Curious how to update to iOS 5.0.1 — or any future iOS update — over-the-air
(OTA) directly on your
iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch? Yes, Apple finally pulled the big switch in
the cloud and you can go from one software version to the next, OTA and
in-place faster than any iTunes restore past. We’ll show you how, after the
break!
Initiating an OTA
update for iOS is really easy. You might see a red notification badge on your
Settings app to alert you to an update, or get a popup notification telling you
it’s ready to install, but you can always check on your own, at any time.
- Launch
     the Settings app
 - Tap
     General
 - Tap
     Software Update
 - If
     there’s nothing new, you’ll be told just so. Otherwise, you’ll be
     presented with all the details about the update.
 - Tap
     Download and Install
 - Agree
     to the Terms and Conditions
 - IMPORTANT!
     If you’re low on juice, make sure you plug in! You don’t want your battery
     to die mid-update!
 - Watch
     the progress bar! (This part depends on the speed and quality of connection.
     Don’t be alarmed if it takes a long time, speeds up or slows down, or
     appears to jump around — be patient.)
 - Once
     it’s finished downloading, you’ll be prompted to instal (and restart) your
     device. If you don’t explicitly hit Later or Install within a few seconds,
     it will install on your behalf.
 - Agree
     to the Terms and Conditions yet again.
 - Apple
     will verify the install.
 - That’s
     it!
 
Not only does iOS
5 update OTA, it updates in place using bit-differential (delta) files, so you
should get a faster, much more efficient process. For example, there’s no need
to restore from backup afterwards or re-download your stuff.
