Preparation for iOS 6

iOS 6 will be launching within the next couple of weeks and possibly as soon as this week. In preparation for iOS, I figured I would write-up a short guide on things to consider before upgrading your particular generation iPad.

Transfer Purchases:

You can transfer purchases you have made on your iPad 1 of 2 ways:

• Connect your iPad to your computer via the USB cable > Right-click on your iPad in the left panel and select ‘Transfer Purchases from…’


• You can sync your iPad to iTunes by connecting your iPad to your computer > Open iTunes > Click the ‘Sync’ button in the lower right hand side of your iTunes window.

Transferring your purchases is not that big of a deal any longer since you can always re-download any purchases you have made via the App Store now, this used to be a big deal before Apple started allowing you to re-download music, TV shows and movies that you had purchased. This will help keep you from having to re-download your purchases again though especially movies which can be quite large in file size. It is much easier to transfer your purchases from your iPad to your computer and takes much less time than having to continually re-download.

Backup:

This probably should have been the very first step I listed,as it is the most important step. You have several options for backup on your iPad.

• Backup to iTunes by connecting your iPad to your computer > Selecting your iPad in the left panel > Click the ‘Sync’ button in the lower right-hand window of iTunes.


• iCloud Backup is probably the easiest backup because it does it in the background.  If you have iCloud backup turned ‘ON,’ then you probably have a recent backup of your iPad already. To check to see if you have iCloud backup turned on, open Settings on your iPad > Tap iCloud in the left panel > Tap Storage & Backup > iCloud Backup will either be ON or OFF.

Backing-up your iPad should be something you do on a regular basis to ensure that if something happens to your iPad, that you will never lose too much data if you need to restore your iPad from a previous backup. This ensures that you have multiple backups of your data on your iPad and can easily restore your iPad to a recent state if needed.

I highly encourage everyone to use iCloud backup because your device will automatically backup your camera roll, accounts, documents, and settings when the iPad is connected via WiFi, locked, and charging. You don’t have to think about it, it just does it magically behind the scenes when you are not using your iPad. If you do not have enough storage in the 5GB of free iCloud storage Apple gives you, consider purchasing additional storage for added piece of mind.

I have a nice workflow setup to help me remember to backup to iTunes twice a week. I use the Calendar app on my iPad and created two weekly repeating events that alert me in the evening to backup to iTunes. If I have plans to be out of town during the week and will not be able to backup to iTunes, then I have a system for that as well. I will open that particular week's events that I have planned and set my Calendar to the day before I leave to alert me to backup. I then remove the Calendar events from the week I will be away so it does not disturb while I am out of town.

How to Upgrade:

If you are running iOS 5.0.1 or later you can update your iPad OTA (Over the Air) by doing the following:

• Open the Setting App on your iPad


•  Tap General in the left panel


• Tap Software Update


• Your iPad will automatically check for updates.  If an update is available, you will see the ‘Install Update’ button.

If you want to upgrade your iPad via iTunes you will need to do the following:

• Connect your iPad to your computer via the USB cable


• Open iTunes with your iPad connected to the computer


• Click your iPad in the left panel of iTunes


• Under the Summary tab at the top of iTunes look for ‘Version’ below that you will see 'Check for Update.' Simply click that, if there is an update available it will ask you if you want to upgrade.

Things to Consider:

When updating to a new version of iOS you should consider a few things before upgrading. If you depend on a certain application for school or work, you may want to wait until the developer updates his/her application to support the new version of iOS. That does not mean if an app is not updated it will discontinue working.  It just means that it is something you may want to consider before upgrading. Once you upgrade to a new version of iOS, there is no way to roll it back to the previous version[1]. You could check the developer's website to see if he/she has any information regarding an update to his/her application. As well, the developer may have a support forum board and you could check to see if anyone is reporting problems with the application regarding updates to either iOS or that particular application. Also, keep in mind just because a few people are reporting problems that doesn’t always mean you will have the same problem as them. They could be running a different generation iPad that could cause a different situation for them that might not affect you. The best way to go about it would be to send the developer a message and ask if there are any known issues with his/her application and the new version of iOS.

If you are using a 1st generation iPad would highly recommend you check the Apple iPad Support Forums to see if others are experiencing problems with updating to a new version of iOS. Again, remember just because someone is having an issue with their iPad does not mean you will have the same problem. My opinion is Apple will not push an update out to a device if that device would not support that particular update. That does not mean you will not have any performance issue or any other problem though. Use your best judgement and consider waiting a few days to see if any problems arise. Keep in mind that the 1st generation iPad is not getting the iOS 6 upgrade. However, if you are updating to other versions than what you currently have on your 1st generation iPad, be aware, as I have seen quite a few people complain on the Apple forums and Twitter about iOS 5.x.x regarding the 1st generation iPad.

I am fairly confident with the 2nd and 3rd generation iPad’s getting iOS 6 that their will be minimal problems, if any at all. I have been using the developer's beta of iOS 6 and have not noticed any significant problems.  Keep in mind the keyword is ‘BETA,’ so I am sure some things could change before the official launch. By change, I mean any problems that I may have experienced will be addressed. Let me note that I have not experienced many problems at all.

If you run into any problems with updating your iPad and you end up needing to restore from a previous iCloud back-up, I wrote a 'how-to' awhile back on Total iPad. You can find that article HERE.
You can find instructions on how to restore from iTune HERE

If you have any problems with updating your iPad to the new version of iOS and need help, I would start on the Apple Support Forums.

Also, you could reach out to me on Twitter: @iCrizzo.

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1. You can restore your device, but that is beyond the scope of this discussion. Check the Jailbreak community for help on this topic.  ↩