Apple is finally taking steps to ensure that everyone who wants to download the most up-to-date version of iOS 9 will be able to do so. In the recently released iOS 9 beta 2, developers have discovered that Apple is employing some clever workarounds to ensure that users with maxed out storage will still be able to download system updates. While not necessarily a sexy feature, it may prove extremely useful in instances where Apple issues crucial security updates or even interesting new features.
Here’s how it all works.
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If iOS 9 detects that a device doesn’t have enough room to install a system update, it will temporarily delete apps from a user’s phone to make room for the update. Once the update is downloaded and installed, iOS 9 will then reinstall any deleted apps while simultaneously preserving and restoring any accompanying user data.
Not to worry, iOS 9 won’t delete apps without user consent and will present users with a confirmation message before doing so.
As MacRumors notes, this is a welcome feature as many 16GB iPhone owners often find themselves unable to download system updates.
With iOS 8, many users with 16GB devices were disappointed with the large installation size of the operating system. As it was over 4GB, few users with 16GB devices had the space for the update, which may be one of the main reasons that iOS 8 installation rates were slow for several months following release. Given the disappointment that many customers expressed with the install size of iOS 8, Apple’s made efforts to make iOS 9 much more space efficient.
Indeed, Apple with iOS 9 has added a number of interesting and long sought after features designed to better accommodate users with minimal storage. One such feature we previously highlighted is called App Thinning, a feature which enables users to download app binaries specifically tailored for their device. Apple notes that if developers take advantage of the feature, app download sizes can be reduced by as much as 40%.
Also worth noting is that the initial iOS 9 update itself will have a much smaller install size than iOS 8, measuring in at just 1.3GB compared to iOS 8’s gargantuan 4.58GB update.
