How to install iOS 8 on your iPhone 5S, iPad, and iPad Mini right now

How to install iOS 8 on your iPhone 5S, iPad, and iPad Mini right now

On September 17 — tomorrow — Apple will release iOS 8 for the iPhone 5S, 5C, and 4S, along with the iPad 2, 3, 4, iPad Air, and iPad Mini. If you want to install or upgrade to iOS 8 right now, before the official release, follow the instructions below. We will also include instructions how to officially update to iOS 8 when it is released tomorrow.

Back up and be prepared

Before you update any iPhone or iPad, you should update your version of iTunes to the latest version and then back up your device. For Mac users, open iTunes, then clickiTunes > Check for Updates. Windows users, open iTunes, then click Help > Check for Updates. To back up your iPhone or iPad, click File > Devices > Back Up. Bear in mind that if the upgrade process fails, you may have to enter DFU mode and restore your device from a backup. Most modern iDevices (iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, the iPad Air, iPad Mini) should have no problems at all, though.

Download iOS 8

The next step is to obtain a copy of iOS 8. If you’re reading this before the official release on September 17, you will need to download the appropriate Gold Master (GM) of iOS 8 for your device. If you want to wait for the official release of iOS 8 before upgrading, skip the following section.

• iPhone 4S (Models A1431 & A1387)
• iPhone 5 (GSM, Model A1428)
• iPhone 5 (CDMA, Model A1429)
• iPhone 5S (GSM)
• iPhone 5S (CDMA)
• iPhone 5C (GSM)
• iPhone 5C (CDMA)
• iPad 2 (WiFi)
• iPad 2 (Rev. A)
• iPad 2 (WiFi + GSM, Model A1396) – no download available currently
• iPad 2 (WiFi + CDMA, Model A1397)
• iPad 3 (WiFi, Model A1416)
• iPad 3 (WiFi + GSM, Model A1430)
• iPad 3 (WiFi + CDMA, Model A1403)
• iPad 4 (WiFi, Model A1458)
• iPad 4 (WiFi + GSM, Model A1459)
• iPad 4 (WiFi + CDMA, Model A1460)
• iPad Mini (WiFi, Model A1432)
• iPad Mini (WiFi + GSM, Model A1454)
• iPad Mini (WiFi + CDMA, Model A1455)
• iPad Air (Wi-Fi, Model A1474)
• iPad Air (Wi-Fi + GSM)
• iPad Air (Wi-Fi + CDMA)
• iPad Mini with Retina (Wi-Fi, Model A1489)
• iPad Mini with Retina (Wi-Fi + GSM)
• iPad Mini with Retina (Wi-Fi + CDMA)
• iPod Touch (Fifth-generation)

If the link for your device doesn’t work, Lifehacker is doing a good job of locating new links that still work. Bear in mind that these links aren’t official, and I haven’t personally tested all of them. They should be completely fine, but if you’re at all concerned just wait for the official release on September 17. Once you have your iOS 8 GM, follow these steps:

• Extract the downloaded file and make sure you have a file that ends in .ispw — something like: iPad2,1_7.0.4_11B554a_Restore.ipsw. Windows users might need to use a utility like 7zip to extract the file.
• Open up iTunes and connect your iPhone or iPad. Go to the Summary tab.
• Hold down the Option key (OS X) or Shift (Windows) and click the Restore button. Locate the .ipsw file that you extracted.
• Sit back and pray that the update completes.

How to officially update to iOS 8

If you wait for iOS 8 to be officially rolled out on September 17, the update process is very simple. If you wish, you can update to iOS 8 directly from your iPhone or iPad by visitingSettings > General > Software Update. Alternatively, plug your iPhone or iPad into your computer, open up iTunes, navigate to the Summary tab for your device, and then click Update. It will either tell you that no updates are available (in which case, try again later), or the download will begin. The download might be quite slow initially as Apple’s servers get hammered. (This can be a good reason to download an unofficial version using the links above, rather than wait for the real thing, which may take hours to download.)

iPhone: iOS 8

Enjoy iOS 8

If everything goes to plan, you should now be looking at iOS 8 on your iPhone or iPad! Hooray! For the most part, iOS 8 looks a lot like iOS 7 — but there are plenty of tweaks and new features that you’ll discover after a little poking around. To discover some of the bigger new features, read some of our iOS 8 coverage, or check out how iOS 8 compares to Google’s upcoming Android L.