Here’s How Long the iOS 12.5.6 Update Takes

The iOS 12.5.6 update is a small point upgrade, but it could still take awhile to download, and install, on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Apple’s iOS 12.5.6 update comes with a short list of changes for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models left behind on the company’s iOS 12 operating system.

If you’re moving your device from iOS 12.5.5 to iOS 12.5.6 you’ll get the shortest change log and the smallest download size.

If you’re moving your phone or tablet from an older version of iOS, the list of changes on board iOS 12.5.6 could be much larger. You may also see a larger download size. That’s because the features from the updates you skipped are baked into your version of the update.

While some of you might want to hold off on downloading iOS 12.5.6, most people will probably want to upgrade today or sometime in the near future.

If you decide to install iOS 12.5.6 on your device you’ll want to set aside some time to get the job done. Moving from one version of iOS to another can cause problems so you’ll want to monitor the download and installation as they make progress.

We can’t tell you exactly how long it will take to download and install iOS 12.5.6 because the process will vary based on your current version of iOS and your device.

That said, we can help you approximate how much time you should set aside when you decide to download and install iOS 12.5.6 on your phone or tablet.

If you’ve prepared for the iOS 12.5.6 update and you’re connected to fast Wi-Fi, it should take less than 15 minutes to complete. If you haven’t prepared, it’ll take longer.

Pre-Installation

Before you initiate the iOS 12.5.6 download you’ll want to prepare yourself and your device. A few minutes of prep can prevent issues and headaches.

If you don’t know how to properly prepare for iOS updates, you’ll want to dig into our pre-installation guide for tips. It highlights what we typically do before we install an update of this size.

Most of you should be able to complete these steps in 30 minutes or less, but everything depends on your skill level and the current state of your device.

If you haven’t backed up your data or researched the changes on board the latest versions of iOS 12, the pre-installation process could take a lot longer.

You don’t need to follow every single step, but we definitely recommend making sure all of your important data is backed up before you start upgrading to iOS 12.5.6.

Data loss issues are rare these days, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

iOS 12.5.6 Download

Once you’re prepared, it’s time to start the iOS 12.5.6 download. Again, the exact download size will depend on your device and the current version of iOS.

If you’re currently running iOS 12.5.5 you’ll, again, see the smallest download size. It should be just a few megabytes for most models.

If you’re on a fast Wi-Fi network, the download could finish up in under five minutes. Our download took a little less than five minutes over a high-speed Wi-Fi connection.

If you’re running an older version of iOS, your download will be much bigger and it could take 10 minutes or more to download the firmware.

iOS 12.5.6 Installation

When your device is done pulling iOS 12.5.5 from Apple’s servers you’ll have to initiate the installation process. This will likely take longer than the download.

If you’re moving from iOS 12.5.5 to iOS 12.5.6, the installation might seven minutes or so to complete. If you’re moving from an older version of iOS, it could take a lot longer. The installation took about seven minutes to complete on an iPhone 5s.

If for some reason you’re moving from iOS 11 to iOS 12 for the first time, you can expect your installation to take even longer. Perhaps as long as 20-30 minutes.

Your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch might reboot itself once or twice as the installation process starts finishing up, but don’t be alarmed.

This is perfectly normal and your device will boot up normally once the installation finishes.

Post-Installation

After it’s finished, you might need to spend time setting up Apple Pay, logging into your iCloud account, or signing into your device’s various apps and services.

We recommend spending time checking your important data (photos, music, etc). Make sure everything is where it was before you installed iOS 12.5.6.

We also recommend testing your core apps and services to make sure they’re working normally. Major updates have a tendency to break some apps so you’ll want to poke around make sure they’re good. You might need to install an iOS 12 support update.

You’ll also want to be on the lookout for bugs and keep an eye on your device’s performance in key areas like battery life, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

iOS updates aren’t supposed to ruin your device’s performance, but there’s always a chance something goes wrong. If you do run into an issue with iOS 12.5.6, take a look at our list of fixes for common iOS 12 problems.

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