I bought a refurbished iPad2 from apple. It wouldn't download an app that requires iOS5, so I checked my iPad version and it is 4.3.5 (8L1).
There is no option to upgrade it under Settings>General. Nor is there an obvious option when I connect it to the computer.
On Itunes>Summary it offers me to Update but that only updates to the iTunes latest version (10.6.1), not the iPad iOS.
Any bright ideas out there? Or have I just been ripped off by apple? 😟
iPad 2
The latest version of iTunes on computers is iTunes 11.0.1, though what version that you can install depends upon your computer's OS version.
The Settings > General > Software Update option only appears when you have iOS 5+ installed, if you have iOS 4 then you will need to do the update via your computer's iTunes.
Connect the iPad to your computer's iTunes and copy any purchases off the iPad to your computer via File > Transfer Purchases (File > Devices > Transfer Purchases on iTunes 11). You may also want to copy photosand any important documents off the iPad as well e.g. via the file sharingsection at the bottom of the device's apps tab when connected to iTunes, via wifi, email, dropbox etc - they should be included in the backup, but it's best to havea copy of them outside of the backup just in case. You can then force a backup of the iPad by right-clicking the iPad 'Device' on the left-hand side of iTunes and selecting 'Backup'.
Then start the update by selecting the iPad on the left-hand side of iTunes (on iTunes 11 you can enable the left-hand sidebar via option-command-S on a Mac, control-S on a PC), and on the Summary tab on the right-hand side clicking the Check For Updates button
Updating to iOS 5+ : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4972
An iPad will be updated to iOS 6.1, which is the only version that is 'signed' by Apple for it.
You didn't get ripped off. You just aren't looking in the correct place.
You only have the Software Update option if you are already running iOS 5. If you are trying to update the iOS, you have to use iTunes on a computer to update the iPad.
From iOS 4 or lower - Here are the instructions.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4972
More instructions here - for all iOS versions.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4623
Or you can connect the iPad to the computer, launch iTunes. Select the iPad under the devices heading on the left, click on the Summary tab and then click on Check for Update
The SUMMARY tab is the tab that you see in iTunes - in the window on the right - at the top - when your iPad is connected to the computer, while iTunes is running and after you have clicked on your iPad name under the devices heading to select it.
iTunes 10.6.1? The lastest version of iTunes is iTunes 11.02.12.. Are you using OS X or Windows? If you're using OS X then check for updates on the AppStore. On Windows, download the newest iTunes version here: http://www.apple.com/de/itunes/ If you updated iTunes to the lastest version then connect your iPad to iTunes. On the right corner, you should see your iPad. Click on it and install the lastet iOS version.
I hope it works 😉
You are way helpful. Yet I am still stumped!
I am in the right place, but there is no Check for Updates to see! My iPad is connected to the laptop, shows up under devices, I click it and a window comes up, SUMMARY is the first tab (followed by Info, Apps, etc)
Under that is a nice little pic of an ipad with my info (Version and Serial number etc)
Under that are 2 buttons: UPDATE and Restore. The Update button says: "To update your iPad with the latest software, click here." I had done that, but this is only to update the iTunes (now done to 10.6.1) NOT the iOS.
Under those buttons are a few options with boxes to check, and a button Configure Universal Access.
It is only a small window and I have searched high and low. There is no Check for Updates button 😟
Sure I didn't get ripped off? 😀😁
What OS do you have on your computer ? It's possible that you have the highest version of iTunes that it supports. You can only update an iPad 2 to iOS 6.1, Apple only 'sign' the highest version for each device, and I think that you may need iTunes 11 to be able to update to iOS 6.
On a PC the iTunes 11 requirements are, from http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ :
- PC with a 1GHz Intel or AMD processor and 512MB of RAM
- Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, 32-bit editions of Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8
- 64-bit editions of Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8 require the iTunes 64-bit installer
- 400MB of available disk space
You could try downloading iTunes 11 from that page and see if you can install it.
Right, thanks, I start to get it 🙂
So I have iOS5 on this old mac, which can only support iTunes 10.
And that does not seem to allow me to update my iPad at all.
I thought it would allow me at least to update the iPad to iOS5 (it is now 4).
But since it does not offer me a Check for Updates button on the Summary page, apparently not!
Correction to the last post... I mean the mac has iOS x 10.5 😀
I found the answer! Thanks to all your suggestions, and more searching of previous discussions.
To update an iPad2 which has iOS 4.3.5 to iOS 6.1 (max it will do) you need iTunes 10.6.3 (at least).
The Mac I used has iOS 10.5.8 and only had iTunes 10.6.1 which would not do it.
So I had to manually download iTunes (10.6.3 is the max it will take) from www.support.apple.com/kb/DL1575
- even though the computer was set to do automatic software updates it would not do it.
Then I could download the software update (6.1) to my iPad.
(Which is then automatically offered every time you connect your iPad to your computer in iTunes)
Traveling in Ecuador, I did the downloads in the night (best signal) and the iPad update said it would take 3 hours (1st time it said 8!) and kept timing out. So I kept waking up to check it every few hours, and finally it did it.
How to upgrade my iPad?
