Month 5: Updates, apps and AirDrop

Update or upgrade

An update is a newer release of the same major version (iOS 26.0.1 to 26.1). An upgrade is a new major version (iOS 26 to iOS 27, macOS Tahoe to the next macOS). Back up first, connect to power, and use a reliable network.

• iPhone/iPad: Settings > General > Software Update (Update Now, or Update Tonight)
• Mac: System Settings > General > Software Update (Update Now / Upgrade Now)
• No wireless update possible: connect the iPhone to a Mac and use Finder (or Apple Configurator)
• Mac command line: softwareupdate -l lists updates; softwareupdate -i -a installs them

Rosa: So 26.0.1 to 26.1 is an update, and 26 to 27 is an upgrade?

Maya: Exactly right.

Managed devices

On supervised devices, MDM can delay updates by up to 90 days, enforce a specific version by a deadline, and hide versions that aren't approved. Updates blocked by policy don't appear in Software Update, and settings may be dimmed. When a user asks why their iPhone "has no update", check management first.

Sam: We hold big upgrades for 30 days while we test our apps. Users see nothing until we release them.

Automatic Updates settings

On iPhone and iPad, Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates has Download iOS Updates and Install iOS Updates: updates download and then install overnight while the device is charging, on Wi-Fi and locked. On Mac, the Info button next to Automatic Updates offers Download new updates when available, Install macOS updates and Install application updates from the App Store; the Mac installs while it's on power and asleep or idle.

Exam tip Security fixes between updates (Background Security Improvements from 26.1) have their own switch in Privacy & Security.

Apps update too

App updates are separate: on iPhone, the App Store settings > App Updates; on Mac, App Store > Settings > Automatic Updates (or the Software Update option above). MDM can control automatic OS updates with declarations, and can update managed apps for the user on supervised devices.

Exam tip Exam trap: automatic install needs power and Wi-Fi overnight. A phone that's never charged overnight never auto-installs.

The usual suspects

Failed updates mostly come down to storage, network or power.

• Not enough space: free storage (Settings > General > iPhone Storage; Mac: General > Storage)
• "Unable to Check for Update" or "Unable to Download": restart, try another network, turn off VPN
• Low battery: connect to power
• Damaged download: delete the update in iPhone Storage, then download it again
• Still failing: update with Finder on a Mac; Mac: install from macOS Recovery

When updates simply don't appear

If Software Update shows nothing, the device may already be current, the OS may not support that model, or MDM is deferring or restricting the update. On Mac, check the install history in Console (/var/log/install.log) for errors, and remember a Background Security Improvement applies only to the latest version.

Priya: "No updates" on a managed iPhone? Ask Sam before you blame Apple.

On iPhone and iPad

Close the app: open the App Switcher (swipe up from the bottom and pause, or double-click the Home button) and swipe the app up. If it's still stuck, restart the device; if the screen won't respond, force restart (iPhone 8 and later: volume up, volume down, hold the side button until the Apple logo). Then update the app, check free storage, and if needed offload or delete and reinstall it.

Exam tip Offload App (Settings > General > iPhone Storage) removes the app but keeps its documents and data.

On Mac

Choose Apple menu > Force Quit or press Option-Command-Esc, select the app and click Force Quit. You can also Option-click its Dock icon and choose Force Quit, or use Activity Monitor. If it keeps happening, update the app, test in another user account or Safe Mode, and read its crash reports in Console.

• Force Quit loses unsaved work in that app
• App fine in Safe Mode = suspect a login item or extension
• App fine in another user = suspect that user's preferences or caches

Priya: Force quit is fine for one hang. If it hangs daily, find the cause.

Sending and receiving

AirDrop sends photos, files, links and contacts directly between nearby Apple devices, encrypted, without the internet. Tap Share > AirDrop and choose a person or device; on Mac, use the Share menu or drag files onto someone in a Finder AirDrop window. The receiver taps Accept, unless both devices use the same Apple Account, which accepts automatically.

• iPhone: files open in the matching app; Mac: files land in Downloads
• Bring two iPhones close together to share (NameDrop shares contact info)
• Newer iOS can finish large transfers over the internet if you move out of range

Who can find you

Receiving settings decide who sees the device: Receiving Off, Contacts Only, or Everyone for 10 Minutes (after which it returns to Contacts Only). iPhone: Settings > General > AirDrop or Control Center. Mac: Control Center > AirDrop, or the Finder AirDrop window's Allow me to be discovered by menu.

Exam tip Contacts Only needs the sender's email address or phone number in the receiver's Contacts, and both signed in to an Apple Account.

A checklist that works

Most AirDrop failures are settings, not hardware.

• Both devices: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, awake and unlocked, within about 9 m (30 ft)
• Personal Hotspot off on the iPhone
• Receiver set to Everyone for 10 Minutes (or Contacts Only with the sender in Contacts)
• Mac firewall: Block all incoming connections must be off
• Screen Time Content & Privacy Restrictions may block AirDrop
• Managed devices: MDM may block AirDrop or keep work files out of it

Managed devices and AirDrop

Supervised devices can have AirDrop turned off entirely. MDM can also treat AirDrop as an unmanaged destination, so documents from managed apps can't be AirDropped to other devices. If the AirDrop option is missing or dimmed on a work iPhone, check VPN & Device Management before anything else.

Ranger: drops a tennis ball next to the iPad. AirDrop, dog style.

Exam tip Version caution: Apple tweaks AirDrop discovery for strangers in new releases. Know the three receiving settings and the checklist.

See where the space went

Open System Settings > General > Storage. The bar shows categories such as Applications, Documents, Photos, iCloud Drive, Messages, iOS Files (old iPhone and iPad backups) and System Data. Click the Info button next to a category to review and delete items, such as large files or old device backups.

Exam tip System Data includes caches, logs and local Time Machine snapshots. macOS frees much of it automatically; don't hand-delete system folders.

Recommendations

The Storage pane suggests ways to free space.

• Store in iCloud: keep Desktop and Documents, Photos and Messages in iCloud with only recent items on the Mac
• Optimize Storage: remove Apple TV movies and shows you've watched
• Empty Trash Automatically: delete items in the Trash after 30 days
• Purgeable space: files macOS can remove on its own when space is needed

Maya: Store in iCloud only helps if iCloud has room. Check the plan first.

The normal way

iPhone/iPad: Settings > General > Software Update. Mac: System Settings > General > Software Update. You'll see the update available for this device, sometimes a choice of the newest major version or a security update for the current one, and Automatic Updates options (download, install, security responses and system files).

• Back up first (iCloud or a computer)
• Keep enough free space, and connect to power
• Background Security Improvements / Rapid Security Responses patch security fixes between full updates

When it won't update

Common causes: not enough storage, low battery, a network that blocks Apple's update servers, a beta profile installed, or the organization's MDM deferring or enforcing updates (managed devices may show the update later or install it at a set deadline). A Mac that won't start can be updated or reinstalled from macOS Recovery; an iPhone or iPad can be updated or restored with a Mac (Finder) or PC (Apple Devices app or iTunes).

Exam tip Update vs restore: updating keeps data; restoring erases the device and installs the latest software.

See what's using space

System Settings > General > Storage shows a bar chart by category (Applications, Documents, Photos, iCloud Drive, System Data, macOS) and lists each category with an Info button to review and delete large items.

Exam tip 'System Data' includes caches, logs and Time Machine local snapshots; it often shrinks by itself when space is needed.

Recommendations

The same pane offers storage recommendations you can turn on:

• Store in iCloud: keep Desktop, Documents and Photos in iCloud and download them on demand
• Optimize Storage: remove watched Apple TV movies and shows
• Empty Trash Automatically after 30 days
• Review and delete large files, unused apps and old downloads

When space is critically low

With very little free space, updates fail, apps crash and the Mac slows down. Free up space with the recommendations, empty the Trash, delete old iOS backups (Manage in Storage), and move large files to an external drive. Disk Utility's First Aid checks the disk itself but doesn't free space.