iOS 13 Launch Day is Coming! Did You Back Up Your Data?
Every year around this time Apple launches their new software for iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS. This year is no exception to that.
Apple has made huge strides this year especially with iOS, and introducing for the first time iPadOS. This free over the air software update will unlock more features, functionality, and versatility on our devices. iPadOS really sets the iPad free to bring better functionality features to get some amazing work done.
The minimum system requirements for iOS 13 are:
(Launch Day Sept 19th)
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
IPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhone Xr
iPhone X
iPhone 8
iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone 7
iPhone 7 Plus
iPhone 6s
iPhone 6s Plus
iPhone SE
iPod Touch (7th generation)
The minimum system requirements for iPadOS 13 are:
(Launch Day Sept 30th)
12.9-inch Ipad Pro
11-inch iPad Pro
10.5-inch iPad Pro
9.7-inch iPad Pro
iPad (6th generation)
iPad (5th generation)
iPad mini (5th generation)
iPad Mini 4
iPad Air (3rd Generation)
iPad Air 2
The minimum system requirements for tvOS 13 are:
(Launch Day Sept 19th)
Apple TV 4K (5th Generation)
Apple TV (4th Generation)
The minimum system requirements for watchOS 6 are:
(Launch Day Sept 19th)
Apple Watch Series 5
Apple Watch Series 4
Apple Watch Series 3
Apple Watch Series 2
Apple Watch Series 1
The minimum system requirements for macOS Catalina 10.15 are:
(Launch Day October)
MacBook (2015 or later)
MacBook Air (2012 or later)
MacBook Pro (2012 or later)
iMac (2012 or later)
iMac Pro (2017 or later)
Mac Pro (2013 or later)
Mac mini (2012 or later)
Now before we all get the dreaded red bubble on our Settings App let’s ensure the most important part of our devices is secure, and of course I’m taking about our data! To do this on iOS please ensure you are properly logged into iCloud and your backup is enabled by navigating to:
Settings
Your name at the top
iCloud
iCloud Backup
Back Up Now
Now in the perfect world if we backed our device up to iCloud once, our device should be backing up every single night when it is plugged into power, connected to WiFi, and the screen is locked.
Once that backup is secured in iCloud we should be all systems go for our upgrade. If we want to be extra cautious we can back up our iPhone or iPad to a Mac or PC via the iTunes App. I’d recommend doing this by connecting a lighting cable from the computer to your device. Now in macOS Catalina 10.15 iTunes is being split up between the Apple Music App and a deeper Finder integration. This experience is quite nice and well designed is Catalina 10.15. In the meantime on our macOS Mojave 10.14.x or earlier Mac open iTunes, select your device on the upper left, authenticate on your Mac and on the iOS device you’re connecting to the computer, and select “Backup now”.
All righty, now we are update ready to take the leap. On your iPhone navigate to Settings, General, Software Update, and begin downloading the iOS 13 update. Depending on network traffic it may take a bit to download the new software and install, but be prepared for your iOS device to reboot and new software awaits. 😊
I’ve been running all of the new Apple software on my devices for testing purposes over the last few months. I will say, I personally feel this is one of the greatest software updates to date. From features such as Dark mode, to device responsiveness on older devices, this round of updates is one for the books. Although a change could be sometimes daunting on a device that we use every day, Apple continues to get their software distribution and upgrade strategy done right. Apple made sure to add something in this release for everyone. I hope you feel the same way.
Happy Updating!
-Joe
