New iPhone Stuck on Software Update? 6 Ways to Fix It

Why Is Your New iPhone Stuck on Software Update?

When you set up your new iPhone, there is a Software Update screen allowing you to install your iOS version. However, some users have reported the issue of “new iPhone stuck on software update”. Why won't the iPhone update? Usually, the issue can be due to the following 3 reasons:

❌ Internet connection issue: To install iOS, the program needs to download the latest iOS package from the Server. You need to connect your device to a strong and stable Internet or Wi-Fi connection.
❌ A low battery percentage: To ensure a successful software update, your iPhone should have enough power. Your new iPhone may freeze during iOS update if the battery percentage is too low.
❌ The iPhone is running out of space: If you were restoring data from recovery mode but stuck on Install Now, there may be no enough space for updating a new iOS version.

Top 6 Methods to Fix New iPhone Stuck on Software Update

On average, updating to the latest iOS takes about 30 minutes. If the software update process lasts for 1 or 2 hours, you can refer to the following solutions to fix the issue of “new iPhone software update taking forever”.

Method 1. Force restart your new iPhone

Transferring data to new iPhone stuck on software update is a common issue. The first thing that you should do is to force restart your iPhone first to solve the problem. To do that:

Just press and release the Volume Up button > Press and release the Volume Down button > Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.

Method 2. Check your internet connection.

Or you can check if your Internet is good. Network condition is the most important part of processing a software update. If the connection is slow, the iOS update process may get stuck.

Method 3. Charge your iPhone

As we said above, if your iPhone battery percentage is too low, you will encounter the "new iPhone 16 stuck on Install Now" issue. Actually, if your battery percentage is lower than 50%, the software update won’t even start. So, you can keep your iPhone charged during the updating process.

Method 4. Restart the software update process

If your network is good and your iPhone has enough battery percentage, but your iPhone still can't update iOS, you can restart the process. Just press and hold the power button and tap the Start Again button to begin the task.

Method 5. Skip the Software Update and install iOS later

When setting up new iPhone stuck on software update, you can just skip it and continue to set up the iPhone as new, and later upgrade the iOS. Here's how to skip software update when setting up new iPhone.

Step 1. Press and hold the side button / Power button > Choose Shut Down.

Step 2. Once your iPhone is turned off. Press and hold the power button to start it again.

Step 3. Complete the iPhone setup. If you enter the Software Update again, just don’t tap Install Now and skip it.

Step 4. To install the latest iOS, go to the Settings app > General > Software Update > tap Install Now.

Method 6. Free up your iPhone storage

If you are restoring data to your iPhone from recovery mode and stuck on updating to iOS 18, you can skip the software update, and then delete some data on your iPhone to free up storage.

To know what data takes up the biggest part of your storage, you can go to Settings > Choose iPhone Storage to check the specific data size on this screen.

Bonus Tip: Easy Way to Set Up and Transfer Data to New iPhone

Now you know how to fix the “new iPhone stuck on software update install now” issue. If you complete the setup but can't finish the data transfer, this part will tell you how to transfer data to the new iPhone after setup. And the iPhone data transfer app named AOMEI FoneBackup will finish the process efficiently.

Hit the download button below, we will guide you on how to use AOMEI FoneBackup to migrate data.

Step 1. Install and Run AOMEI FoneBackup on your PC. Connect both current and new iPhone to the computer with two USB cables.

Step 2. Choose Phone Transfer on the left pane > Go to iPhone to iPhone > Click Get Started to continue.

Step 3. Check the source and the target iPhone. And if you need to transfer Health, keychain, and other private data, you can encrypt the process. Then click Start Transfer to finish the process.

Then wait for the transfer to get finished. What's more, thisbest free iPhone to PC transfer softwaremakes the iPhone transfer and backup easier.

Last words

When your new iPhone stuck on software update such as stuck on Install Now screen, you can force restart your iPhone, check your internet connection, charge your iPhone, restart the process, skip the update process or free up your iPhone storage to fix it.

If you need a way to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone, AOMEI FoneBackup is a good choice. Its user-friendly interface makes the process simple. As an all-in-one iOS manager, it also helps you delete everything on old iPhone to protect your data from leakage after the data transfer.