can you update without No wifi

If you have a Mac or Windows computer connected by Ethernet…

Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

No, wifi connections are mandatory updating wirelessly and/or using a computer running iTunes / Finder, which needs to have a reliable (and possibly fast) Internet access (via direct wifi, or Ethernet).

Regards

Giulio

Nowhere doesn't exist, but it's better to specify that wherever it is connected, it MUST have an Internet access, not just an ethernet connection.

That is a clarification that I often have encountered in the past. Some posters do not understand that they CAN NOT use cellular data connections to update their devices. The connection must occur via Wifi, ethernet, LAN or whatever different method (cellular data usage is not allowed), but that connection must have internet access.

Regards

Giulio

I understood why you felt a need to clarify.

From the page I linked…

"If you can’t update wirelessly on your device, you can update manually

using a computer that you trust. If your computer is using Personal

Hotspot on the device that you’re updating, connect your computer to a

different Wi-Fi or Ethernet network before you update."

It doesn't actually say "internet". Maybe Apple should update the page.

dialabrain wrote:

I understood why you felt a need to clarify.

...connect your computer to a

different Wi-Fi or Ethernet network before you update."

It doesn't actually say "internet". Maybe Apple should update the page.

Maybe the folks at Apple should document the need for working DHCP and working DNS too, then?

It’s quite easy to get utterly lost in the details, and buried in arcana.

Which then just confuses and/or discourages other folks, because what are DHCP and DNS?

And why do I need to know about that, as some update component Is going to toss an error or a diagnostic when the Apple software update servers are unreachable?

It’s not like you’re going to get an update from Apple without DHCP and DNS and an Internet connection to the Apple servers, right?

It’s quite possible for documentation to be too accurate. Too correct. It’s absolutely possible to be too detailed.

And in the interest of explicit correctness and of belaboring my point here, yes, it’s entirely possible to have an internet-disconnected network with valid and functioning DHCP, DNS, and other network services. But such a network still cannot be expected to access Apple updates.

That's what I discussed in a long thread about one year ago, just about a LAN using DHCP management, but my poor English (grrr) does not let me discuss about those configurations as I would like to. And that's why I found out that using "Internet access, or capability to surf the Internet" is more understandable for most users.

Thanks for your clarification MrH.

Giulio

Clue_less-me wrote:

Can you update an iPhone 6 without using WiFi

Sort of. You’ll need a hotspot (or Mi-Fi) and its associated Wi-Fi, and a decently-fast (4G / 5G E / LTE-grade) cell network connection, and whole lot of data from your cellular carrier.

But you won’t need a business, residential, hotel, library, school, nor coffee shop Wi-Fi network connection.

Any of which would be more common than running what are multiple-gigabyte software downloads over potentially-congested and constrained and data-expensive cellular networks, though.

Maybe this side of Starlink (prices TBD) or of a local wireless ISP, performing software updates without a terrestrial broadband connection—over cellular and particularly over satellite links—will not be preferable.

FWIW, as I implied, if you have a computer connected to the internet by Ethernet, you do not need WiFi.

That's correct, connected to the Internet (not only connected via ethernet).

Giulio

FWIW, reading the entire reply from Giulio, would have negated the need for you to add your FWIW.

Yes. Not just an Ethernet cable connected to nowhere.

stedman1 wrote:

FWIW, reading the entire reply from Giulio, would have negated the need for you to add your FWIW.

Thank you for your insight.

Yes, they should.

Giulio

FWIW, I totally agree and my last reply was somewhat facetious.