[Manual BDI] How to update iOS by downloading firmware directly from the Apple website

IOS firmware

When Apple releases an iOS update, it is normal for some users to complain that iTunes takes too long to download the system file, especially with low speed available in many regions of Brazil. For this reason, we often provide direct file links here (firmware) for the update so that users can download them directly to their computer (on another faster connection, such as at work or in a lan house) to update manually later.

But what to do after we download the file? It is this question that we will answer in this tutorial.

This is an advanced tutorial. You can continue updating iOS normally via iTunes or the device itself, without any problems. This, incidentally, is the normal method. But there are cases where some users need to download the update file separately and it is for these that this tutorial is dedicated.

Downloading the firmware

To download the system file directly from the Apple server, just follow the link provided in the article that announces the update. If you want, there is also a collection of links for all firmware versions in our forum, divided by model and type of device.

You will also need to install the iTunes on your computer, to perform the system update on the device. To do this, follow this link.

Mac users should not face any problems when downloading the firmware, but the story may be different for Windows users. This is because the Microsoft system sometimes interprets the extension IPSW (which means iPhone Software) as a file ZIP. As a result, many users are unable to install the downloaded file because iTunes does not recognize it.

To solve this, you will have to change the extension manually. Follow the step by step:

Step 1: Go to the menu Start> Control Panel> Folder Options.

Step 2: Select the tab Display Mode.

Step 3: Disable the “Hide extensions for known file types“. After that, click the button To apply.

Step 4: Go to the downloaded firmware file and rename it, changing the extension.zip per .ipsw. From this moment on, iTunes will already recognize the downloaded file.

Installing the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch update

Step 0: First of all, make a backup of all your data.

Step 1: Open iTunes and connect your device to your computer using the USB cable.

Step 2: You will need to view the sidebar that has always existed on iTunes, but in the new version 11 it was hidden. Open iTunes and if it is not already visible, press the keys CTRL + S (this on Windows; if you use Mac, go to the menu To view and select Show Sidebar). Select your device.

ITunes device

Step 3: On the flap resume from iTunes, you will see the button Update. If you are on Windows, click this button while holding the key SHIFT on the computer keyboard. If you’re on the Mac, it’s the key OPTION which must be pressed at the same time as the click.

Updating

Step 4: A window will open for you to select the firmware file you downloaded at the beginning. With that, your device will begin to be updated.

If you prefer to erase everything on the device and install it from scratch, you can to restore the device by clicking the button on the side while holding the SHIFT key (or OPTION on the Mac). Then just recover the backup to have all your applications, calendar and messages back.