downloading ios 7 to iphone 4 OTA without installing

1. Please note that not all devices get this auto-pushed download. All of my devices listed below are on the same Wi-Fi network and are connected to a power source nightly to charge. My devices and their status with the auto-pushed issue:

a. iPhone 4 (8GB) iOS 6.1 *auto-pushed install*

b. iPhone 5 (16 GB) iOS 6.1 notification only

c. iPad mini (16 GB) iOS 6.1.3 *auto-pushed install*

d. iPad 3rd gen (16 GB) iOS 6.1.3 notification only

e. iPad 4th gen (16 GB) iOS 6.1.3 notification only

All of the above devices have sufficient space to hold the ~3.1 GB required installation space.

If you click "Download and Install", the update file is downloaded to your device. After the download, it is decompressed/extracted and can use up to ~3.1 GB of the device's storage space (dependant on the type of device). Afterwards, the "Download and Install" button changes to "Install". In this case, the installation will proceed if the user presses the "Install" button.

The "Install" button will NOT press automatically by itself. This is the one good thing about the pushed update. It will NOT install without your intervention.

If you choose NOT to press the "Install" button, the update will continue to use the ~3.1 GB of storage on your device until you can find a way to remove it, then keep it off the device. Note that it will continue to reinstall itself (even if you manage to remove it) back onto the device when the device meets the following conditions:

1. Connected to Wi-Fi

2. Externally powered, either via PC or power adapter/charger

3. There is sufficient space to hold the extracted update (~3.1 GB free)

If you click on "Download and Install", then it will download and install. It won't download, and then again ask your permission to install, you have already given it permission to install. I do not recall having to agree to new terms and conditions on the iPhone, only on new updates to iTunes.

If you don't want to install it, DON'T click on "Download and Install" on your phone. You have the choice to download it only on iTunes, and not apply the update.

If the phone hasn't already automatically downloaded the update, wait a couple of days, and then check again. Our two iPad's automatically downloaded it 10 days after it came out, and my wife's iPhone updated after one week, even without selecting to do the update. It automatically downloaded, and did not install as we hadn't agreed to do the install. The "Download and Install" button on the iPad/iPhone changed to "Install". I noticed this after I detected a spike in my monthly internet usage.

SergZak wrote:

1. Please note that not all devices get this auto-pushed download. All devices listed below are on the same Wi-Fi network and are connected to a power source nightly to charge. My devices and their status with this issue:

a. iPhone 4 (8GB) iOS 6.1 *auto-pushed install*

b. iPhone 5 (16 GB) iOS 6.1 notification only

c. iPad mini (16 GB) iOS 6.1.3 *auto-pushed install*

d. iPad 3rd gen (16 GB) iOS 6.1.3 notification only

e. iPad 4th gen (16 GB) iOS 6.1.3 notification only

If you click Download and Install, the update file is downloaded to your device. After the download, it is decompressed/extracted and can use up to ~3.1 GB of the device's storage space. Afterwards, the "Download and Install" button changes to "Install". In this case, the installation will proceed if the user presses the "Install" button.

The "Install" button will NOT press automatically by itself. This is the one good thing about the pushed update. It will NOT install without your intervention.

If you choose NOT to press the "Install" button, the update will continue to use the ~3.1 GB of storage on your device until you can find a way to remove it.

SergZak, If you click Download and Install, it will download and also install as you've given it permission to do this. I selected this on my iPhone 5, and it Downloaded and Installed.

This is what happened to our devices:

iPhone 5 (32gb) - Selected Download and Install, and it downloaded and updated to iOS 7.

iPhone 4S (32gb) - It automatically downloaded, didn't install. ("Download and Install" button changed to "Install")

iPad (32gb) - It automatically downloaded, didn't install. ("Download and Install" button changed to "Install")

iPad Retina (128gb) - It automatically downloaded, didn't install. ("Download and Install" button changed to "Install")

Thanks for the info, wattsy76. I just assumed that pressing "Download and Install" (I never personally pressed it) would at least give you the option of backing out at the last minute after the download. All I know is that after the the auto-pushed download/extraction, it DID stop at the "Install" button where it actually needed to be pressed by the user. Correction will be noted in my future posts.

mira_ishak wrote:

this is exactly the problem. there seems to be no definate answer.

Yes, one of these issues is that there is no definitive answer as to which devices will get the auto-pushed download. Note the list I posted above in an earlier post.

Also note that there seems to be no logic nor reason why some get the auto-pushed download and some don't. In my case (as noted above), my iPhone 4 with only *8 GB* of storage (an iPhone 4 from Verizon, offered for "free" with limited 8 GB of storage) got this auto-pushed download, leaving less than 1 GB of storage free on the device (the iOS 7 install hogged ~3.1 GB). This is not logical in the least bit. I could maybe see if the device was a 16 GB device but it's only 8 GB. There is simply no logic there. Is putting a ~3.1 GB installation package on an 8GB device (with no easy way to remove it) a good thing? Not in my opinion and especially not if the user does not want to update at this time.

Yourself, on the other hand at least have the option (so far) to download or not to download. Some of us had no choice nor say in the matter. It was forced on our devices with no permission nor notification. Just all of a sudden, ~3.1 GB is literally stolen from users. I'd say just ignore the notification and avoid pushing that "Download and Install" button and be thankful you don't have to deal trying to rid your device of this ~3.1 GB iOS 7 "complimentary" update.

mira_ishak, how much free space do you have on your phone? I've read that if there is less than the required amount (1-3 gb????) it won't download.

My wife's iPhone had the notification that there was a new update available. When I looked at it, it asked to download and install. After my spike in internet usage, I checked her phone again, and it had changed to "Install". About a week had past between me checking the notificaiton, and checking her phone a second time. At first I thought because I had gone into the software update screen, that it then initiated the download. But our iPad 2 downloaded it automatically. I hadn't even used the device since the update came out, and with my internet usage spike, I also check it and discovered that it had downloaded the update.

I believe that if you want to install the update, either on the phone or through iTunes (with the phone connected of course), select Download and Install. If you only want to download the update and NOT install it, through iTunes select Download only.

Keep an eye on your iPhone software update page, and check whether it changes from "Download and Install" to "Install". If it has changed, the phone has downloaded the update. But it also could be possible that if you download the update through iTunes, when you sync the phone, the update may go across to the phone and sit there ready for you to "Install" it.