Are you looking for an easy way to update your iPhone without WiFi?
Making sure your iPhone have the latest iOS version installed is one of the few easy way to optimize its performance. Outdated firmware can make your device run significantly slower, not to mention it may output strange error messages. Moreover, updating your firmware can help ensure compatibility with all the new software and features.
People who don’t have a stable internet connection may prefer to update their iPhones offline, which allows them to install the update on their own schedule. Even in case you don’t have access to the internet, the best way to update iPhone software is to use iTunes.
In this article, we will show you a few ways to update your iPhone without a wireless connection.
Is Update iPhone without WiFi Possible?
Short answer : Yes, it is possible to update an iPhone without Wi-Fi. However, you are going to need to connect to the internet, either on your computer or another smartphone, to download the update to your computer before installation.
Another thing to take into account before updating the iPhone is storage space. Make sure your iPhone have enough free storage to actually store the update. If you fail to do so, the update won’t be installed properly, which may render your device unusable.
You can find how much storage space you need for the update by going to Settings > General > Software Update on your iPhone.
Update iPhone using mobile data
By default, iPhone iOS updates do not download over cellular data. The updates are downloaded when the device is charging and connected to a wireless connection. Temporarily turn off WiFi while you download the update using iTunes.
Almost every smartphone in the market right now has the ability to start a wireless hotspot using its mobile data connection.
If you have a smartphone which has a sufficient mobile data connection, you can leverage the its hotspot feature to allow your iPhone to be updated using its mobile data. In order to do that, follow the steps below :
- To turn on Personal Hotspot on your other smartphone. On Android, go to Android settings and look for Personal Hotspot. On iPhone, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot > Enable Personal Hotspot.
- Connect to the wireless hotspot on your main iPhone.
- On your main iPhone, go to Settings > General > Software Update and select Install on the update information screen.
The process may take a long time to be finishes, as it’s common to see 2-4 GBs major updates. Make sure your devices have enough battery life or connected to power. Also, be sure that your mobile data plan have enough quota left to fully download the update.
Update iPhone using iTunes
iTunes can be used to fetch and update your iPhone without using a wireless connection.
However, you still need to be connected to the internet using other means of connection using your computer/laptop, for example: wired ethernet, in order to download the update package.
It is also possible to pre-download the iPhone firmware and update packages and use the downloaded file to install the update. The updates and firmwares comes in IPSW format. However, the method is not recommended for regular users. First, each update file is unique to a specific device model and WiFi/cell configuration, which makes it hard to find the right package. Second, Apple does not support this method, so you need to search and download at third party services, which may pose security risks. Finally, you still need an internet connection in order to verify the file when installing it.
In order to update iPhone using iTunes, ensure your setup meets the following requirements :
- Latest version of iTunes installed on your PC. If you’re using a Mac, update to the latest version of macOS.
- Recently released macOS versions (macOS Mojave and up) allows iPhone to be updated using the Finder app. Earlier MacOS user have to use iTunes on Mac to update their iPhones.
- A fast and stable internet connection, preferably a wired one.
- A good lightning cable. A bad one can cause the package to be corrupted in the middle of the update.
Follow the steps demonstrated below to update your iPhone to the latest version using iTunes.
- Open up iTunes and connect your iPhone with your PC. You should see your device show up in the left sidebar of iTunes interface.
- (Optional) Make a backup of your iPhone, just in case things get worse in the middle of the update process.
- Select Summary tab in the sidebar.
- Choose Check for Update, wait for a few seconds and then click Download and Update to begin the update process.
- You may need to type the passcode of your device if you have one.
- Wait until the installation process is completed.
Update iPhone using Finder on macOS
With the macOS Catalina 10.15 release, Apple has decided that a separate app to manage your music and devices was no longer make sense. Since that release, the Music app manages your music library, while the device management function was integrated to Finder.
So, if you’re using a Mac running Catalina 10.15 and up, you can follow the steps below to update your iPhone in Finder:
- Launch Finder. Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a Lightning cable. You should see the device shows up in Locations section in the sidebar.
- Select your iPhone in Finder’s sidebar. You may see a Trust This Computer
pop up on your iPhone, tap Trust. - Switch to General tab in Finder. Then, choose Check for Update in the Software section, then select Download and Install.
- Wait for the update process to finish. Be sure to keep your iPhone connected during the installation, otherwise the update cannot take place.
We hope that the information above helped you update your iPhone successfully without WiFi. You may want to check out our tutorials related for iPhones such as 3 Tips to Quickly Find a Text Message by Date on iPhone, 4 Ways to Fix “No Location Found” on Find My iPhone, How to Connect Multiple Bluetooth Speakers to an iPhone and Boost Mobile Data Not Working on iPhones.
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