use unless you have a specific reason not to.… How to Restore an iPhone from a Backup The rule that surprises people: a restore normally has to happen during setup, and a backup onl… How to Check When Your iPhone Last Backed Up Backups fail quietly. The last-backup date is the only thing that tells you the truth.… How to Delete Old iPhone Backups Backups for devices you no longer own are usually the easiest storage you will ever reclaim.… How to Use Quick Start to Set Up a New iPhone The best setup method Apple has, and it needs nothing but the two phones and some patience.… What an iPhone Backup Actually Includes — and What It Doesn't The gaps are more interesting than the contents, and one of them costs people years of Health d… How to Back Up an iPhone Without iCloud iCloud is convenient, not compulsory. A computer backup is free regardless of size and more com… How to Move from Android to iPhone Apple's Move to iOS app does most of it. The parts it cannot do are worth planning before you s…

Battery 10

How to Check iPhone Battery Health One screen, two numbers, and a threshold that decides whether your phone is fine or quietly fai… Why Is My iPhone Battery Draining So Fast? Start with the Battery screen. It names the culprit in about a minute, and the answer is rarely… How to Make iPhone Battery Last Longer — What Actually Works Ranked by measurable effect. The first three are worth more than everything else combined.… How to Use and Schedule Low Power Mode It is a useful everyday setting, not just an emergency one — and it can be made automatic.… When to Replace an iPhone Battery (and What It Costs) Two signs justify it on their own. Everything else is a judgement call.… How to Stop Background App Refresh Turn it off selectively, not wholesale — the difference matters more than the setting itself.… iPhone Slow After an Update — How to Fix Give it four days before doing anything. Most of what people fix was going to fix itself.… How to Check Your iPhone's Battery Cycle Count A cycle is not a charge, and the difference explains most of the confusion around this number.… How to Use the 80% Charge Limit Two different features, frequently confused, and only one of them costs you daily battery life.… Which Settings Actually Drain iPhone Battery Ranked by what the Battery screen actually shows, not by what is easy to recommend.…

Recovery 10

How to Force Restart Any iPhone Three different sequences depending on the model, and none of them erases anything.… How to Factory Reset an iPhone Erasing takes two minutes. The preparation is what stops it becoming a problem.… How to Put an iPhone in Recovery Mode The button sequence is the same as a force restart, except you keep holding — and you have a ca… How to Put an iPhone in DFU Mode A level below recovery mode, with unforgiving timing and no on-screen feedback — a completely b… iPhone Stuck on the Apple Logo — How to Fix Work down this list. The first two cost nothing and resolve most cases.… iPhone Stuck in a Recovery Mode Loop A phone that keeps returning to the recovery screen usually has one of four causes, and the fir… How to Erase an iPhone Before Selling It The order matters. Erasing in the wrong sequence leaves the phone locked and useless to the buy… How to Unlock a Disabled iPhone There is one route that keeps your data, and it only exists if you set it up in advance.… How to Reset Network Settings (and What You Lose) It fixes a surprising share of connectivity problems and costs you nothing but saved Wi-Fi pass… iPhone Won't Turn On — Diagnosis and Fixes Three different problems look identical from the outside. Telling them apart takes about an hou…

Looking for something else? Check whether your iPhone runs this year's release, browse every model we cover, or see the beta-specific guides.