New iPhone Stuck on Software Update? 5 Ways to Fix It

"I was transferring data to new iPhone 15 on the setup. Then there was a Software Update asking me to update iPhone to iOS 17. But after I tap the "Install Now" it stuck. And it keeps spinning for 1 hour. What can I do?"

--Question from an iPhone user

Why is your new iPhone 15/14/13 stuck on the software update?

New iPhone stuck on software update is not a rare problem. When you setup your new iPhone, there is a Software Update screen allowing you to install your iOS version. You just tap the Install Now button to install the latest iOS 17.

However, sometimes the process just stuck and takes a long time. Usually, new iPhone set up stuck on software update can 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 your recovery but are stuck on Install Now, there may be no enough space for updating a new iOS version.

How long does an iOS update take? The Internet condition and the hardware quality are the main factors. But on average, updating to the latest iOS takes about 30 minutes. If the Software Update process has been lasting for like 1 or 2 hours, you can refer to the following solutions to fix it.

5 Solutions to new iPhone 15/14/13/12/11/SE stuck on software update

Method 1. Check your internet connection.

Firstly, 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 2. Charge your iPhone

As we said above, if your iPhone battery percentage is too low, you will encounter the "new iPhone stuck on software update" 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 3. 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.

Method 4. Skip the Software Update and install iOS later

When you transfer data to new iPhone stuck through Quick Start but stuck on the Software Update. You can just skip it and process the setting up the iPhone as new, and later upgrade the iOS.

How to skip software update when setting up new iPhone

Step 1. Press and hold the side button / Power button.

Step 2. Choose “Shut Down”.

Step 3. Once your iPhone is turned off. Press and hold the power button to start it again.

Step 4. Complete the iPhone setup. If you enter the Software Update again, just don’t tap Install Now and skip it.

Step 5. To install the latest iOS, go to the “Settings” app > “General” > “Software Update” > tap “Install Now”.

Method 5. Free up your iPhone storage

If you are restoring data to your iPhone from recovery mode and stuck on updating to iOS 17 on the software update, you can skip the software update, and then free up some iPhone storage space.

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

Bonus tip: Easy way to set up and transfer data to new iPhone

You have known how to fix the “new iPhone stuck on software update” issue. If you complete the setup but didn’t transfer data to the new iPhone, this part will help you to transfer data to new iPhone after setup.

To easily transfer data, you can rely on an iPhone data transfer software named FoneTool. With just one click, you can transfer all your local data on the current iPhone to the new iPhone with fast speed.

FoneTool doesn’t need the internet to transfer data, so it is OK if you don’t have a good network. And it supports transferring data from iPhone to iPhone with different Apple accounts. If you want to use a new Apple ID, it can be your best choice.

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

Step 1. Install and Run FoneTool on your PC. Connect both current and new iPhone to the computer.

Tip: If you don’t have two USB cables to connect your two iPhones. FoneTool also supports full backup iPhone. You can connect the old device to the PC to create a backup and restore the backup to the new device.

Step 2. Choose “Phone Backup” on the left pane > choose the “iPhone to iPhone” transfer.

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”.

Then wait for the transfer to get finished.

Last words

When your new iPhone stuck on software update or install now, you can try the above solutions to fix it. If you need a way to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone, FoneTool is a good choice. It comes with a user-friendly interface making the process simple.

FoneTool is an all-in-one iOS manager. After transferring data, it can help you delete everything on old iPhone to protect your data from leakage. And it also helps you to transfer files from iPhone to PC, and from PC to iPhone.