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iPhone 15 Stuck on Software Update

I just purchased my iPhone 15. I already activated it, so my iPhone 11 no longer has service, but I have been waiting over an hour for my iPhone 15 to update. The software update is 17.0.3 and it is 425.5MB. The phone is connected to the charger and connected to Wi-Fi…how long is this suppose to take? I can’t go anywhere until the update finishes, since my old phone does not have service anymore.


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Posted on Oct 15, 2023 2:12 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 15, 2023 2:50 PM

That’s the problem….it won’t let me leave the screen…it’s just stuck on the software update screen, I can’t do anything else on the phone… it’s just stuck on that screen… should I turn it off and try again….?

75 replies

Apr 23, 2024 7:11 AM in response to radspd

I just found a way to get this sorted: force restart.

Press and quickly release the volume up button. 

Press and quickly release the volume down button. 

Press and hold the side button

That will continue install. If you just choose "start over" from the menu that comes up when you press only the side button, it will get stuck again.

Force restart worked for me!

Oct 17, 2023 6:30 PM in response to khanhly128

Hi! So I was at my aunt’s house when I powered on the phone, I was able to just do the first steps like activating the eSIM so it had service… but then it made me do the update before I could transfer over my data from my old iPhone and that’s when it got stuck….i waited 3 hours before I got frustrated…I ended up leaving my aunt’s house and I went to my dad’s house to see if I could get better luck at his house, when I got there, I pressed the power button and just reset the phone, then I powered it back on and connected it to his wifi (he has Spectrum) and it immediately started working, I logged into my iCloud and with the update and transfer, I think I waited like 30-35 min? And bam, I was back in business, idk what kind of WiFi my aunt had, but she mentioned it was slow… idk if this helps…but strong WiFi is important here.

Apr 11, 2024 6:10 PM in response to Karia0025

This has been super frustrating, but Apple's Chat support was able to help me with a solution. For context I was trying to restore an iCloud back up to a new phone, and it would force me to update, and then get stuck. Since no one has posted a solution, I figured I would save people some headache by detailing the steps:


Instead of Restoring from iCloud back up, you should connect your iPhone to a computer. On a Mac you would open click your iPhone icon in Finder and choose Set up as a new iPhone (on a PC, you may need iTunes). Then you can click the update button which will download the 8gb update and install it on your phone. After which, you will get the welcome screen on your iPhone, and choose restore from iCloud backup. Still takes a while, but it doesn't freeze indefinitely.


Hope that helps someone!

Oct 17, 2023 6:41 PM in response to khanhly128

When I was at my dad’s that’s when I reset the phone and turned it back on

so I still had to do the update but it was much quicker because his WiFi was a lot faster, update took like 10-15 min and the transfer of data from my iCloud took another 15 min or so. I actually spoke to someone from Apple Support and he said, if better WiFi didn’t work, that I had 2 options, I could try completing the update via a PC or MacBook or make an Appointment at my nearest Apple Store.

iPhone 15 Stuck on Software Update

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