6 Things You Should Do To Prepare Your iPhone For The iOS 27 Update

Apple's iOS 27 will bring some of the best new features to the iPhone this fall, including a new Siri experience, new photo editing tools, improved Liquid Glass experiences, Visual Intelligence improvements, and more. If you haven't opted to download the iOS 27 beta on your iPhone ahead of time to avoid dealing with the buggy experience as the kinks are worked out, it's a good idea to prep your phone before the new OS officially launches, likely in September 2026.

The first thing you should do while waiting for the iOS 27 update is to update your phone to iOS 26 if you haven't already. As long as you have an iPhone 11 or later, it will update to iOS 27 though not all features, particularly Apple Intelligence, will work on older phones.

Alongside updating your software, there are other ways you should prepare, including data backups, storage management, and app compatibility checks. Fortunately, after nearly two decades of iPhone updates, the process has become relatively easy and straightforward. 

Before you update to any new OS, it's important to back up your iPhone. You can do this using cloud services like Apple's iCloud, or separate ones from Google, Amazon, or others. You can even back up to your computer.

The reason for these backups before updates is that any major software changes could crash and lose data or require a full reset. Having that backup is good peace of mind, and easy to perform.

If backing up through iCloud, you'll need a plan with enough storage space. On the iPhone, go to the Settings app, select your name at the top, iCloud, iCloud Backup, and Back Up Now. You may want to make sure you're on a Wi-Fi network if you haven't unchecked Back Up Over Cellular, especially because the process could eat into your plan data. Apple says you don't need to plug in your device for an iCloud backup, but it's still a good practice to ensure sufficient battery life. 

Apple's iCloud also has the benefit of allowing you to select which files, folders, and apps you want to back up, allowing you to focus attention on Photos, Messages, Mail, or Contacts, rather than having to back them all up at once. If you have the space, it's a good idea to save everything so you can restore your phone exactly as it was if anything goes amiss.

If you don't want to pay for a bigger iCloud plan and Apple's free 5GB of space isn't enough, you can alternatively back up to a computer. On a Mac, Open Finder on your computer, connect the iPhone via USB-C cable, and select Back up all data on your iPhone to this Mac. If on a PC, you'll have to use Apple's iTunes for Windows.

Once your device is updated and backed up, the next step is to clean up on-device storage to ensure you have enough space for the update. The update is reportedly just under 5GB in size, though this could change. But you still need anywhere from 18GB-25GB of free space to ensure a seamless update process. There are many things you can do if you're running out of storage on iPhone, including a feature Apple built into its settings app that helps remove unused apps, duplicate photos, downloaded files, and more. In a pinch, you can offload files to a cloud storage provider if you have a plan with enough space to do so then delete them from the local device.

To check storage, go to Settings, General, iPhone storage to see not only how much storage space you have left, but what is using the majority of it. There, you'll also likely see a list of recommendations to help free up more storage, such as by reviewing downloaded media. Apple also estimates how much space you can save by following the tool's advice. 

You can click into each app from this list as well and some have options to clean up. For example, under Messages, you can Review Large Attachments and delete ones you no longer need. In Photos, scroll down to Utilities, select Duplicates, and Merge duplicate images that take up double the space, like multiple group photos you forgot you took. Also considering deleting unused apps by selecting them from the iPhone Storage list and either choosing Offload App, which keeps your saved data on the device, such as a book you're reading or workout logs, while deleting the app. When you need the app again, just re-download, and all the saved data comes back to life. Choosing Delete App will remove the program and all its related data.

Before you're ready to go, there are still some last-minute checks you might want to consider, particularly if you rely on your phone for work or school. There might be apps that don't work with the new OS until the developer updates them. And they may not have a new version ready alongside the OS launch. This could include pertinent company-specific apps, school apps, or even banking. If you have the chance, check with IT or school administration to confirm compatibility. If an app update is not likely to ready by the time you update your phone, you may want to hold off or plan for temporary alternative access, like relying on your laptop.

Make sure you know your Apple ID and password as well. If you forget your iPhone's passcode, you can start it in Recovery Mode. Using this feature will likely erase your data, so be mindful with this step and read all information before tapping any buttons. 

Finally, make sure the phone is sufficiently charged. It's a good idea to keep it plugged in with the battery fully charged so you don't have to worry about the battery dying or running low halfway through the process. Make sure you're connected to a quick and secure Wi-Fi network, such as those we typically have at home. And don't start the update unless you have time to leave your phone for a while. Apple updates can sometimes extend past an hour, particularly if something problematic happens.

Keep in mind that while you can absolutely download the update as soon as it's available, some people like to wait a day, week, or even a month before doing so. This gives them the chance to hear feedback from others and to give Apple time to work out initial kinks and release subsequent updates or security patches. Apple typically releases at least one major update for its software in the fall, before the new year.