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iOS 7 error message strikes iPhone and iPad update

You can download iOS 7 now, but there's a few problems as everyone in the world races for their Apple iPhone and iPad update.

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Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
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Richard Trenholm
2 min read
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iOS 7 is out now, and across the world phone fans are racing to update iPhones and iPads with the dramatic new facelift to Apple's software. Except quite a few people can't.

Error messages abound as overworked servers labour to distribute the iOS 7 update to eager Apple fans. Even those that have started the download are facing a wait of a few hours -- during which time you can't use your phone, forcing many to resort to alternative means of entertainment like talking to loved ones, banging rocks together, and complaining about the wait on Twitter. #annoying #firstworldproblems 

The size of the update depends on the phone and current software you have: for example, in our office, one CNET staffer's iPhone 5 is set to download 790Mb while another's venerable iPhone 4 has to struggle through 2.99GB. The time also varies: with so many people hitting Install at the same time, even that paltry 790MB will take a whopping two hours to scoop up. 

The free iOS 7 download brings a souped-up unlock screen, cheerful new icons, shortcuts to important settings and much more.

You should see a notification that you can install the software if you have an iPhone 4, 4S or iPhone 5; an iPad 2, new iPad, iPad with retina display or iPad mini; or a fifth generation iPod touch. You can download iOS 7 and install the update over Wi-Fi or by plugging your device into iTunes.

If do you have an older phone or tablet, it's worth waiting a few days before updating: new software updates can throw up problems that bring previous devices to a standstill, so why not let someone else take that bullet? We'll keep you posted on any major issues that crop up.

If you've yet to download the update, don't forget to back up all your pictures, videos, music, apps and the rest on your computer, to iTunes and iCloud.

The new software is built-in to the new iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, which hit shops on Friday. 

Have you managed to download iOS 7? What's your favourite new feature? Update us in the comments or on our Facebook wall.

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Watch this: Evolution of the iPhone