Here’s How Long the iOS 14.8.1 Update Takes

Apple’s iOS 14.8.1 update is a small release, but it could take quite a bit of time to install on your iPhone.

Apple’s released a new version of iOS 14 and it brings a new batch of changes to the iPhone. The iOS 14.8.1 update includes 12 security patches that will help protect your device from harm. It doesn’t have any known features or bug fixes.

If you’re moving your iPhone from iOS 14.8 to iOS 14.8.1, you get the shortest list of changes and the smallest download size. The iOS 14.8.1 download should be just over hundred megabytes for devices currently running iOS 14.8.

If you are upgrading from an older version of iOS, your iOS 14.8.1 download might be a lot larger because the changes from the update(s) you skipped are baked in.

While some of you might want to skip the iOS 14.8.1 download for the time being, most people should install the software right now or at some point in the near future.

If you decide to install iOS 14.8.1 on your iPhone, you’ll want to set aside some time to get the upgrade properly installed on your device.

Moving your device from one version of iOS to another can cause problems so you’ll want 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 should you choose to install the new firmware on your iPhone.

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

Pre-Installation

Make sure you’re prepared before you start the iOS 14.8.1 download.

If you don’t know how to properly prepare for an iOS upgrade, take a look at our pre-installation guide. It’ll walk you through the most important steps to take before you start the installation process.

You should be able to get through these steps in 30 minutes, but it all depends on your skill level and the current state of your iPhone.

If you haven’t backed up your data in awhile, or you if you aren’t familiar with iOS 14, iOS 14.0.1, iOS 14.1, iOS 14.2, iOS 14.2.1, iOS 14.3, iOS 14.4, iOS 14.4.1, iOS 14.4.2, iOS 14.5, iOS 14.5.1, iOS 14.6, iOS 14.7, iOS 14.7.1, iOS 14.8, and/or iOS 14.8.1, the pre-installation process could take you longer.

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

Data loss issues are pretty rare, but if you store sensitive data (photos, videos, etc) on your device, it’s always better to err on the side of caution.

iOS 14.8.1 Download

Once you’ve prepared, it’s time to start the download process.

Again, the exact size of your iOS 14.8.1 download will depend on your iPhone model and the version of iOS that it’s currently running.

If you’re on iOS 14.8, you’ll see the smallest download size. If you’re running an older version, your download could, again, be much larger.

If you’re on a fast Wi-Fi network, and you’re moving up from iOS 14.8, the iOS 14.8.1 download could finish up in just a few minutes.

If your connection is slower, or you’re jumping up from older iOS 14 software, you might be looking at 10 minutes or longer.

iOS 14.8.1 Installation

Once your device is done pulling iOS 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 iOS 14.8, your installation could take around seven or eight minutes to complete. It took right around that on an iPhone 7.

Your iPhone might reboot itself a couple of times during the installation process, but this is perfectly normal. Your device should boot up normally once the installation process completes.

Post-Installation

After the installation 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.

You also might want to spend some time checking your important data (photos, music, etc) to make sure it carried over properly from iOS 13, iOS 14.0, iOS 14.0.1, iOS 14.1, iOS 14.2, iOS 14.2.1, iOS 14.3, iOS 14.4, iOS 14.4.1, iOS 14.4.2, iOS 14.5, iOS 14.5.1, iOS 14.6, iOS 14.7, iOS 14.7.1, or iOS 14.8.

After you do that, make sure you test your core applications and services to ensure they’re working normally. New operating systems can cause apps to go haywire.

If you notice an issue with one or more of your apps, try downloading the latest version. Developers are currently rolling out iOS 14 support updates.

You’ll also want to poke around your phone for bugs and performance issues. If you notice something take a look at our list of fixes for common iOS 14 problems.

Install iOS 14.8.1 for Better Security

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If security is important to you, think about installing iOS 14.8.1 right away. The iOS 14.8.1 update brings 12 new security patches to the iPhone. You can read about all of them over on Apple's site.  If you want to better protect your iPhone and its data, you'll want to install the iOS 14.8.1 update in the near future.  If you missed iOS 14.8, you'll get its security patches with your upgrade. You can learn more about them right here.  If you missed iOS 14.7.1, you'll get its patch with your upgrade. If you want to learn more about iOS 14.7.1's security update, check out its support page. If you missed iOS 14.7, you'll get its 31 security patches with your upgrade. You can learn more about those on Apple's website.  If you skipped iOS 14.6, you'll get the update's 38 security patches with your iOS 14.8.1 update. If you're curious about the particulars, you can read about them right here. If you skipped iOS 14.5.1, you get the update's two security patches on board. You can read about them over on Apple's website. Both are related to WebKit.  If you missed iOS 14.5 you'll get its patches with your upgrade. You can read more about those changes over on Apple's website. iOS 14.5 also brought Apple's new App Tracking Transparency which lets you control which apps are allowed to track your activity across other companies' apps and websites for ads or sharing with data brokers. If you skipped iOS 14.4.2, you get its security patch with iOS 14.8.1. You can learn more about that patch over on Apple's website as well.  If you missed iOS 14.4.1, you get its patch with your upgrade to iOS 14.8.1. You can read about that patch right here. If you skipped iOS 14.4, you get the update's patches with your upgrade. You can learn more about iOS 14.4's security patches right here.  If you skipped iOS 14.3 you'll get its nine security updates with your upgrade. You can read more about them on its security site.  iOS 14.3 also included a new privacy information section on App Store pages that includes a developer-reported summary of the app’s privacy practices. If you skipped iOS 14.2, your iOS 14.8.1 update includes 24 additional security patches. You can learn more about the patches on Apple's security website.  If you're still running iOS 13, iOS 14.8.1 includes iOS 14.0's security updates.  iOS 14.0 brought 11 new security patches to the iPhone. If you're interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple's website. In addition to those patches, iOS 14 comes with some security and privacy upgrades including improvements to Home/HomeKit and Safari.  For instance in Safari, you can now tap the Privacy Report button to better understand how websites handle your privacy. With iOS 14 on board you can now get information on the App Store that will help you understand the privacy practices of apps before you download them.  There is also a new recording indicator that will appear at the top of your screen whenever an app is using your microphone or camera. You can see if an app has used them recently in Control Center. Researchers also discovered that Apple brought a new "BlastDoor" sandbox security system to iOS 14. The system is meant to prevent attacks from occurring via the Messages app.  You can read more about "BlastDoor" right here.

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