How to update to iOS 9: Update or Restore?

In less than 24 hours we will have iOS 9 available on our devices. We have already given you the necessary tips to get everything ready before updating iOS 9, but now It remains for us to answer the eternal question: Update or Restore? Updating is quick and straightforward, and it's supposed to be how it should be done, but restoring leaves your iPhone clean and free of potential glitches, although it takes more work to configure everything. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of the methods? What steps do you have to follow to do it? We explain everything below.

Update, fast and direct

As we said the fastest and most direct method is the update. It involves downloading the new operating system and installing it "on top" of the current one, so that after a few minutes we will have our device with all our data and applications but with the new operating system. There are in turn two alternatives to do it:

• Update via OTA: from the device itself. Only "new" data is downloaded from the system, so it is much faster. It is advisable to have the iPhone or iPad connected to the load and it is essential to have WiFi connectivity.
• Update via iTunes: connecting the device to your computer and opening iTunes. In this case, the entire operating system is downloaded to your computer, although as in the previous case, it will be installed on top of the old one and your iPhone or iPad will have all the data, multimedia files, etc. once the process is finished.

Updating via OTA is the most comfortable option. You just have to go to Settings> General> Software Update. It may be that if you access just when we announce the release of the update it will not appear yet, because it usually takes a while to spread to all devices.

If you choose to do it through iTunes, you must connect your device, go to the "Summary" tab and click on "Check for update" (or Update), indicated in the image with 1. Wait a few minutes for the full file to download and leave your iPhone or iPad connected until the update process has finished.

Advantages and disadvantages of Upgrading

Updating is a fast, reliable process and the final result is a device with the new version of the system installed but that keeps all your files, settings, music, videos, etc, so you don't have to waste time configuring or installing anything later.

A priori it seems then the most appropriate option, but it is not the case in all cases. This update keeps a lot of old configuration files, data and other junk information which can cause your device to fail, instability, close applications, increase battery consumption, etc.

Restoring is playing it safe

The restoration must be done through iTunes. You must connect your device to the computer, open iTunes, go to the "Summary" tab and click on "Restore" (the 2 in the image above). This procedure will leave you with an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch with iOS 9 and clean, just out of the box. You will lose all your photos, videos, applications, etc. But do not panic, because if you have taken the precautions that we indicate in our article on how to prepare to update you should not have any problem.

But if you really want to enjoy a "clean" device you will not be able to restore the backup either. You will have to configure everything by hand, install the applications through iTunes or download them again from the App Store. Restoring and then using the backup is practically the same as Update, so if that is what you want, use the first option and do not waste time restoring. The backup is just that, a copy in case you lose something during the process, not to use it to reconfigure the iPhone or iPad. My advice is that after the restoration is finished, when iTunes asks you, configure your iPhone or iPad as new.

Advantages and disadvantages of Restore

Restoring is not slower than updating via iTunes. Downloading the file from the system takes most of the process time, and is common for both alternatives. It is true that you will have to configure everything by hand, from your email accounts to your Facebook account, but in return you will have a clean device, without all those junk files that accumulate over time and cause those failures that sometimes They flood the forums with people complaining that the battery does not last at all or that the Camera application closes.

If you have your applications synchronized with iTunes, your photos and videos downloaded to your computer, and your contacts, calendars, notes, etc. synced in iTunes shouldn't take too long to have the device configured to your liking. Without a doubt, it is the option I recommend when making the leap to a new "older" version of iOS..