Downloader: iOS 4 hits the iPhone today

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

iOS 4 hits the iPhone today - here's how to get it

Apple's latest and greatest operating system, iOS 4, hits the iPhone today, bringing a bunch of hot new features along with it. In case this is your first time doing an iPhone update (or in case it's just been a while), here's a quick walkthrough of the installation process.

First, you'll need the latest version of iTunes, 9.2. iOS 4 can't be installed without it. You can grab the iTunes update by using Software Update on your Mac, or by downloading it from Apple's iTunes page. Of course, you'll be prompted to agree to pages and pages of new Terms of Use once you install, but we're all used to that by now.

Once you've got iTunes up to date, plug in your iPhone in and make sure iTunes is open. This would probably be a good time to make a backup of your phone, in case anything goes wrong with the update. It went smoothly for me, but better safe than sorry! You can right-click (control-click on a Mac) on your device in the iTunes sidebar to bring up the backup option.

After that's done, select your device and hit Check for Updates. You should be prompted to update to iOS 4, as long as it's compatible with your device. Happy multitasking, universal-inboxing and more!