preventing automatic download and install of iOS 8

Fill up your iPad so that there is no room for the iOS to download.

There has never been an iOS that automatically installs on your device. It may download, but if you just ignore it it will never get installed.

Actually, here is a more useful answer:

Go to Settings > iTunes & App Store >

Disable "Updates" under the Automatic Downloads section.

Hope that helps

True, it does not automatically install, however once it downloads there is no way to delete it. A user has a choice to install it or forever surrender that memory.

Skydiver119 wrote:

True, it does not automatically install, however once it downloads there is no way to delete it. A user has a choice to install it or forever surrender that memory.

Exactly my issue when iOS 7 was released. The setting that Tim Snoots mentioned (Disable "Updates" under the Automatic Downloads section) above only controls Automatic Downloads for Apps and music...NOT iOS updates. The iOS 7 download was pushed to devices (without the user's consent) when the device had a good stable internet connection and was connected to either a power source or PC. The downloaded update sat on the device with no way to delete it unless you installed it...then it was deleted after the device update.

I hope this nonsense doesn't happen again with iOS 8...hopefully Apple has learned that it's not nice to grab over 3GB of device storage and not release it back to the user if the user decides not to update the device...this was done on an 8GB iPhone 4 in my case leaving virtually NO storage space on it. I was NOT happy but finally did figure out a way to release it without installing it.

This nonsense is happening right now on my iPhone. 2.3GB deleted, now iOS 8 is downloading without my consent.

radellaf wrote:

This nonsense is happening right now on my iPhone. 2.3GB deleted, now iOS 8 is downloading without my consent.

That's *not* a good thing to hear. 😠

After the download finishes, do NOT press the Install Now button. Try the following to remove the download from the device. Here's the procedure I came up with last time this happened with iOS 7...It may or may not work.

Re: Apple Forced iOS7 update on my iPad2 !

Afterwards if you succeed, block Apple's update server using the following method so it wont get pushed to the device again:

In your router's settings, set up a block (using Access Restrictions or similar in the router's web interface) to mesu.apple.com. This will prevent the devices from "phoning home" to Apple, checking for the update and getting the download pushed to it again.

Or follow the instructions at this link:

http://ios8tips.com/how-to-prevent-automatic-update-to-ios-8/

I did something similar. Blocked the mesu.apple.com on the router, shut off wifi on phone, stuff phone with videos 'till <500MB free, reboot phone twice while attached to iTunes, sync to be sure OTHER is down to ~2.5GB (instead of 2.95 that it had got up to with the partial DL), then delete videos and sync again.

Should be OK unless I try to charge it in range of a different WiFi router (without shutting off WiFi on the phone).

I tell ya, there ought to be a law.

The backup and reboot method doesn't seem to be working today. Last time I only had it partially downloaded and the method did remove what was there.

I only had mesu blocked, which seemed to be good enough, but last night it re-downloaded the update and I can't get rid of it.

Isn't there some utility like DiskAid that can _really_ get to the iOS filesystem and let you directly delete the iOS installers?

to delete the ios 8 downloaded go to settings-usage and delete the ios8 update.

hopeit helps

That doesn't work in iOS 6. I have seen a few references to it for iOS 7.