[Guide] Removing the automatic iOS7 download

[YanniDepp]

Hello,

I've updated all of my iOS devices to iOS 7 - except my iPad 3. I want to keep it on 6.1.3. iOS7 automatically downloaded in the background, and it was taking up a lot of space.

I've seen a few bits of information on here and the Apple support boards about removing the iOS 7 download. I've just done this on my iPad and it works perfectly. I've now gotten an extra 2GB of space back on my 16GB iPad.

I thought I'd make a thread with the complete process that worked for me.

Background Information

iOS 7 will automatically download on your iOS device if:

• The device is connected to wifi.
• The device is plugged in and charging (or charged).
• There is enough free space on the iOS device to save the update.

This procedure involves removing the iOS update, and filling your iPad enough that the automatic download won't start again.

Things You'll Need

• A device running iOS 6.
• The PC or Mac you sync your iPad to.
• Enough music or video to fill your device.
  

Backing up your device and deleting the iOS 7 download

First, go in to Settings and delete your wireless network. You need to do this, otherwise the iOS device will start downloading the iOS 7 update again right away. To complete this procedure, you need your computer to be able to connect to the internet, but not the iOS device.

Now, connect your iOS device to your computer and make sure you click No when it asks you to install iOS 7.

Go to the iPad summary screen in iTunes. Make sure it's set to back up to your computer, then click the 'Back Up Now' button to back up your device.

Once the backup is complete, open Settings on your iOS device and go to General, then Reset. Choose 'Erase All Content and Settings' and confirm.

Part 2: Restoring your backup

Now, connect your device to your computer. Open iTunes and restore the backup you made in part 1. Make sure your device isn't connected to wifi, otherwise it'll download iOS 7 again!

Once you connect your device to wifi, it'll start downloading iOS7 again if it has enough free space. I'm not sure exactly what the limit is, but I filled my iPad with music and video until there was only 600MB free. It seemed to work for me.

Once your device is synced and almost full, now you can connect to wifi again.

Now, you'll see that iOS 7 hasn't been downloaded, and Software Update will tell you it doesn't have enough free space to download.

 

[Sonicmojo]

Part 2: Restoring your backup

Now, connect your device to your computer. Open iTunes and restore the backup you made in part 1. Make sure your device isn't connected to wifi, otherwise it'll download iOS 7 again!

Hmm...your plan has some holes that are not explained - exactly what happens within these steps:

1. You completed Part 1 and Erase Content and Settings
2. Then - you need to setup the iPad again and your only choices are as a "new" device or restore from backup
3. Within that setup - we get the three questions about where you are, what language - and then the ALL CRITICAL WIFI setup...which cannot be skipped.

So - how did you bypass the WIFI setup before getting into Part 2. I have tried this a couple of ways and there is no way that I can see to restore an iTunes backup to an iPad WITHOUT having first setup WIFI. And of course - as soon as you setup WIFI and connect the device to the PC - the download starts again.

So - you need to provide more detail on what you did between steps 1 and 2 to ensure WIFI was not active during the restore. Your steps do not address this at all. According to your process - when any one gets to this part:

"Now, connect your device to your computer. Open iTunes and restore the backup you made in part 1. Make sure your device isn't connected to wifi, otherwise it'll download iOS 7 again!"

WIFI is already live - and you cannot shut it off...so what are you doing right at Part 2?

VP




Sonic

 

[LastOneToKnow]

In a related thread I posted the below.

Yes it did. Worked like a treat. My iPhone 4 and iPad 3 are completely free of the iOS 7 setup file now and no "1" badge on my "Settings" icon. In both cases I hit up the option, "Settings\General\Erase All Content and Settings". I did the reset without the device being connected to the computer. Once the reset completed I found that it wasn't allowing me to bypass the Wi-Fi setup screen on the device. Connected the device to my computer at that point and launched iTunes which gave me the option to setup the iPhone/iPad as a new device or instead perform a restore. I chose the option to setup the iPhone/iPad as a new device. Once completing the setup via iTunes with the device still connected to the computer I then found that I was able to finally bypass the Wi-Fi setup screen on the device itself. Completed the physical setup on the device itself at that point, then syncing everything back to the device from iTunes filling any remaining space with music prior to then enabling Wi-Fi. Done deal.

 

[YanniDepp]

So - how did you bypass the WIFI setup before getting into Part 2. I have tried this a couple of ways and there is no way that I can see to restore an iTunes backup to an iPad WITHOUT having first setup WIFI. And of course - as soon as you setup WIFI and connect the device to the PC - the download starts again.

Turn wifi off and/or delete your network configuration before you take the backup. Then, your iPad can't reconnect to wifi after you restore.

In a related thread I posted the below.

Yeah, I saw a few replies scattered about, but I didn't see a thread dedicated to it in this forum (I went back 2 pages). Figured a few people might not need to ask around if I posted it in the iOS 6 forum.

 

[Sonicmojo]

Turn wifi off and/or delete your network configuration before you take the backup. Then, your iPad can't reconnect to wifi after you restore.

But when you wipe the iPad (erase content and settings) - when the device restarts - you have no choice but to go thru the ipad initial setup - and you cannot skip the WIFI step...

So again - within you guide - as you pass from Part 1 to Part 2:

1. Once the backup is complete, open Settings on your iOS device and go to General, then Reset
2. Choose 'Erase All Content and Settings' and confirm.

3. What happens here? You cannot just wipe the device and then jump to step 4...


4. Now, connect your device to your computer.
5. Open iTunes and restore the backup you made in part 1.
6. Make sure your device isn't connected to wifi, otherwise it'll download iOS 7 again!

Anytime I run Earse Content and Settings on my iPad 2 - I immediately have to "reset up" the iPad per it's "guide" So - I must be missing something here - since you cannot restore a backup without performing those 3 initial "setup" steps when the iPad starts AFTER the wipe...and one of these steps is WIFI setup - which cannot be skipped.

What am I missing?

Sonic.

 

[YanniDepp]

So again - within you guide - as you pass from Part 1 to Part 2:

1. Once the backup is complete, open Settings on your iOS device and go to General, then Reset
2. Choose 'Erase All Content and Settings' and confirm.
3. What happens here? You cannot just wipe the device and then jump to step 4...
4. Now, connect your device to your computer.

Sonic.

Yes, you can. After it wipes, it reboots and shows the initial setup. Don't do the initial setup on the device. Just connect it to iTunes and restore your backup. Once it's complete, you'll be at the 'slide to unlock' screen with all your apps, music and data that you had before.

And if you disabled wifi before you backed up the device, you won't be on wifi and the iOS 7 download won't start.

 

[Sonicmojo]

Don't go through the initial setup on the device.

As soon as the device reboots and shows the setup screen, connect it to iTunes and restore your backup that way.

Then, you won't have to do the setup. And if you disabled wifi before you backed up the device, you won't be on wifi.

Really? Awesome - I guess I have my answer.

Now does the itunes "restore" - actually restore my my wifi settings - or is that a manual thing after the fact.

Sonic.

 

[YanniDepp]

Backups restore a lot of user settings like remembered wifi networks and wallpaper. That's why you need to 'forget' your wifi network before you start.

I blocked my iPad from connecting to my wifi with MAC address filtering for extra safety. You probably don't need to go that far.

One thing though: the first time I tried this procedure, I didn't delete my wifi - I just turned on airplane mode. That didn't work: the iPad still connected to wifi even though it was in airplane mode. The status bar at the top of the screen showed the airplane symbol and the wifi symbol. It started downloading iOS 7 immediately.

The damn thing is desperate to upgrade itself!

 

[Sonicmojo]

I blocked my iPad from connecting to my wifi with MAC address filtering for extra safety. You probably don't need to go that far.

I have mesu.apple.com blocked hard on the router so there is no chance that the OTA update can ever get back in. I was just really looking for a nice guide to getting this crap off my device.

Q: Does your procedure also wipe that annoying "1" badge from the Settings icon?

The damn thing is desperate to upgrade itself!

It is relentless - have never seen a device so annoying.

Thanks again for the guide!

Cheers,

Sonic

 

[Rodster]

Several have commented in the past that the only way for the download to begin is to have your iPad plugged in and at 100% charge and wifi turned on.

I have purposely left my iPad 3 which has 5.1.1 unplugged, in screen lock mode with wifi turned on and I have not gotten the download.

 

[LastOneToKnow]

Yes it did. Worked like a treat. My iPhone 4 and iPad 3 are completely free of the iOS 7 setup file now and no "1" badge on my "Settings" icon. In both cases I hit up the option, "Settings\General\Erase All Content and Settings". I did the reset without the device being connected to the computer. Once the reset completed I found that it wasn't allowing me to bypass the Wi-Fi setup screen on the device. Connected the device to my computer at that point and launched iTunes which gave me the option to setup the iPhone/iPad as a new device or instead perform a restore. I chose the option to setup the iPhone/iPad as a new device. Once completing the setup via iTunes with the device still connected to the computer I then found that I was able to finally bypass the Wi-Fi setup screen on the device itself. Completed the physical setup on the device itself at that point, then syncing everything back to the device from iTunes filling any remaining space with music prior to then enabling Wi-Fi. Done deal.

Yeah, I saw a few replies scattered about, but I didn't see a thread dedicated to it in this forum (I went back 2 pages). Figured a few people might not need to ask around if I posted it in the iOS 6 forum.

No problem. My earlier reply was just for Sonic's benefit per them finding no way to bypass Wi-Fi setup on the phone itself after having performed the reset which I was able to do with all of my devices by connecting the given device to iTunes at that point and completing the setup there first. I was then at that point able to bypass the Wi-Fi setup screen on the device itself completing the physical setup on the device.

In my case I didn't perform a restore on any of my family's devices. I just set up each as a new device after first taking screen captures of the page layouts and folder contents including backing up any app data that can't be stored in the cloud using a 3rd party tool, not iTunes. Was a PITA getting each device wiped and set back up, but it was worth it in the end of course per getting back all that wasted space.

Apple forcing their iOS setup file down our throats when on Wi-Fi and power just pisses me off to no end. Just paid my Verizon bill today, $60 of the overage fees being just from the iOS 7 setup files that were auto-downloaded to my family's devices. My home Internet access is mobile broadband. It's my only option. Apple shouldn't assume that just because someone is on Wi-Fi that they aren't also paying for data. Lesson learned in my case. Won't let this happen again.

Will mention as well that there are many apps out there which require access to one's home wireless network, but not necessarily access to the Internet. Some of those apps depending on what you are doing also require the device be on power to prevent the battery from getting killed after only a few hours of use. I run an app called SqueezePad here in my home office all day long per my whole-house audio solution. I also run DIRECTV's GenieGo app which allows me to stream the content from any of my HD DVR's to my iPhone and iPad. While at home and running these apps I'm always on Wi-Fi and power that way if I leave the house the given device is always fully charged or at least has plenty of juice to get me through while on-the-go. Ensuring that my devices are not on Wi-Fi when on power to prevent Apples iOS 7 setup file from auto-downloading is not a feasible option for me and as I stated in another thread, I won't allow Apple's BS iOS auto-download dictate how I use my devices. I blocked the URL required and as a fail-safe each device contains less than the required free space per the iOS auto-download being able to take place.

 

[Sonicmojo]

Just doing this guide now...iTunes is syncing my apps back - but that annoying "1" remains on my settings icon. Must be part of the backup.

That's really the only thing I truly wanted gone - nice thing is - that the guide works and I have all my space back.

Sonic

 

[LastOneToKnow]

Just doing this guide now...iTunes is syncing my apps back - but that annoying "1" remains on my settings icon. Must be part of the backup.

That's really the only thing I truly wanted gone - nice thing is - that the guide works and I have all my space back.

Sonic

Great to hear. I lost the "1" badge on my devices as I had set them up as new, but they all now have the "1" badge once again. We'll just learn to ignore it.

 

[lokster]

How about installing the jailbreak tweak

"software update killer" from the bigboss repo

this tweak will

*remove the software update badge from the Settings icon
*it will also disable the [Download and Install] button from the software update setting
*delete any OTA that has already been downloaded

if you are jailbroken. if not then filling it up with space does the trick or what i did before being jailbroken was turning the wifi off when im recharging