Learn how to cancel an already-initiated software update download if you don’t want to update your iPhone and iPad to the latest iOS version after all.
Check the download progress
First, check the download status of an over-the-air update in Settings > General > Software Update. If it reads “Update Requested,” restart the device to cancel the download. If the download has already started or is finished and is now being prepared, the following steps will abort it instantly.
Stop an iOS update from downloading and installing
- Open the Settings app and tap General.
- Select iPhone Storage.
- Once this screen populate with storage breakdown, scroll down and touch the iOS update file.
- Tap Delete Update, and confirm the action, if asked.
This will stop the iOS firmware from downloading, even if it’s already started. If you return to the Software Update screen, you should see the option to download and install the latest update. This is because you aborted the previous download and deleted the installer. You can follow the same steps to delete a downloaded iOS installer and quickly free up storage space on your iPhone or iPad.
Before Apple permitted iOS updates over cellular data, you could turn off Wi-Fi to stop an in-progress iOS download. But now, if you turn off Wi-Fi, the installer may continue downloading using your iPhone’s mobile data plan, although you should see a confirmation popup the first time an iOS update downloads over the cellular connection.
The above steps also work to remove a downloaded iOS update file from your iPhone or iPad to quickly make space when needed.
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