Preparing your life support for Update !

With only minutes remaining for Apple’s event my excitement level has reached maximum and its getting harder and harder to concentrate on anything else. This post is to tell all you iOS lovers how to prepare your device for the new and amazing iOS 8, which will be available for download in few days.

Check Compatibility 

If you are amongst the few who have held on to iPhone 4, then i am really sorry to inform you that its time to upgrade your device as iPhone 4 will not be compatible with anymore software updates.

Devices compatible with iOS 8

Free up some space

The over-the-air iOS 7 update package was about 700MB depending on your device, however users were required to have at least 3GB of free space on their devices in order to actually install the update. The same can be expected when installing iOS 8, which makes now the perfect time to free up some space on your device.

I recommend deleting unused apps (which can be done with a long press to the icon, then hitting the X which appears when the apps start shaking), and moving photos to iCloud or another cloud service such as Dropbox or Google Drive. You can also move photos and videos to your computer to free up space rather than having to delete old memories.

Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer using the USB cord, then, on a Mac or MacBook, use iPhoto to import all or select photos to your computer. From a Windows computer, enter My Computer, select your device under the Portable Devices section, click on the DCIM folder, and simply drag and drop which photos or videos you would like to transfer to your computer.

To see how much storage is remaining on your iOS device, enter Settings, click on General, and select Usage.

Check for updates

Now would also be a good time to install any lingering software updates you have been holding off on. You will need to be on the latest version of iOS to update to iOS 8. To check for updates, enter Settings, click on General, and select Software Update.

You should also install any app updates that are available before updating to iOS 8 to ensure that your apps will work properly after the move.

Back up your Device

Although you are unlikely to run into any major problems when updating, it’s always a good idea to have a backup of your device. You know what they say, it’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

There are two methods for backing up your device. The first is with iTunes, which will store a backup file on your computer. For this method, you should have the latest version of iTunes installed. Start by connecting your iPhone or iPad to the computer with the USB cable. Then, select your device and click on the Summary tab in the top menu. Make sure that your computer is selected, and then click on the “Back Up Now” button on the right-hand side. If you rather back up your data to Apple’s cloud service, select the iCloud option located above the computer option.

Data can also be backed up directly from your device to iCloud. Make sure Wi-Fi is enabled, then enter Settings, select iCloud, and click on Storage & Backup. From here you can choose which files and settings you would like to store on the cloud. Once you have made your selections, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the “Back Up Now” option.

A word to the wise

As we have seen in the past, sometimes these big updates can cause problems for older devices. Owners of the iPhone 4 complained of poor battery life and performance issues after updating to iOS 7. We all like new things, but it may actually be better to hold off on updating for a week or two if you own an iPhone 4S or an iPad 2. This should help you avoid some of the problems that can arise when updating your device.

Thats it now just wait for apple to release the software so u can enjoy it to fullest.

Note- iOS 8 will be available for download on september 17th.

Cheers !! 🙂

iOS 8 : whether to upgrade or not ?!

We have all been hearing a buzz about the new iPhone 6 and iWatch that is all set to launch on 9th september but there is one more thing that is being released by apple on that day, the new iOS 8 (Worlds most advance mobile operating system) which will ship with the new iPhone and will be pushed over the air to existing iPhone/iPad/iPod users.

Now, the question stands whether to upgrade or not ?

I will start with listing the devices compatible with iOS 8

iPhone 4s, 5, 5c, 5s, 6 

iPad 2, 3, Air, mini, mini with retina

iPod touch 5

If you have recently bought iPhone 4 then i am sorry to say you are stuck with apple’s iOS 7 for life.(Which can be a good thing because iPhone 4 already gets slow on iOS 7)

Coming to the new features being introduced in iOS 

Photos.
Every photo you take. Now on all your devices.

Every photo, every edit, every album now lives in your iCloud Photo Library, easily viewable and consistent on all your devices.

 

Messages.
Actually LOL. OL.

Now Messages lets you connect with friends and family like never before. Tap to add your voice to any conversation. Send a video of what you’re seeing the moment you’re seeing it. And easily share your location so they know where you are.

 

Details make the experience. These details make it brilliant.

In iOS 8, you’ll find a convenient new way to respond to notifications. Helpful shortcuts to the people you talk to most. And time-saving features for managing your mail. All of which make the experience of using your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch that much better.

 

Smartest keyboard ever.

iOS 8 makes typing easier by suggesting contextually appropriate words to complete your sentences. It even recognises who you’re typing to and whether you’re in Mail or Messages. Because your tone in an email may be different from your tone in a message.

 

Family Sharing.
Sharing with your family comes naturally. Now it comes to all your content.

Family Sharing makes it easy for up to six people in your family to share each other’s iTunes, iBooks and App Store Store purchases. Whenever one person buys a new song, film or app, everybody gets to share. It’s also easier than ever to share family photos, a family calendar, locations and more.

 

iCloud Drive.
Any kind of file.
On all your devices.

The good news: you can work on any file, anywhere. The bad news: you can work on any file, anywhere. That includes presentations, PDFs, images and more — straight from iCloud. On whichever device you’re using, including your Mac or PC.

 

Health.
An entirely new way to use all your health and fitness information.

Now your activity tracker, heart‑rate monitor, and other health and fitness apps can talk to each other. Which means they’ll be able to work even harder for you. And all the information is accessible in one easy‑to‑read dashboard.

 

iPhone, iPad and Mac. Connected like never before.

Things are about to get even better for people with multiple Apple devices. Now you can start an email on one device and seamlessly continue on another. And iPhone owners can answer phone calls on their Mac or iPad, and even send SMS messages from any of them.

 

Spotlight.
Brighter than ever.

Sometimes you’re looking for a contact or an app. Sometimes you’re looking for answers. Spotlight now gives you suggestions from Wikipedia entries, places nearby, trending news and more. It’s even smart enough to recognise context and location to offer you the most relevant information.

 

This is just a glimpse of all the amazing new features that apple has introduced in the new operating system. The list goes on and on but its impossible for me to mention all of them so, i have tried to highlight the main upgrades.

For me personally the keyboard updates and all device synchronisation takes the platform and is the main motivation to update to iOS 8.

Note: People who have jailbroken their devices and don’t want to lose it, should wait for iOS 8 jailbreak to be released before updating.  

Cheers !!