iOS 7.1 Update Released [IPSW Download Links]

Mar 10, 2014 - 33 Comments

iOS 7.1

Apple has released iOS 7.1 for all compatible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices, the first major system software update to iOS 7 since the launch last year. The update includes many bug fixes, feature enhancements, speed improvements, as well as a variety of updated user interface elements. Updating to iOS 7.1 is recommended for all users who are currently running any prior version of iOS 7 on their devices.

iOS 7.1 also includes some new features, with CarPlay support, an event overview for Month display in Calendar app, country specific holidays, improvements to Siri, additions to Accessibility including button shapes and further reduced motion effects, and much more. Full release notes are included at the bottom of this article for those interested in specific details.

Update to iOS 7.1 with OTA

The easiest way for most users to update to iOS 7.1 is through the Over-The-Air update mechanism:

  1. Open “Settings” and head to “Software Update”
  2. Choose “Download & Install”

iOS 7.1 Update

Always back up your iOS device before beginning a system software update.

Troubleshooting iOS 7.1 Update

Unable to install because not enough storage? Some users may see a “This update cannot be installed because it requires at least 1.9GB of storage. You can make more storage available by deleting items in Usage Settings.” error message on their iPhone or iPad when attempting to install the update. The simplest way to resolve that is to delete enough apps or data to install the update, though that’s not always an option. A secondary choice would be to install the update through iTunes using a computer, as described below.

Downloading & Updating to iOS 7.1 through iTunes

iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users can also update to iOS 7.1 using iTunes. This will also allow them to get around the capacity error mentioned above.

  1. Connect the iOS device to a computer with USB
  2. Launch iTunes and choose “Download & Install” when a notification about the iOS 7.1 update appears

Again, always back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch before installing system software updates.

iOS 7.1 IPSW Download Links

Advanced users who are comfortable using IPSW firmware files can also update manually with iTunes. The files below are hosted on Apple’s servers, right-click and choose “Save As” for best results:

The iOS 7.1 update patches the iOS 7 jailbreak, thus users who prefer to keep their devices jailbroken using the evasi0n tool should avoid updating to 7.1.

iOS 7.1 Release Notes

An overview of the release notes for iOS 7.1 per iTunes:

CarPlay

– iOS experience designed for the car

– Simply connect your iPhone to a CarPlay enabled vehicle

– Supports Phone, Music, Maps, Messages, and 3rd-party audio apps

– Control with Siri and the car’s touchscreen, knobs, and buttons

Siri

– Manually control when Siri listens by holding down the home button while you speak and releasing it when you’re done as an alternative to letting Siri automatically notice when you stop talking

– New, more natural sounding male and female voices for Mandarin Chinese, UK English, Australian English, and Japanese

iTunes Radio

– Search field above Featured Stations to easily create stations based on your favorite artist or song

– Buy albums with the tap of a button from Now Playing

– Subscribe to iTunes Match on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to enjoy iTunes Radio ad-free

Calendar

– Option to display events in month view

– Country specific holidays automatically added for many countries

Accessibility

– Bold font option now includes the keyboard, calculator, and many icon glyphs

– Reduce Motion option now includes Weather, Messages, and multitasking UI animations

– New options to display button shapes, darken app colors, and reduce white point

Other

– New Camera setting to automatically enable HDR for iPhone 5s

– iCloud Keychain support in additional countries

– FaceTime call notifications are automatically cleared when you answer a call on another device

– Fixes a bug that could occasionally cause a home screen crash

– Improves Touch ID fingerprint recognition

– Improved performance for iPhone 4

– Fixes display of Mail unread badge for numbers greater than 10,000

– Continued user interface refinements

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

Full release notes from Apple will be available soon.

An update to Apple TV is also available.

.

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Posted by: Paul Horowitz in iPad, iPhone, News

33 Comments

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  1. bigben says:

    GUYS…NEED HELP..
    I have an iPad 3 which is somewhere in iOS 5…is it ok for me to download the link above to update my iPad???

  2. Crowey says:

    They seem to have changed the way playlists are played too – I only have one, and I can’t just click on it anymore to play the list on shuffle. I have to go into the list, click on a song (always the same few as the list is alphabetical) and make sure I’ve selected “Shuffle All” – its stupid.

  3. Josh says:

    I’m running iPhone 4s and since the update have lost sounds for lock, DTMF dialler, and other things. When in the home screen I adjust the volume and all I get is a ringer bell with no volume indicators at the bottom.

  4. Shilo Watts says:

    What games can I play on this?

  5. Chris Cheng says:

    It is much faster on iPhone 4 and iPad 3

  6. Shane says:

    I’m receiving a firmware not compatible with the iPhone 5s direct download. I tried downloading it twice, same issue. I was finally able to get the update directly on the phone itself and is updating.

  7. Mazzda says:

    Is it really safe to install 7.1 on iPad 3? I have put off initialling IOS 7 because of the problems .

  8. Mike says:

    Has anyone noticed battery life worse after updating to iOS 7.1? Is battery life worsening and draining faster or is there a setting that was turned on somewhere? Any ideas?

    My iPhone feels like it is maybe draining faster after iOS 7.1, I will try a reboot and see if that helps.

  9. Maestro196 says:

    That’s because Android phones get it right the first time and Apple is spending time trying to catch up and fix their screwups.

  10. DG says:

    Who the he11 has 10,000 unread mails???

  11. Tony says:

    No sign of the update for my iphone 5 yet. I looked via iTunes and direct from my phone.

    It will be interesting to see what this update does to improve my phone.

  12. Grey says:

    Please god let it fix the Visual Voicemail clusterf*ck.

  13. Steve says:

    Updated and phone (5s) is feeling a lot faster and more responsive.

    • Ryan says:

      Mine does too (iPhone 5). I’m wondering if iOS 7.1 is actually faster, or just feels faster because the animations are faster?

      • Steve says:

        Have run most of my apps and loading times etc are definitely quicker.

      • Paul says:

        Transitions and effects are definitely faster, so at the very least you’ll get a speed up from that. But it does feel faster in general, and some of the older hardware reportedly got a nice performance boost as well.

  14. Matt says:

    It takes Apple *6 months* to release a small bug fix update. There’s nothing new in iOS 7.1 for most users, just finally puts us in a stable enough condition to not be crashing constantly. 6 months for that.

    And now I can’t even install it because I don’t have 2GB available to install a 200MB update??? Are you KIDDING me? So I get to delete all my apps just to install a software update? Who approves this? Hey Apple, how about you just put an extra 2Gb of extra space on all iPhones for an update cache, because this is ridiculous.

    Good lord, this company really is turning into Microsoft isn’t it?

    • cashxx says:

      You can always go to an Android phone! Then you are lucky if your 6month old phone gets an update at all!

    • Patrick M says:

      Wow, complain much? I like what cashxx said. Go and get yourself an Android phone, then see how supported it isn’t. You’ll come running back to the iPhone.

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