Fixed: iOS Download Stuck on Estimating Time Remaining

Every year, Apple introduced their latest iOS version in the WWDC, which contains various features, such as the iOS 18 beta. Although it is controversial, it is fact that there are lots of people who would like to be the first group to have the latest iOS.

However, some people reported that iOS download stuck on 17%, or just have stopped on waiting time. This can happen when you download any iOS version, including the official iOS 18. Don't worry, follow this passage to know why and how to fix iOS 18 stuck on estimating or preparing time.

Why iOS download stuck issues happen?

There could be 3 most possible reasons for iOS 18 update taking forever: bad network conditions, iPhone issues, or Apple server issues.

Your Internet connection is not stable or secure, so Apple refuses to execute this update. Wrong settings or data on iPhone will make this update failed. If your Wi-Fi is OK and everything is ready on iPhone, this could be Apple’s fault. The server might be visited by too many users at the same time or Apple temporarily shut down the service. You can have a cup of coffee and try updating iOS 18 later.

Before we get started, it is worth mentioning that a few people lost their iPhone data because of update failure. Thus, we strongly advice you to backup your iPhone on Windows to prevent data loss.

Solution 1. Connect iPhone to a fast and safe Wi-Fi

Apple’s privacy policy doesn’t allow you to update or backup iPhone under an insecure Wi-Fi.

To avoid Apple wrongly defining this update as a violation, you need to stop using the public Wi-Fi and disable VPN in iPhone Settings.

Even if your Wi-Fi is secure, the Internet should be as fast as possible so that you have more chance than others to visit the server and get the response. If your Internet is slow, then it is normal to take significantly longer to download the full package. According to Apple’s website, the size of the full package of iOS 18 is more than 5GB. You need to wait patiently for it complete.

Solution 2. Clear iPhone data to give space to download and run the update

The full package of iOS 18 installation package is more than 5GB, so you should leave 10GB of free space on iPhone to store and install the package.

Sometimes iPhone will say app data will be removed to leave space for iOS update and you can download the app after this update. It means iPhone will automatically clear iPhone data for iOS update.

Solution 3. Delete the old update or the previous beta profile

If you have previous update or beta profile on your iPhone, there could be problem when you download iOS full package. You need to delete them and then try downloading the beta profile again.

To delete old update: Go to iPhone Settings > General > iPhone Storage > locate and select the iOS update > Tap Delete Update.

To delete the previous beta profile: Go to iPhone Settings > General > Profiles & Device Management > tap the iOS Beta Software Profile > tap Remove Profile.

Solution 4. Hard Reset iPhone

If your iPhone is stuck at downloading iOS 18 or other situations, you can always revive it by doing a hard reset. This action will force-restart your iPhone and some data might be lost for the sessions being interrupted.

• iPhone 8 or later: Press the volume+ button and then quickly release. Press the volume- button and then quickly release. Press the power button for seconds and wait for the Apple logo appearing.

• iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Press both the power button and volume- button for seconds and wait for the Apple logo appearing.

• iPhone 6s or earlier: Press both the power button and the Home button for seconds and wait for the Apple logo appearing.

Solution 5. Check iOS System Status

There might be known issues for iOS beta profile and Apple has closed the server so you cannot get response for now. You can easily check whether Apple’s service for iOS update is normal from the site System Status.

[Necessary] Backup iPhone before downloading iOS

After you download iOS 18 to your iPhone, you might start update iOS immediately. However, updating iPhone will always make you take the risk of data loss, so you need to backup important data from iPhone to computer.

AOMEI FoneBackup is the best iPhone backup software. It is professional and totally free. You can backup unlimited photos, videos, music, contacts, and messages from iPhone to computer.

• Preview Data: Preview the 5 types of data and select the wanted data to backup

• Friendly Restore: Importing the selected items to iPhone and not erase other data

• Widely Compatible: Support all the iOS devices (iPhone 15/14/13/12/11/SE 2022, iPad Mini/Air/Pro)

Download AOMEI FoneBackup to computer for free, connect iPhone to computer with USB cable, and follow the steps to backup your iPhone.

Step 1. Select Phone Backup. Go to Selective Backup and click Get Started.

Step 2. Click the icon and select the important iPhone data. Click OK.

Step 3. Select the storage path to store the backup and then click Start Backup.

Conclusion

If you have the problem iOS download stuck, it might be caused by bad network conditions, iPhone issues, or Apple server issues. You can follow this guide to fix the issues.

Updating iOS might make you lose important iPhone data, so you need to use AOMEI FoneBackup to save iPhone data to computer.

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