Wrong iOS Version Showing Up in Software Update? Here’s the Fix

Have you ever checked for an iOS update and discovered the wrong version is showing up to install? Typically this happens when a new iOS update version becomes available, but the Software Update section of the iOS Settings app displays an older now outdated version as available to install on the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. If you run into this situation with an iOS update showing an incorrect version available, the solution to show the proper latest update available is quite simple.

Some users are experienced this exact issue with the iOS 9.0.1 update, where Software Update offers an iOS 9 update instead of the latest version – in this case, it’s usually because they’re running the iOS 9 GM release from the beta program. Regardless, the solution is the same.

Fix iOS Software Update Showing the Wrong Old Version as Available

1. Open the Settings app on iOS and go to “General”
2. Go to “Storage” and choose “Manage Storage”
3. Scroll through the list of apps and look for then tap on the ‘iOS Software Update’ entry, it will have the familiar settings app gear icon next to the name – if you don’t see an iOS update in the entire list (and you double-checked) skip to #5
4. Tap “Delete Update” and confirm that you want to remove the update
5. Now flip open Control Center and toggle Airplane Mode to the ON position and leave it on for about 5 seconds, then turn Airplane Mode OFF and close Control Center*
6. Quit out of Settings app with the swipe-up trick then relaunch Settings app
7. Go to General > Software Update as usual to find the proper software update available

That’s all there is to it, the correct version of iOS should now be displaying as available to download and install. Don’t forget you need to be on a wi-fi network to actually use the Software Update mechanism in iOS, regardless of the device being an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

* You may be able to trigger the proper update to appear without turning the networking abilities off and back on, but Airplane Mode dumps various network caches and DNS cache in iOS which can help force the proper update to appear.

If this doesn’t work, and it should, you can either find the proper update through iTunes, install with IPSW, or try some general iOS OTA update troubleshooting tips as described here. You may need to reset the devices network settings entirely.

If you know there is an iOS update available for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch at a particular version, but when you go to check Software Update that iOS version is not available to download, there’s a simple solution to be able to show the proper latest version of iOS.