Syed Saif Ul Hassan 
Sep 15, 2025
The recently held iPhone 17 event has surely taken the world of top-notch smartphones by surprise, partly by materialising the rumoured iPhone Air, and partly by the disclosure of a myriad of new features and advancements to the existing ones under the new iOS 26 update.
Just in case you're eager to try out the entire spate of new iOS 26 features, you must first adhere to the traditional prerequisite of installing the latest iOS update on your iPhone: preparing your iPhone to embrace the change.
Fret not if you're unfamiliar with how to prepare your iPhone for the installation of iOS 26, as I'm here to give you a pre-installation step-by-step guide for iOS 26 and help you smoothly transition to the all-new iOS update and leverage its mind-boggling functionalities.
Change is always difficult to adjust to, and you must be well aware of this adversity if you happen to be an iPhone user, given the annual rollout of an iOS update.
Guide to follow before installing iOS 26
The iOS 26 update went live for all the compatible iPhone models on Monday, September 15, as announced by the iPhone maker during the event.
Follow the steps provided below to prepare your iPhone for iOS 26:
- Check your iPhone compatibility with iOS 26: iOS 26 is designed for at least an iPhone 11 or later, including the iPhone SE (2020 and 2022). Note that iPhone models like the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max are not compatible with iOS 26.
- Back up your iPhone: It is imperative to back up your device before installing the update to avoid losing your photos, contacts, and messages. You can back up your data using iCloud or by connecting to a computer with iTunes or Finder.
- Get familiar with the new iOS design: iOS 26 has brought a Liquid Glass design, its headlining feature, which makes menus and icons more translucent, meaning you can see through them. Other major tweaks include the redesigned Camera app and Safari with a new compact tab view.
- Enable key features: For installing iOS 26, you must activate some features, such as call screening and the new “Visited Places” in Maps.
Upon successful updating, it is advised to customise your lock screen and experiment with new features in Messages and Apple Intelligence tools in iOS 26 to get more handy with the newest iOS update and the wonders it can do.
