How to Download & Install iOS 12 on Your iPhone

Apple's latest mobile operating system for iPhones, iOS 12, was released to everyone Monday, Sept. 17, and it's the same exact build that developers and public beta testers received as the "golden master" on Sept. 12, the day of Apple's 2018 special event. Install it to start taking advantage of the 100+ features iOS 12 has to offer right now.

In order to download and install iOS 12, there are two ways to go about it. The first method is simply updating from an over-the-air update, which we recommend all of you do if you want to keep all your data. If you want to start fresh, from a wiped device, you might want to try the second method which is installing from an IPSW file via iTunes.

Don't Miss: 100+ Cool New iOS 12 Features for iPhone You Need to Know About

Either way you decide to get iOS 12 on your iPhone, as long as Apple continues to sign iOS 11.4.1, you'll be able to downgrade from iOS 12 back to iOS 11 if you don't end up liking the new update. Just make sure to save an archived backup of iOS 11.4.1 via iTunes on your computer; Just back up using iTunes and store the backup on your computer, then open "Preferences" in iTunes, select "Devices," then right-click on the backup file of iOS 11.4.1 and select "Archive."

Method 1: Update OTA from Settings

The easiest way is to just open up the Settings app on your iPhone, tap "General," then select "Software Update." When the update is available, it will show as "iOS 12," so just download and install it using the on-screen prompts. To see all of what's new, jump down to the release notes below or check out our more in-depth iOS 12 features roundup.

How to Download & Install iOS 12 on Your iPhone

Method 2: Installing the IPSW File

While the "Software Update" section in Settings is by far the easiest way to update to iOS 12, you can also choose to download the IPSW file of iOS 12 and install it on your iPhone using iTunes. These files are actually of the golden master build.

The golden master, or GM, is the last beta build available for iOS devices, and it's meant to serve as a way for public beta users to report any last known issues that could prevent the stable release from functioning correctly. Also, developers need it so they can prepare their apps to support the new iOS version and take advantage of any new features they can offer users.

Historically, the GM build has been the exact same thing as the stable release the following week, so there's no harm in installing this way. This GM build came after a record-breaking 12 betas for the developer program (the public beta saw ten betas).

Download the appropriate IPSW file linked below that matches your iPhone model. And if you're worried about security, don't be; These links are the official ones straight from Apple, so they are absolutely safe to download/install. I'll also include iPad and iPod touch links for your convenience.

iPod touch (6th generation)

After you've downloaded the appropriate IPSW file for your device onto your Mac or Windows computer, it's a pretty simple process to use it in iTunes to update your iPhone's firmware to iOS 12 GM. Plus, doing it this way won't erase any photos, video, or other important data on your device, so you don't have to worry about starting from scratch afterward.

Connect Your iPhone to Your Computer

Connect your iPhone. Using a Lightning to USB cable or Lightning to USB-C cable, connect your iPhone to your computer.
Unlock the iPhone (if necessary). If you see an "Unlock iPhone to Use Accessories" notification appear on your iPhone's display, unlock your iPhone using either Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.
Trust the Computer (if necessary). You may also have to "Trust" the computer if this is your first time connecting your iPhone, so follow the instructions on your iPhone and computer to complete the process. You can untrust the computer later if you want.

Square Away iTunes on Your Computer

Open iTunes. On your computer, iTunes should automatically open. If not, manually open it.
Update iTunes. Make sure iTunes is running the latest software version available. You can check in the Mac App Store's "Update" tab in macOS. For Windows, you can use "Check for Updates" in the "Help" menu in iTunes; If you don't see that, check for updates from the Microsoft Store.
Log into iTunes. Sign into your Apple account in iTunes if not already logged in.

Back Up & Archive Your iOS 11 Data

Select your iPhone. Click on the iPhone icon when it appears in iTunes next to the media dropdown, and make sure you're on its "Summary" view.
Back up iOS 11 (optional). Create an iOS 11 backup of your iPhone if you haven't done so already. A full backup can be made via iTunes right now, while a partial backup can be done via iCloud. We recommend using iTunes since you're already there. Use the encrypted option if you want to retain Health and Activity data.
Archive your iOS 11 backup (optional). This will prevent iTunes from overwriting your iOS 11 backup with iOS 12 the next time you sync with iTunes. Doing this is optional, and only necessary if you feel like you'll want to downgrade back to iOS 11.4.1. To archive it, open up "Preferences" in iTunes, select the "Devices" tab, then right-click on the appropriate iOS 11 backup and select "Archive." (A lock should appear next to it now.)

Install the iOS 12 GM on Your iPhone

Initiate process. Hold down the Option key on a Mac or the Shift key on Windows, then click on the "Update" or "Check for Update" button in iTunes.
Choose the file. From the file selection window, pick the IPSW restore image that you downloaded above, then click "Open" to begin installing it.
Wait for iTunes. When iTunes is done working its magic, your iPhone should restart.
Set up iOS 12. Follow the on-screen prompts on your iPhone to activate and set up iOS 12. We recommend opening up the App Store and updating all of your apps, many of which will have iOS 12-specific updates.

While that may seem like a lot of steps, it's actually a fairly quick process, especially if you weren't worried about backing up your previous software and didn't have to do any unlocking or trusting. Once you're all set up and all your apps are updated, check out our roundup of iOS 12 features for iPhone to see all of the cool new things you can do with the latest version of Apple's mobile OS.

Don't Miss: 100+ Cool New iOS 12 Features for iPhone You Need to Know About

Apple's iOS 12 Release Notes

iOS 12 brings performance improvements and exciting new features to iPhone and iPad. Photos introduces new features to help you rediscover and share the photos in your library, Memoji—a new, more customizable Animoji—make Messages more expressive and fun, Screen Time helps you and your family understand and make the most of the time spent on devices, Siri Shortcuts deliver a faster way to get things done with the ability for any app to work with Siri, augmented reality becomes even more engaging with the ability for developers to create shared AR experiences, and new privacy features help protect you from being tracked on the web. This update introduces new features and improvements to:
Performance
iOS has been enhanced for a faster and more responsive experience across the system

All supported devices see improved performance, going back to iPhone 5s and iPad Air

Camera launches up to 70 percent faster, the keyboard appears up to 50 percent faster and typing is more responsive*

Apps launch up to twice as fast when your device is under heavy workload*

Photos
New For You tab helps you discover great photos in your library with Featured Photos, Effect Suggestions, and more

Sharing Suggestions proactively recommend sharing photos taken at events with the people who are in them

Search enhancements make it easier to find your photos with intelligent suggestions and multiple keyword support

Search for photos based on the place, business name, or event where you were when you took them

Improved camera import with faster performance and a new large preview mode

RAW support for editing images

Camera
Portrait mode improvements preserve fine detail between subject and background when using Stage Light and Stage Light Mono effects

QR codes are highlighted in the camera frame, making them easier to scan

Messages
Memoji, a new, more customizable Animoji, make Messages more expressive with personalized characters that are diverse and fun

Animoji now also include T. rex, ghost, koala, and tiger

Make Memoji and Animoji wink and stick out their tongue

New camera effects bring Animoji, filters, text effects, iMessage sticker packs, and shapes to the photos and videos you capture in Messages

Animoji recordings can now capture up to 30 seconds

Screen Time
Screen Time provides detailed information and tools to help you and your family find the right balance of time spent with apps and websites

See the time spent in apps, usage across categories of apps, how many notifications are received, and how often devices are picked up

App limits help you set the amount of time you or your child can spend in apps and on websites

Screen Time for kids lets parents manage how their child uses iPhone and iPad right from their own iOS devices

Do Not Disturb
Turn off Do Not Disturb after a set time, location or calendar event

Do Not Disturb during Bedtime hides all notifications from your lock screen while you sleep

Notifications
Notifications from the same app are automatically grouped together to help you manage your notifications

Instant Tuning gives you control over your notification settings right from the lock screen

New Deliver Quietly option silently sends notifications directly to Notification Center without interrupting you

Siri
Siri Shortcuts deliver a faster way to get things done with the ability for any app to work with Siri

Add shortcuts using the "Add to Siri" button in supported apps, or in Settings > Siri and Search

Siri suggests shortcuts on the Lock screen and in Search

Get motorsports results, schedules, stats and standings for Formula 1, Nascar, Indy 500 and MotoGP

Search for photos by time, location, people, topic or recent trips to find relevant photos and Memories in Photos

Translate phrases in more languages, with support for over 40 language pairs

Check facts about celebrities, such as when they were born, and ask questions about food, including calories and nutrient content

Turn flashlight on or off

More natural and expressive voice now available in Irish English, South African English, Danish, Norwegian, Cantonese and Mandarin (Taiwan)

Augmented Reality
Shared experiences in ARKit 2 let developers create innovative AR apps you can experience together with friends

Persistence enables developers to save and reload experiences right from where you left off

Object detection and image tracking gives developers new tools to recognize real world objects and track images while they move through space

AR Quick Look extends AR throughout iOS, letting you view AR objects with built-in apps like News, Safari, and Files and share them with friends with iMessage and Mail

Measure
New augmented reality app to measure objects and spaces

Draw lines across surfaces or in free space to measure, and tap on a line's label to see more information

Automatically measure rectangular objects

Capture, share and markup screenshots of your measurements

Privacy and Security
Enhanced Intelligent Tracking Prevention in Safari prevents embedded content and social media buttons from tracking cross-site browsing without your permission

Suppresses ad retargeting by reducing advertisers' ability to identify iOS devices uniquely

Strong and unique passwords are suggested automatically when creating an account or changing a password in most apps and in Safari

Reused passwords are flagged in Settings > Passwords & Accounts

Security code AutoFill presents one-time security codes sent over SMS as suggestions in the QuickType bar

Sharing passwords with contacts is easier than ever using AirDrop from Passwords & Accounts in Settings

Siri supports quickly navigating to a password on an authenticated device

Apple Books
All-new design that makes discovering and enjoying books and audiobooks easy and fun

Reading Now makes it simple to get back to the book you're currently reading or find great recommendations for what to read next

Add books to the new Want to Read collection to keep track of what you'd like to read next

The Book Store makes it easy to find your next favorite read with new and popular selections from our Apple Books editors and recommendations chosen just for you

The new Audiobooks store helps you find immersive stories and informative nonfiction books narrated by your favorite authors, actors, and celebrities

Apple Music
Search now supports lyrics so you can use a few of the words to find a song

Artist pages have an easier to browse design with a personalized station of any artist's music

The new Friends Mix is a playlist of songs you'll love from everything your friends are listening to

New charts to show you the daily top 100 songs in countries around the world

Apple News
Apple News is redesigned to make it easier to discover new channels and topics

The new sidebar on iPad and Channels tab on iPhone make it easy to jump straight to your favorite publications and discover new ones

Stocks
All-new design lets you easily view stock quotes, interactive charts, and top news on iPhone and iPad

Top Stories section includes articles selected by Apple News editors to highlight the latest news driving the market

Read Apple News stories right in the app, formatted to look great on iPhone and iPad

Watchlist includes color-coded sparklines that let you see daily performance at a glance

See an interactive chart for every ticker symbol, plus key details including after-hours price, trading volume, and more

Voice Memos
All-new design with improved ease of use

iCloud keeps your recordings and edits in sync across all of your devices

Available on iPad with support for both portrait and landscape orientation

TV
Get notified when movies and TV shows are available to watch in Up Next

Share your favorite movies, TV shows, and sporting events with universal links

Apple Podcasts
Now supports chapters for shows that include them

Skip 30 seconds or to the next chapter with forward and back buttons in your car or on your headphones

Easily manage new episode notifications from the Listen Now screen

Accessibility
Live Listen now works with AirPods to help you hear more clearly

RTT phone calling now works with AT&T

Speak Selection now supports using the Siri voice to speak text that you have selected

Other features and improvements
Camera effects in FaceTime transform your look in real-time

CarPlay adds support for third-party navigation apps

On supported campuses, use contactless student ID cards in Wallet to access buildings and pay with Apple Pay

Website icons can appear in tabs on iPad by enabling them in Settings > Safari

Weather includes air quality index in supported regions

Quickly swipe up from the bottom of the screen to go home on iPad

Swipe down from the top right to access Control Center on iPad

Mark Up includes a palette of additional colors and options to change line width and opacity for each tool

Battery usage chart in Settings now shows your usage for the last 24 hours or 10 days, and you can tap a bar to see app use for that period of time

On devices without 3D Touch, touch and hold the keyboard Space bar to turn your keyboard into a trackpad

Maps adds support for indoor maps for airports and malls with indoor positioning in China

New definition dictionary in Hebrew, and bilingual dictionaries in Arabic and English, and Hindi and English

New English thesaurus

Automatic software updates allow iOS updates to be installed automatically overnight