How to Update Your iPhone to iOS 17 - Consumer Reports (2024)

First, Back Up Your iPhone

Updates don’t always go perfectly, which is why it’s smart to back up your phone’s data before switching to iOS 17. If your data is deleted accidentally, you’ll be able to restore it from the backup.

You can back up your phone to the cloud or to your computer’s hard drive. Just make sure you have enough storage. When you sign up for iCloud, Apple gives you just 5 gigabytes of storage free. Most people have far more than that stored on their iPhones. If you need more space, you’re going to have to pay a little extra. For example, 50GB of storage costs 99 cents per month.

Ideally, you’ve set your phone to back up automatically on a regular basis. In addition to making the process a little easier when you want to update the OS, it also will keep you from losing all your favorite photos and other files if your phone is lost or destroyed.

This is also a good time to go through your iPhone and delete any unnecessary apps. Like, for example, that storage-space-eating video game you haven’t touched in a while. If you later regret the decision, you can always go back and re-download the app.

To see when your phone was last backed up to iCloud, go to Settings > your Apple ID > iCloud > iCloud Backup. Once you’re there, you’ll have the option to "Back Up Now." Go ahead and do that.

Then Go to Settings

Once the phone is backed up, tap the Settings icon > General> Software Update (the second item from the top). You’ll probably see a notification that an update is ready. If not, select Software Update anyway and your phone will search for it. Then just download and install it. This could take several minutes, depending on the speed of your internet connection.

And don’t worry if you don’t see the iOS 17 update right away. Apple rolls these updates out in stages. Not everyone gets them at the same time.

If your phone battery isn’t fully charged, plug it in before you start. Upgrading takes a lot of juice. You’ll also need a few gigabytes of free storage to run the update, so, again, now may be a good time to “audit” the apps you have on your iPhone to decide which you really need.

According to Apple, iOS 17 is compatible with every iPhone dating back to the XS, which came out in 2018. Most, though not all, new features are available on all iPhones dating back to that model, and below we’ll help you figure out what’s what.

What's New With iOS 17

Here are a few new features you may find interesting.

NameDrop (see photo below): Gone are the days of awkwardly swapping contact information with people you meet. With NameDrop, you and your new friend who has an iPhone running iOS 17 (or an Apple Watch) simply hold your devices close together and you’re prompted to choose the information you’d like to share: phone number, email address, etc.

Interactive widgets: Widgets are tiny app windows you place on your iPhone home screen to display data like the weather forecast and upcoming calendar appointments. Now, these widgets can be interactive: So, for example, you can mark an item on your to-do list complete, control the brightness of your smart lights, play/pause a song or podcast, and more.

FaceTime improvements: If you attempt to FaceTime with someone and they’re unavailable, you can now leave a video or audio message. And you know those fun iMessage effects like fireworks and birthday balloons? Now you can trigger them in a FaceTime video call, too. Even more fun: If you have an iPhone 12 or newer model, you can launch the effects by using specific hand gestures.

Phone calls: Sometimes, you have to make a plain ol’ phone call. With iOS 17, you can customize the screen that appears on the other party’s phone when you place a call. This Contact Poster can be based on a photo or Memoji and customized with your choice of font. And, if you can’t pick up the phone the moment someone calls, you can send the call to voicemail and see a live transcription of the message as it’s coming in.

Check-in (see below): Have you ever sent a quick text to a friend or family member to let them know you’ve arrived home safe and sound? Well, now there’s a dedicated Check-in feature that automatically alerts folks when you’ve arrived at your destination. And if you’re delayed, Check-in will first ask you if you’re okay—perhaps you simply stopped off at the grocery store—and then, if you don’t respond, send details on your location to the other person. The amount of information you share is configured in the Settings app.