Is it possible to update iOS on iPhone 4? What to do if iPhone cannot download the new version of iOS. All iPad Mini firmwares

iOS is rightfully considered one of the best operating systems for mobile devices, since the speed of the interface and its functionality pleases the average user. In addition, Apple guarantees years of support for both new and old devices.

But, with the release of the new iOS 8, which brought not only a visual, but also a functional update of the system, it became inaccessible to iPhone 4 owners, since it does not meet the minimum system requirements.

However, there are several ways to update an Apple smartphone if the manufacturer has not provided official firmware. So, this article will look at how you can update your iPhone 4 to iOS 8 if there are no updates.

Why is the update necessary?

First of all, it’s worth figuring out whether a system update is really necessary for an old phone, since in addition to new functions, a loaded interface can lead to unsmooth operation of the device.

  • updating the system is necessary in order to extend the life of your phone, using only the latest chips;
  • iOS 8 brings a new system design;
  • the improved shell eliminated the shortcomings of the previous version of the operating system;
  • With each new update, the security of user data improves.

Since the iPhone 4 is a cult smartphone for Apple, many people use it only out of devotion to the sensations. The American Internet research resource ArsTechnica decided to support the fans and conducted an experiment comparing iOS 8 and iOS 7.

During the study, it turned out that the phone with the new shell works stably, but there are still stutters in the system. So, for example, the marque takes almost 3 seconds to launch, and not the previous 1.5.

It’s important to know: in general, the smartphone’s performance under the new version of the operating system is satisfactory, but if you value maximum interface responsiveness, then perhaps you should skip this update and stay on iOS 7.

It should also be taken into account that for an inexperienced user who uses a browser and camera, the update will not bring much reduction in performance, but gamers will clearly feel the lack of power in the latest OS, since heavy mobile applications will take much longer to launch and work slower.

How to upgrade iPhone 4 to iOS 8

There are many ways to update a mobile OS, and the first of them is to download it via WI-FI. This is quite simple to do since you just need to go to settings - basic - over-the-air update - search for updates - install. After these manipulations, the smartphone will reboot and you can enjoy the new shell.

It is important to know: an over-the-air update (like any other, including installing a shell via a personal computer) must occur under one condition - the battery charge should not be less than 50% (as indicated in the photo).

Otherwise, due to active power consumption during the update, the phone may turn off halfway through the procedure and will not turn on. In rare cases, in this situation, going to a service center, where the OS is reinstalled, helps.

But such a miracle happens in isolated cases and the user can only replace the affected smartphone with a new one.

To do this, you will need to have an iTunes and Lighting cable installed on your personal computer, which can be found in the kit.

  1. First of all, you need to download the appropriate software through the latest version of iTunes. You can download it from the official Apple website in the all about iOS section.
  2. Next, the smartphone is connected to the computer via a standard USB interface and switches to data recording and storage mode. To do this you need to launch iTunes.
  3. After the application has opened, you need to press the button to select your device and find the corresponding one in the list.
  4. Then the user needs to select his smartphone and click update (there is no need to hold down any keys, as Android users do).
  5. After carrying out all the necessary manipulations, the user will see a pop-up window in which he will need to confirm the download of the update (you can also read the necessary service information about ios8 on this small screen).

It is important to know: some users have encountered the problem that when they try to update via a personal computer, the device displays a message stating that the latest version of IOS is installed for the smartphone, and for fear of doing something wrong or downloading an unnecessary update, users abandon the idea reflashing iofn.

There is no need to worry about this, since you just need to click on the link provided in the information window, and the download of the required OS version will begin on its own in a few seconds.

The last way to update a device without cloud firmware is to install a new OS using the built-in Safari browser. To do this, you just need to confirm the unpacking of the software downloaded from the official website.

In addition, for convenience, you can use third-party browsers. For example, Chrome and the like.

It is important to know: sometimes when updating a device via iTunes, error No. 3194 may appear. To fix it, you need to open the hosts file, find the line “xx.xxx.xx.xxx gs.apple.com” in it and delete it, after which you need to restart your personal computer and start the update process again.

Conclusion

Now you know how to update iOS on your gadget. The update is quite simple, but can take an hour or more. If you have difficulties or cannot resolve some issue, then you can always contact the support service on the manufacturer’s official website.

Review of the iOS 8 operating system for the iPhone 4s smartphone and update guide.

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Regardless of the device a person uses, he wants the most advanced software on his gadget. For example, owners of the iPhone 4 smartphone from the famous company Apple often wonder whether it is worth installing a version of the iOS 8 operating system on their device and how to do it?
In this article we will tell you the main disadvantages of the iOS 8 operating system on the iPhone 4 smartphone and if they do not bother you, we will write in detail how to install this version

Is it worth installing iOS 8 on iPhone 4?

  • As many probably know, the technical characteristics of the iPhone 4 were tested by the famous Internet resource ArsTechnica.com. Based on the test results, the site’s journalists compiled a table of how the iOS 8 operating system works on the device, using only the latest applications
  • In general, the result turned out to be very good, since for many users the difference of 1 second when opening a browser or 0.5 seconds when taking pictures does not matter much. The table and tested applications can be found below:

  • Despite the table, the main question “Is it worth upgrading to iOS 8 on an iPhone 4 device” remains unclear. You need to clearly understand why you need it
  • If you do not want to lag behind the latest software developments and use standard and lightweight applications, then installing the iOS 8 operating system is undoubtedly suitable for these purposes.
  • However, if you intend to install heavy applications or play games in the future, then it is better to refuse to switch to this version of the system. The performance drop will be quite high, the device will start to overheat and fail
  • Although the iPhone 4 has a fifth-generation A5 processor, many applications have already been developed for more modern A8 chips and your device will greatly conflict with them

Installing the iOS 8 operating system on iPhone 4 through settings

  • If you decide to install this version of the operating system, before installation you should make sure that there is enough memory on your device
  • The archive with the update (firmware), which will need to be downloaded, takes up about 1 GB of memory, and in installed form (unzipped) from 5 to 6 GB. Therefore, you need to have a device with at least 8GB of free memory. If this condition is not met, the installation of the operating system will not be completed and, when the device boots, the restoration process to the original version of the system will be launched.
  • To start the update (installation) process, you need to go to the device settings and go to the “Software Update” section, then select “Download and Install”

Updating iOS 8 through Settings on iPhone 4s

  • The download and installation will begin automatically in the background and once completed, the device will need to be rebooted. After the reboot, the main installation will begin, which may take a long time. After all components are installed, reboot the device and use the updated version of the operating system
  • This procedure must be carried out only through a Wi-Fi connection and you must ensure that the battery level is more than 50%. You cannot turn off the device during downloading and unpacking.

Installing the iOS 8 operating system on iPhone 4 via a computer

  • The process of updating the operating system via a PC occurs through the standard iTunes application, which must first be downloaded to your computer. Most often, the computer installs it automatically when you connect an Apple device to it.
  • After installing the application and connecting your device to your computer via a cable, you need to go to iTunes and go to the “Browse” tab, after which the screen will display information about available updates for your device

Installing iOS 8 via computer on iPhone 4s

  • Under the available updates, you need to click the “Update” button and then “Download and Update”, after which you can see information about the firmware version on the monitor and, if necessary, you can check its compatibility with your device

  • After checking compatibility, you must click “Next” and wait for the download process to complete, after which the automatic update will begin, during which the iPhone will restart several times
    After the update installation process is completed, a notification will appear on your computer monitor that the software is updated and iTunes will automatically search for new updates

Completing the iOS 8 update on iPhone 4s

  • After completing all the steps, a greeting will appear on the iPhone screen and you will be asked to perform a few simple settings, which you can easily figure out by following the prompts on the screen

IMPORTANT: Sometimes when updating a device via iTunes, error No. 3194 may appear. To fix it, you need to open the hosts file, find the line “xx.xxx.xx.xxx gs.apple.com” in it and delete it, after which you need to restart your personal computer and start the update process again

VIDEO: iOS 8 on iPhone 4s: Is it worth upgrading?

Apple regularly pleases its users with the release of new firmware versions, so every owner of an Apple smartphone wonders whether it is worth updating the software on their smartphone. In this publication we will talk about how to update iOS to version 8 on the 4th iPhone, and whether it is worth doing.

iOS update options

When the company introduced the brand new iOS 8 to its users, it immediately became clear that the iPhone 4 would not be able to function normally with this version of the firmware. The fact is that this operating system is designed for mobile devices with a 2-core processor, while the 4th iPhone is equipped with only one. However, you can still install the new iOS 8 system on the Iphone 4. There are two update options for this:

  • using iTunes via a computer;
  • via the network.

It should be noted that after the update, only the user bears full responsibility for the functioning of his gadget.

Using iTunes on a computer

So, how to update iPhone 4 using a computer?

First, you need to download the update using the special iTunes application (if you have a lot of free space) or from the manufacturer’s official website. Before you connect your device, you should make sure you're using the latest version of iTunes, then click Help in the menu bar and turn on Update. After this you need to do the following:


When downloading firmware using Safari, you must disable automatic unpacking. You can also use Firefox or Chrome for this.

Update via Wi-Fi

In fact, updating software on a smartphone using Wi-Fi is an easier method than the previous one, but there is no complete guarantee that the update will be successful. First of all, it is worth noting that even with a high connection speed it is quite difficult to download a firmware file weighing 1 GB. In addition, do not forget about the device’s battery – the minimum charge to download a file should be at least half. If after downloading the update process begins and the device sits down and turns off, then you will have to connect the device to the computer and continue the process in iTunes.

If you plan to use this option, you must do the following:

  • Check your wireless connection and browser access.
  • Enable “Settings”, go to the “General” section, select “Software Update” and click “Download and Install”. The download process starts automatically and the software update process occurs in the background. You cannot run the process on a smartphone without jailbreak
  • After downloading the file, click the “Install” button and accept the corresponding user agreement.

After the update process is completed, you need to make some adjustments and return all saved content from the created iPad or iTunes backup.

Many fans of Apple technology sooner or later encounter a problem when the iPhone is not updated and, as a result, it is not possible to install the latest firmware version. Moreover, the situation is the same in both iCloud and iTunes. The standard failure and error message just appears and nothing else. In this case, the download may have already been completed. Let's try to figure out what exactly is the cause of this malfunction and how it can be eliminated.

Many users are interested in what will happen if they do not update the device at all. What is all this for if the iPhone works fine anyway? In fact, with each update, Apple developers make devices more perfect, add more changes, new features and remove errors made in previous versions.

This way your phone can serve you much longer. In addition, many applications in the AppStore system are simply not able to work with the old firmware.

Main causes of failure

Usually, when an iPhone 5s (or other models) refuses to update automatically via Wi-Fi or other communication channels. Users are starting to wonder why I can’t update my phone to the latest version.

There are several simple solutions:

  • Just restart your iPhone. Turn it off and then turn it on again. This helps solve most OS problems.
  • If this does not give the expected result, then try reconnecting your Internet connection.
  • If this does not help, then you can restore the entire system.

The most common causes of this problem include:

  • Update error.
  • Incompatibility.
  • Lack of space.
  • No access to the server.
  • Incomplete updates.

Error downloading update

Your device seems to see the new firmware version and has already started downloading. However, then the message “Error downloading update” appears.

Why is this happening? There may be several options:

  1. Not enough memory. In this case, free up some space on your phone and try updating again.
  2. Unstable network connection. Make sure your iPhone is connected to the Internet. If everything is fine, then perhaps you should connect to another wi-fi network.
  3. Another reason is the various technical jobs at Apple. Here you just need to wait a while.

If you don’t want to wait, you can try downloading the firmware from third-party resources. But in this case, there is a high probability of catching viruses. Therefore this is a last resort method.

If you still decide to install updates via PC, then first download them from the official website. After that, proceed to the installation:

  • Launch iTunes.
  • Go to the section of the gadget you are updating.
  • Click on Shift, click on "Update".
  • In Explorer, select the required file with the extension .ipw.

Compatibility check

The next reason may be incompatibility. That is, your device may not support the version of software you are installing. For example, ios 11 and its modifications can only be installed on the following devices:

  1. iPhone 5S and all following;
  2. iPod touch 6;
  3. And iPad mini 2.

If your device is suitable for the installed version, then perform the following steps.
In the main menu we find the settings section. We need basic settings, at the very end of which there will be a “Profile” subsection. Now we need to delete everything that is there, click on “Delete profile”. Now let's reboot. The entire procedure should take no more than 20 minutes.

Find your password

If you have a password set on your phone and tablet for security purposes, you should make sure that you remember it. A password may be required to successfully complete the procedure, especially for the latest firmware versions. If you forgot it, then you need to contact a service center to have it restored.

Keep your apple id handy

When there is not enough space to download and other possible solutions to the problem do not help. We are trying to restore access to apple id. This ensures that you will be able to use all Apple services, such as the App Store, iCloud and others.

If you forgot it, then you need to:

  1. Go to your account page. Click on the “Forgot your password” checkbox.
  2. On the next page you need to click the same thing.
  3. Enter your details and your email address. If the entered address does not match, you can try with another mail.

Need more space to install update

The error is sometimes caused by lack of space. If there is not enough space to install or download an update, iOS will automatically try to free up space. However, by default, the system deletes only the information of those utilities that will soon load automatically. All information in this case will not be deleted or moved. Can be removed using iTunes.

If you can't connect to iTunes, then try to free up as much space as possible for installation. Delete unnecessary photos and videos from your phone.

How else can you update iOS?

Often situations can be quite trivial.

For example, battery charge, which should be more than 50%. If it is smaller, then you need to try connecting the gadget to the network.

The problem may also be related to the Touch ID fingerprint scanner not working. If for some reason it does not work, then you can only update using iTunes.

We install the new version of iTunes, connect the iPhone with the original cable, and agree with the system messages.

Conclusion

If you have already tried all the methods described above and none of them helped you, then there is only one thing left. You need to seek help from professionals. Go to the service center, they will fix the problem.

Video

Apple has released iOS 8.4 for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, along with its long-awaited streaming music service AppleMusic.

If you need help installing iOS 8.4, follow these instructions.

iOS 8.4 Compatibility

Please note that iOS 8.4 is available as a free update for the following iOS devices:

  • iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S
  • iPad Air, iPad 4, iPad 3 and iPad 2
  • Retina iPad mini, 1st gen iPad mini
  • iPod touch 5

Backup:

It's never a bad idea to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch before updating their iOS software.

You can back up your iOS device using iTunes or iCloud.

How to install iOS 8.4 update wirelessly (OTA over the air):

Before you start downloading, connect your device to a charger to charge it. Downloading and installing may take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour, depending on the load on Apple's servers and your Internet connection. You can also connect your iPhone to a local WiFi network to update iOS for free without using mobile data.

Once you are connected to the Wi-Fi network, open Settings and click on Basic> Software Update. iOS will automatically check for updates and notify you that a software update is available.

Note: If you are jailbroken, you need to install the update using iTunes, since problems can occur with OTA updates, as you know.


Click Download to download the update. Wait for the download to complete and then click Install to install the update. Your iPhone or iPad will download the update and notify you when it's ready. Return to Settings>General>Software Update, and then click Install to install the downloaded iOS update file.

How to install iOS 8.4 update using iTunes:

If you did not receive the iOS 8.4 update over the air (OTA) as mentioned above, then you can download iOS 8.4 from the official source (links provided below) and use iTunes to manually update your iOS device. Also, installing the update using iTunes can be useful if you do not have enough space on your device to update via OTA.

Before connecting your device, make sure you are using the latest version of iTunes. Click on iTunes or Help in the menu bar, and then click on “Updates.”

After checking your iTunes version, proceed with the following steps:

Step 1: Connect your device to your computer using a USB cable. Wait for iTunes to open on your computer, or launch it manually to open and connect to your device.

Step 2: Click the device button to the left of the iTunes Store button, in the top right corner of iTunes.

Step 3: Click on “Update” directly, without holding down Option or the Shift key. If the iOS 8.4 update is available, it will automatically download and begin updating your device to iOS 8.4.


Step 4:
You will receive a pop-up message informing you that a new update is available. Click on the button Download and update. If a message appears that iOS 8.3 is the latest version available, then download the corresponding firmware file using the download links provided in step 5.

Step 5: Skip this step if everything went well in the previous steps.

Download the iOS firmware file for your device from this page for the corresponding device [File size ranges from 1.5 GB to 2.0 GB depending on your device]:

Note: If you download the firmware file using Safari, then make sure that the automatic extraction feature is disabled or use Chrome or Firefox.

Check the back of your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to find your model number and download the file from the appropriate link.

Direct links to download iOS 8.4 IPSW for iPhone:

Direct links to download iOS 8.4 IPSW for iPad:

Direct download links for iOS 8.4 IPSW for iPod touch:

After downloading the firmware file, hold down the Option (Mac) or SHIFT (Windows) button and click on “ Update“. Important: click on Update, but not Restore iPhone... to avoid restoring your iPhone and resetting all settings.



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