IOS 17.4.1 update stuck

What did you do? What works?

I had to restore phone which got it working but it won’t let me have my data until it’s restored - but there is no new restore.

Thank you. Had the same problem today with my new iPhone 15pro bought from carrier. After reading this forum and your post, connected my new phone to my MacBook and was able to select my phone and update to 17.4.1.. Then of course restore it from from backup.

I’m also facing the same issue ! Upgraded iphone 15 pro this afternoon. I started to migrate the phone at the store waited for hours and then thought it will be better ti get it done from home. Last 4 hiurs my new iphone 15 is getting updated !

I’m trying to resolve this for a family member. Their iPhone 14 automatically updated over night to iOS 17.4.1. Appears the update completed but apps crashed all morning. The phone then bricked itself and is not turning on. Stuck at the Apple Logo. I’ve tried all sorts of hard reboots/cycles with the power button and volume up/down. Nothing will get this phone to turn on. Apple support does not have a solution right now. They told me to wait until a new update is pushed and to try to update this phone from iTunes. Ugh. This is precisely why I choose Apple. But they are failing.

THIS! This is what worked for me finally after trying for 2 days! I had to erase my new 15 PM and set it up bare bones then the update finally installed. Then erased the new phone again (keeping esim) and it finally worked! Thank you for this!

I just now bought the new 15 Pro because my other older iPhone just broke... and I need a phone.

I cant use the phone and have no phone at all..

Until? I have no Idea..

Same story as everyone else in this thread..

Please give us an answer to fix this!

Stuck on Preparing Update... for hours and hours now...

This didn't work for me. FYI, apple also describes this process at this URL: Restore an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch that needs a newer version of iOS or iPadOS - Apple Support

But when I went to refresh the phone it again forced me to complete a software update to 17.4.1, so apparently the OS update didn't stick. Getting very annoyed with this.

I had the same problem while trying to do a phone to phone transfer. Left it stuck in updating for an hour while I read this thread.

• Unplugged it from the charger
• Plugged it into MBA
• Selected it from the Finder window
• It prompted for an update, I let it do it
• When update completed, removed it from the MBA, plugged into a charger next to the phone I was transferring from
• It resumed the transfer on it's on
• 25 minutes later it was done
• It rebooted and is downloading apps, photos, emails, messages, etc now

Of note, at no time did I have to reset or erase the phone. Maybe I was just lucky?

Me too, just got brand new iPhone 15 same exact issue

This is what worked!

What to do if u dont have an pc and nobody in your house has one and also cant go to an Apple center because u live very far

And yes updating from MacBook fixed the problem-- so thank you for that suggestion-- even if that is not an option for everyone. Hope Apple figures out why the standard over-the-network update is not working from lower version of 17 up to higher version of 17. This is especially frustrating for someone who just bought a new phone and switched over from their old one, only to find out that they cannot upgrade the iOS.

I've had the same problem on the 15 Pro and a couple of previous phones. If you don't have an iMac handy, a quick fix is to erase wherever you got up to, then set up as "new phone". Do the iOS update. Erase everything again and set up the new phone from another device or iCloud. Sounds more complicated than it is...

I had the same problem with my 5th gen iPad Air. Upgrading from my MacBook solved the problem. Now I have to see if I can update my Apple Watch that is stuck on preparing 10.4. Can’t hook it up to my MacBook. 😕

I had the same problem with my iPhone SE (not new) last night. I figured it would be okay when I got up this morning, but no. I shut down, restarted, and then reopened Settings, but it still said “Update requested.” Then, after a couple of minutes, just as I arrived here to see that many others were having the same problem, I looked back at my phone, and now it says “Preparing Update,” and the progress bar is moving. Fingers crossed…

Update… it is now installing the update!