iOS 18. Update OTA, or Clean Install.

[JSDK]

iOS 18 is just around the corner. I have always done a clean install, every time we went from a new major update to the next one, most recently from 16.x.x to iOS 17.0, and have never experienced problems. By a clean install, I mean that you log out of your Apple ID on the phone, connect to Finder in recovery mode, and do a restore where you update to the latest software, and do not restore from a backup afterwards.

But this year I'm just considering an OTA update, since it's not that long since I got a new iPhone and I don't want to set it all up again.

What are your experiences, is OTA as good as a clean install?

What will you do when iOS 18 arrives?
BONUS QUESTION: What do you do on your Mac and your iPad. OTA or Clean Install.

 

[zorinlynx]

Hundreds of millions of non-technical people let their phones upgrade OTA without going out of the way to do anything else and their phones work fine for them.

You don't need to do clean installs, full restores, or any of that nonsense unless your phone actually has a problem. Period.

 

[JSDK]

Hundreds of millions of non-technical people let their phones upgrade OTA without going out of the way to do anything else and their phones work fine for them.

You don't need to do clean installs, full restores, or any of that nonsense unless your phone actually has a problem. Period.

I know the majority just update their iPhone OTA - these are the same people who write about their problems on Apple Support Community. Problems I've never experienced, whether it's because my iPhone gets a clean install or because I'm just lucky, I don't know. But that's why I'm interested in hearing about people's experiences. Especially people in here, who I consider NOT to be part of the typical iPhone users, but people with more insight.

But thanks for your input. I mean it. It's a comment like this that makes me strongly consider just updating the OTA in the future.

 

[one more]

I used to do what you call clean installs, but now prefer OTA, as it saves me a lot of time. If I were moving from a public release of iOS 17.6.1 to iOS 18, I would go OTA route.

However, since I was running iOS 18 betas since DB2 onwards, I will just update (not restore) my devices to iOS 18 RC with IPSW files and call it a day. This way I won’t need to waste time restoring anything from a backup, tweaking all the settings, etc., as it will probably take me half a day.

 

[JSDK]

I used to do what you call clean installs, but now prefer OTA, as it saves me a lot of time. If I were moving from a public release of iOS 17.6.1 to iOS 18, I would go OTA route.

However, since I was running iOS 18 betas since DB2 onwards, I will just update (not restore) my devices to iOS 18 RC with IPSW files and call it a day. This way I won’t need to waste time restoring anything from a backup, tweaking all the settings, etc., as it will probably take me half a day.

It probably has a different name than clean install, hehe.

Okay, and you don't experience any problems going straight from beta to a "finished" software?

 

[one more]

It probably has a different name than clean install, hehe.

Okay, and you don't experience any problems going straight from beta to a "finished" software?

As I am moving from a beta, I still use an IPSW file (not OTA). That RC IPSW file is quite chunky, so I think it pretty much flushes and overwrites everything, removing all the unnecessary beta elements in the process.

I did it last year, moving from iOS 16 to iOS 17 and did not have any issues, so will do the same thing this year, once the RC is out.

If your iPhone works fine now on iOS 17, just try doing it OTA and you can always do your usual restore later, if needed.

 

[JSDK]

As I am moving from a beta, I still use an IPSW file (not OTA). That RC IPSW file is quite chunky, so I think it pretty much flushes and overwrites everything, removing all the unnecessary beta elements in the process.

I did it last year, moving from iOS 16 to iOS 17 and did not have any issues, so will do the same thing this year, once the RC is out.

If your iPhone works fine now on iOS 17, just try doing it OTA and you can always do your usual restore later, if needed.

It will probably get cleaned up when you update with the IPSW file. You get the entire update there, whereas with OTA you only get the parts that need to be updated (as I understand it) - okay, that sounds like a very good way. I could also just update via my Mac, then as far as I remember I also get the full update.

But otherwise it will probably be OTA, and then I have to fix it later if I experience errors.

 

[Surrix]

I know the majority just update their iPhone OTA - these are the same people who write about their problems on Apple Support Community. Problems I've never experienced, whether it's because my iPhone gets a clean install or because I'm just lucky, I don't know. But that's why I'm interested in hearing about people's experiences. Especially people in here, who I consider NOT to be part of the typical iPhone users, but people with more insight.

But thanks for your input. I mean it. It's a comment like this that makes me strongly consider just updating the OTA in the future.

I'll add this: I also don't have any of those weird problems that people seem to have, and I've never done a clean restore. My iOS profile dates back to 2008. I also run betas all the time, yet no issues with my profile.

 

[Jakimo]

I love systems, experimenting and beta testing.. to a fault. I've been tooling with computers at home since '83, and I'm just hooked on modifying and experimenting

That said, OTA updates are perfectly fine (unless you come across a gnasty problem) until full release. Because I mess around too much, especially on my Mac.. I run like this and have strong issues. All my stuff is in one cloud or another, keep in mind

OTA and get crazy all year, then on full release of a major update - I always fully wipe and reinstall the OS (whether iPhone / iPad / Mac) from scratch, then taking a list of apps I actually currently use - restore each one MANUALLY, never from a back-up

Perfect, and a good discipline to house-clean all the experimentation and get rid of the apps and data that you were curious about, but just didn't end up sticking with

Works great for me, fresh start every year. During the year, I don't run betas and take a break as far as the OS goes. When the betas of the new OS coming arrives, I start the OS beta process over again!

These days OTA is quite reliable. And the full from-scratch OS install every year on GM, deals with just cleaning up house and getting back to ONLY the apps and data that you are actually using

Them's my thoughts..

 

[Momof2.1107]

For my iPad I always do OTA, but for my iPhone, I always do a clean install without a backup. The only thing I download from iCloud are my contacts, texts and photos. I redownload all my apps one by one and sign into them. I already have screenshots of how I want my home screen to look and I set it up exactly the way from my previous iPhone (if I upgrade) or from the previous iOS software.

I do all of this on the same day that the new iPhone launches so that I have the whole weekend to when I’m not busy to set my phone up. It usually takes half a day to complete this task, and I never run into any problems.

 

[AZhappyjack]

OTA updates on everything. I've done the OTA updates and restore from backup for all of my Apple devices dating back to th iPhone 4, iPad OG and my first Mac mini back in 2008.

I've never had an issue.

 

[winxmac]

Since I already have a backup of photos and videos, I perform DFU IPSW restore/install but on iOS 18.0 beta, since I don't have access to a computer that can clean install, I just update OTA...

I used a Windows computer and iTunes to downgrade to iOS 17.6

Once iOS 17.7 or iOS 17.8 is available, I may just update via IPSW using a computer but for iOS 18.0 non-beta, I will perform DFU IPSW restore/install once the compatible iTunes version is available...

 

[AdamNC]

I always do OTA. First I update all apps. But I then do a manual cleaning of all my apps, empty all trash, go through all old files, photos, empty local data etc. Then on iOS devices I do a soft reset, back up then do the OTA update. It’s just how I do it. I have never had an issue.

 

[FridgeToaster]

So the old school local backup isn't an option nowadays? I always prefer updating my iOS devices on my Mac, download the entire IPSW file, backup to computer and then update.

 

[one more]

So the old school local backup isn't an option nowadays? I always prefer updating my iOS devices on my Mac, download the entire IPSW file, backup to computer and then update.

Will do OTA first and then decide. 😉

 

[Abazigal]

I tried setting up my M4 iPad pro as a new device and it was a fairly long process trying to replicate my previous settings. The end result was a device that was still more or less the same as my previous iPad, so for me at least, there does not seem to be any benefit to doing a clean install.

 

[FridgeToaster]

This is exactly what I will do once the RC is out, as I have been through a lot of betas. 😉

Well actually the RC OTA is not like normal OTAs, it contains the entire OS so it's usually much larger in terms of file size. But I do believe updating with computer is "cleaner" (I don't have any proof, tbh )

 

[one more]

Well actually the RC OTA is not like normal OTAs, it contains the entire OS so it's usually much larger in terms of file size. But I do believe updating with computer is "cleaner" (I don't have any proof, tbh )

Yes, I know. We could also do OTA and only resort to IPSW if something does not feel right.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

So the old school local backup isn't an option nowadays? I always prefer updating my iOS devices on my Mac, download the entire IPSW file, backup to computer and then update.

👍🏼This is the way I've done it for years.

 

[azhava]

I used to do local updates through iTunes on my Mac, then started doing OTA around the time I got my iP6 or 7, and have done OTA ever since. Never had a problem, and I don't have any desire to go through all my settings and re-tweak everything that I had tweaked before, as I would have to do with a clean install. I probably wouldn't even remember all the things I've changed.

 

[BigDO]

My rule of thumb is OTA, and then, if I experience any undocumented problems, I wipe and restore from iCloud. This has always worked to bring the device to a baseline where I’m not experiencing any undocumented bugs (I emphasize this since all .0 releases in the last years have been riddled with bugs which you just have to accept as a price of being on the new version).

There’s no way I would ever waste time on setting up from scratch.

 

[Helmsley]

I've never done a clean install since I joined the iPhone "community" over ten years ago. And I wouldn't unless I was having serious issues.

But it's personal preference isn't it.

 

[one more]

Delete

 

[AZhappyjack]

I've never done a clean install since I joined the iPhone "community" over ten years ago. And I wouldn't unless I was having serious issues.

But it's personal preference isn't it.

This has been my experience since 2008. I’ve never done a “clean” install… OTA all the way, baby. YMMV

 

[Cobold]

Always OTA and always using iPhone to iPhone transfer every time I am getting a new iPhone since like forever.
Before iPhone to iPhone transfer was a thing, I always used iCloud backup for my new device.
Never had any problems that made me even think about doing a „clean install“ (so OTA is dirty, right? Nasty little OTA updaters 😉).

The last iPhone I started from scratch with was the first iPhone I got - the 3G 🤣