Apple Released iOS 14.1 for iPhone, Then Pulled It — But You Can Still Install the GM Build « iOS & iPhone

Apple erroneously released iOS 14.1 for iPhone as a stable OTA update on Tuesday, Oct. 13, just after the special event where it announced the iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max. It's not surprising given Apple's track record lately.

Over the last few years, Apple has repeatedly pushed out beta updates with the release notes trailing hours behind, its updating schedules have seemed random, iOS 13.2 was pulled back because of stability issues, as well as an iOS 12.0 beta update, and an iPadOS 13.1 beta update was rescinded because it was bricking iPads.

As for the iOS 14.1 software update, Apple mistakenly released it as an over-the-air update for everyone at 11:30 a.m. PDT, 19 days after the release of iOS 14.0.1. Apple pulled the update from the developer portal, only to add it back again as a GM (golden master) update (build 18A8395) for developers, the final build before a public release. That means the general public won't have access to the update until Apple decides to seed it for real publicly.

Update: Apple Released iOS 14.1 for iPhone to Everyone on Oct. 20

It isn't yet clear what to expect from iOS 14.1, as the update is so new. Apple's last public update, iOS 14.0.1, was mostly a stability update for iPhones, patching issues with the News widget and default browser and mail apps, among other problems from iOS 14.

No iOS 14.1 GM release notes have been issues to developers.

How to Install iOS 14.1 on Your iPhone

In an odd move, when Apple pulled back iOS 14.1 and released it as a GM on the developer portal, it only gave us the restore images, so there's no way to update over-the-air from your profile. You can use the restore image for your iPhone available in the developer portal (install using Finder). While you need to be a registered developer to access the developer portal, anyone can install the GM build using the links below via Finder.

When it becomes a stable public release, you can download and install iOS 14.1 on your iPhone via Settings –> General –> Software Updates. When the update appears, follow the on-screen instructions to download and install iOS 14.1 onto your device. If you have "Automatic Updates" enabled, you can simply allow your iPhone to update overnight.