This post highlights basic troubleshooting methods and possible solutions to a problem on the iPhone XR that won’t update to iOS 12.2. If you’re attempting to get the latest iOS version for your iPhone and encountered software update failed error, then this post may be able to help you. Read on for more detailed solutions.
Apple has recently rolled out the latest version of iOS for select devices including the iPhone XR. The latest version is iOS 12.2. This update contains system enhancements along with some minor patches. The update is now up for grabs via over-the-air installation and likewise through iTunes. For faster updating, updating wirelessly or via over-the-air is a better option. In case you’d bump into a problem and couldn’t update your iPhone XR to update wirelessly you can try applying the outlined solutions below.
Before we move on to our troubleshooting, if you are looking for a solution to a different issue, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed some of the most common problems reported by our readers. Find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If you still need our help after that, then feel free to contact us by filling up our iPhone issues questionnaire.
Why does your iPhone XR won’t update to iOS 12.2?
The most obvious reason for this is because the update isn’t yet available in your area. But if you’re certain that your iPhone is already eligible for the update, you need to rule out other factors like network connectivity issues, storage issues, and misconfigured settings.
Before troubleshooting, ensure that your iPhone has at least 50 percent battery life and stable access to the Internet.
Also verify and ensure that your iPhone has enough storage left to allocate the update file. Some update files come in large sizes so make sure has enough space to save them. To do this, simply go to Settings-> General-> iPhone Storage menu. Then, view more details on the available storage space.
If memory space isn’t a problem, then you may begin troubleshooting and rule out other software-related factors that might have prevented your iPhone XR from updating to iOS 12.2.
First solution: Restart your iPhone (soft reset).
For first update attempts that failed, random system errors and glitches are likely to blame. To rule this out, performing a soft reset or restarting your iPhone XR is recommended. A simple restart on the phone eliminates and corrects various issues inflicted by minor software errors. For starters, a soft reset or restart on the iPhone XR is carried out this way:
- Press and hold the Side/Power button and either Volume buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
- Release the buttons when the Slide to Power Off command appears and then drag the power off slider to the right.
- After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power/Side button again until the iPhone reboots.
This method does not affect any saved information on the phone storage, thus creating backups won’t be necessary.
Second solution: Refresh your Internet connection.
When installing an OTA update on your iPhone, a stable Internet connection is required. Once connected, the update will be downloaded and installed wirelessly (via Wi-Fi network). If your iPhone is experiencing some sort of wireless connectivity issues, then that’s likely the underlying cause of the problem. This is when you need to refresh your Internet connection. There are many ways to do this.
If you have access or near to your wireless router/modem, you can turn it off for about 30 seconds and then turn it back on. Or you can also toggle your iPhone’s Wi-Fi function off and on.
- To toggle Wi-Fi off and on, go to Settings-> Wi-Fi menu, then tap the Wi-Fi switch to turn it OFF. After a few seconds, tap the switch again to turn Wi-Fi back ON.
Alternatively, you can use the Airplane Mode tweak. It works by enabling Airplane mode shortly and then disabling it again. Here’s how it’s done:
- From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Select Airplane Mode and then tap the switch to turn the feature ON. Doing so disables the phone’s wireless radios and relevant functions including Wi-Fi.
- While Airplane Mode is turned ON, restart or soft reset your iPhone XR to clear out random software glitches that caused minor connectivity issues.
- After the phone restarts, go back to Settings-> Airplane Mode menu and then toggle the switch to turn Airplane Mode OFF again.
Reconnect your iPhone to Wi-Fi and once it’s connected, retry updating.
Third solution: Redownload the update file.
Another possible reason as to why an update would fail to install is that it might have been corrupted. In this case, the corrupt update file must be removed first. If the update file was downloaded but won’t install, delete it from your phone then download it again.
- From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Select General.
- Tap on iPhone Storage
- Find the iOS update in the list of apps
- Tap to select the iOS update file.
- Tap the option to Delete Update
After deleting the update file, go back to Settings-> General-> Software Update menu, then follow the onscreen instructions to re-download the latest iOS update for your iPhone XR.
Fourth solution: Disable restrictions on your iPhone XR.
As the name implies, restrictions are used to limit or block certain apps, services, and features on your device. When enabled, it can also halt specific requests including downloads and updates implementation. To make sure that this isn’t what’s preventing your iPhone XR from updating, disable restrictions with these steps:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Scroll down and tap Screen Time.
- If Screen Time is enabled, tap on Content & Privacy then toggle the switch to turn the feature OFF. If Screen Time is already turned off, tap the option to Turn on Screen Time then tap Continue.
- Then toggle the switch to disable restrictions.
You will be prompted to Set new Restriction passcode if this is the first time you turn Screen Time On. Take note of this passcode for you will need to enter it the next time you access and manage your iPhone’s restriction settings.
Fifth solution: Reset all settings on your iPhone XR.
Invalid or incorrect settings on the phone can also affect software updates and download requests. This is likely the case if you happened to customized some settings on your iPhone XR. To rule this out, deleting your previous customization and restoring the default options and values can help. This can be achieved by resetting all settings on your iPhone XR. Here’s how it’s done:
- From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Select General.
- Scroll down and tap on Reset.
- Select the option to Reset all settings.
- If prompted, enter your device passcode to continue.
- Then tap Reset settings to confirm.
Allow your device to complete the entire reset process. When it’s done, the phone restarts automatically. As soon as it boots up, you can start enabling features that you want to use again on your phone, particularly those that are disabled by default.
Sixth solution: Update your iPhone XR through iTunes.
If none of the previous methods is able to solve the problem and you still can’t update your iPhone XR via OTA (wirelessly), then try using iTunes instead. With iTunes, you can manually install pending updates for your iPhone and apps. To get this done, you will need to secure a computer that has the latest version of iTunes app (iTunes version 12 or later), has sufficient memory space, and stable connection to the Internet either through Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Once you’re all set, proceed with these steps to update your iPhone XR in iTunes:
- Close all programs/apps on your computer.
- If your iPhone is turned off, press the Power button to turn it ON.
- While your iPhone is turned on, connect it to the computer using the supplied USB cable.
- Wait for iTunes to automatically launch on your computer.
- In iTunes, select your iPhone XR icon under Devices in the upper-right side of the screen.
- When prompted, click Download and Update. Otherwise, click the option to Check for Update first.
- Click Update to continue then click Next.
- Read and review the License Agreement and then click Agree to continue.
- Wait for the update to finish then tap Continue on your iPhone screen.
- Select a Location Services option, when asked.
- Tap Skip This Step if prompted to set up iCloud now or later.
- Follow the rest of the onscreen instructions to finish updating your iPhone software to the latest iOS version available.
When the update is complete, you can disconnect your iPhone XR from the computer. Then restart/soft reset your iPhone to apply the recent system changes. After the restart, all new system changes including features and security patches from the recently installed update should already be implemented.
Still couldn’t get to update your iPhone XR?
If your iPhone XR still failed to update and you really wanted to keep its system up-to-date, then you may consider performing a factory reset in iTunes. Doing so will erase your device and then installs the latest iOS version available. That however will result to losing of your personal data from your iPhone storage. Should you wish to proceed, be sure to back up all your important files to iCloud or iTunes before you perform a factory reset.
You can also contact your carrier to report the issue and verify if the update is already available for your device. There are some instances when an update is already rolled out but isn’t yet available for specific devices. To rule out problems with the Apple server, you may contact Apple Support. If the Apple server is experiencing downtimes, relevant services would become unavailable. In that case, all you have to do is wait until the server is back up and running properly again.
I hope that we’ve been able to help you fix the problem with your device. We would appreciate it if you helped us spread the word so please share this post if you found it helpful. Thank you so much for reading!