Apple Users

47of74

(18,470 posts) Sat Jan 27, 2018, 07:06 PM Jan 2018

Has anyone ever figured out why an iOS update size differences

If I download the update through iTunes it's a couple gigabytes. But if I download it directly on to my iPhone X it's only a couple hundred megabytes.

Anyone know why that is?

Only thing I can think of is that if one goes through iTunes it's downloading the update for every iOS device (phone, pad, pod, etc) and if I update through the phone settings then it's just downloading the file for the specific device. Is that the case or is there some other reason?

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Has anyone ever figured out why an iOS update size differences (Original Post) 47of74 Jan 2018 OP

I would guess the device running the iOS doesn't need to do a complete install. Make7 Jan 2018 #1

Make7

(8,546 posts)

1. I would guess the device running the iOS doesn't need to do a complete install.

Reply to 47of74 (Original post)

Sat Jan 27, 2018, 07:31 PM

Jan 2018

Apple can determine what the currently running iOS is on a device that is being directly updated and then will only download the things that have actually changed.

If you download to iTunes, it probably downloads the complete operating system because it may not know what version the target device has installed and therefore may require the entire iOS package.

My iPhone8 says the System uses 6 GB of storage, so it is doubtful that a couple hundred MB is a complete iOS install package.

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