You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

iPhone 8 cannot download 15.7.1

I have an iPhone 8. Whenever I try to install 15.7.1 I get a message that the Software update failed. Error downloading. I have tried for two days.

iPhone 8, iOS 15

Posted on Oct 30, 2022 1:02 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 31, 2022 9:19 AM

If you have ONLY 6 GB that may not be enough. To update over the air from the phone all of these requirements must be met:

  • YYou need at least 10 GB of free storage for iOS 16 or 6 GB for iOS 15 or lower; more is better
  • You must be connected to a Wi-Fi network (and not a personal hotspot) unless it is an iPhone that supports cellular 5G (12, 13, 14 or SE 3rd edition) and has a 5G network connection
  • The phone must be charged to at least 50%, and preferably plugged in so it stays above 50% during the update
  • The phone must not be in Low Power Mode
  • The phone must not be connected through VPN, and it may be necessary to delete any VPN apps and VPN profiles
  • The phone cannot be in Airplane mode
  • You cannot still have a beta version installed on the phone
  • You cannot have a previous version that was downloaded, but not installed - go to Settings/General/iPhone Storage to look; if you find an iOS installer, delete it


If you can't meet all of them you can still update using your computer.

10 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 31, 2022 9:19 AM in response to Daveman in RI

If you have ONLY 6 GB that may not be enough. To update over the air from the phone all of these requirements must be met:

  • YYou need at least 10 GB of free storage for iOS 16 or 6 GB for iOS 15 or lower; more is better
  • You must be connected to a Wi-Fi network (and not a personal hotspot) unless it is an iPhone that supports cellular 5G (12, 13, 14 or SE 3rd edition) and has a 5G network connection
  • The phone must be charged to at least 50%, and preferably plugged in so it stays above 50% during the update
  • The phone must not be in Low Power Mode
  • The phone must not be connected through VPN, and it may be necessary to delete any VPN apps and VPN profiles
  • The phone cannot be in Airplane mode
  • You cannot still have a beta version installed on the phone
  • You cannot have a previous version that was downloaded, but not installed - go to Settings/General/iPhone Storage to look; if you find an iOS installer, delete it


If you can't meet all of them you can still update using your computer.

Nov 1, 2022 7:48 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

The storage shows that I'm now using 30 GB out of 64 GB. Before I deleted the podcasts and some apps I was using around 57 GB. I'm embarrassed to say there were a lot of podcasts that I hadn't listened to. It's probably time to unsubscribe from some of them. I've also discovered the "remove older downloads" feature that should be useful in the future.

iPhone 8 cannot download 15.7.1

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.