Here’s How Long the iPadOS 14.8.1 Update Takes

Apple’s new iPadOS 14.8.1 update is a small upgrade, but it could still take quite a bit of time to install on your iPad, iPad Pro, iPad Air, or iPad mini.

The company’s new iPadOS 14 firmware brings important security patches to the iPad. It doesn’t have any known features or bug fixes on board.

If you’re moving from iPadOS 14.8 to iPadOS 14.8.1, you’ll see the smallest download. If you’re upgrading from an older version of iPadOS, your iPadOS 14.8.1 download could be much bigger. That’s because the changes from the update(s) you skipped are baked in.

While some of you might want to refrain from downloading iPadOS 14.8.1 right now, most iPad users should install the software today or at some point in the near future.

If you do decide to install iPadOS 14.8.1 on your iPad, you’ll want to set aside some time to get the new software properly installed on your device.

Moving your tablet from one version of iPadOS to another can cause problems so you’ll want to make sure you have time to monitor the download and installation.

We can’t tell you exactly how long the process will take because it will vary. That said, we can help you approximate how much time you should set aside if you choose to install iPadOS 14.8.1 on your device.

If you’ve prepared for the move and your tablet is on a fast Wi-Fi connection, it could take around 10 minutes for the installation to complete.

Pre-Installation

Before you initiate the iPadOS 14.8.1 download, make sure you’re ready.

If you don’t know how to prepare for a software update, please take a look at our pre-installation guide. It’ll take you through the most important steps to take before you tap download.

Most of you should be able to get through these steps in 30 minutes or less, but there’s a chance you’ll need more time. In some cases, a lot more.

You don’t need to follow every single step in our guide, but at the very least you’ll want to make sure your iPad’s data is backed up properly.

iPadOS 14.8.1 Download

Once you’re ready, you’ll want to start the iPadOS 14.8.1 download.

The exact size of the iPadOS 14.8.1 download will depend on your version of the iPad and the version of iPadOS your tablet is currently running.

If you’re running iPadOS 14.8 on your iPad right now, your download will likely be just a few megabytes. However, if you’re currently running older software, your download will likely be much larger.

If your iPad is currently running iPadOS 14.8, and it’s connected to a speedy Wi-Fi network, the iPadOS 14.8.1 download could finish up in just a few short minutes.

If your connection is slower, and/or you’re running older iPadOS software, it could take 10 minutes or longer.

iPadOS 14.8.1 Installation

Once your iPad is done pulling iPadOS 14.8.1 from Apple’s servers, the installation process will begin. This could take longer than the download.

If you’re moving up from iPadOS 14.8, the installation process could take around seven minutes. If you’re moving up from a much older version of iPadOS 14, the installation will probably take longer.

It took right around seven minutes for iOS 14.8.1 to install on an older iPad Pro that was previously running iPadOS 14.8.

Note that your iPad might reboot itself a few times during the installation process. This is perfectly normal and isn’t a cause for concern.

Post-Installation

After the iPadOS 14.8.1 installation process finishes up, you might need to spend time logging into your iCloud account, signing into your device’s various apps and services, and/or setting up Apple Pay.

We recommend spending some time checking your important data (photos, videos, music, etc) to make sure everything is where it should be.

After that, you should test your core applications and services to ensure they’re working normally. If you notice an issue with an app, try downloading the latest version. Developers are rolling out support updates and they should help stabilize performance.

You’ll also want to poke around iPadOS 14.8.1 for bugs and performance issues. If you notice something take a look at our list of fixes for the most common problems.

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