IOS 8 lets apps display useful information in the “Today” screen, including sports scores and weather updates. You can answer phone calls on a Mac, install a third-party keyboard on your iPhone and ask Siri to identify what song is playing on the radio. You can even share iTunes purchases with your family.
The update is available to iPhone 4S, 5, 5C and 5S owners. All iPads except for the first-generation model are eligible for iOS 8. And only the latest iPod Touch users can upgrade to iOS 8.
How to get it
Your iPhone or iPad is plugged in. Then go to Settings > General > Software Update, and hit the “Download and Install” button. After it downloads, touch the “Install” button.
If you prefer, you can also download the iOS 8 update on your computer and install it on your iGizmo. To do that, make sure you have the latest version of iTunes, then plug your device into your computer, select your device in the menu and click on “Check for Update.” Then click “Download and Update.”
There’s no advantage to downloading iOS 8 via a Mac or PC — the update won’t get to you any faster.
IOS 8 requires you to have 1.4 GB of memory free. That means deleting those old photos, podcasts, songs and apps that you don’t care about anymore. If you’re an iCloud user, all of those things will be backed up in the cloud. But if you’re not ready to clear space just yet, you’ll have to wait to download iOS 8.
Also, bugs happen. Some of your apps won’t look perfect or work 100% right after you download iOS 8. Those will get ironed out over the course of a week or so.
If you have an older iPhone or iPad, the newer operating system can slow your iGadget down.
