iPhone and iPad owners who want the latest and greatest from Apple can do so right now.
Right on schedule, the Cupertino-based company turned on its update servers at 10 a.m. Pacific, and opened iOS 8 up for public consumption. The update was first announced as part of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June, and has spent the past three months in developers’ hands as a beta.
The update is fairly large – users on Twitter are reporting that it’s more than a gigabyte in size – so people who are hoping to update should make sure that they’re on a stable internet connection and have plenty of room on their devices. For more information on how to get ready, check out our guide here.
To update over the air, users just need to go to Settings > General > Software Update and choose to install the update there. To update using iTunes, users should plug their device into a computer, and then click on “Check for Update.” In both instances, the devices should download and install the update.
In my experience with the iOS 8 beta, it took about 20 minutes to install, so people who are expecting important phone calls should probably hold off until a time that’s more convenient for them.
If this year is anything like its predecessors, Apple’s update servers will be hammered by people rushing to pick up iOS 8 right away. If you don’t manage to grab it, I’d recommend going to grab a cup of coffee and trying again in about an hour. I’ll keep this post updated with the status of the update servers as best I can.
Stay tuned to GeekWire for more about iOS 8, including our review of Apple’s new release.