iOS in the Car, known as CarPlay, has become official and will be making its way to iOS 7 users in the near future, possibly in Apple’s iOS 7.1 update. Now that the official and release date rumors point to March, an iOS 7.1 release date is in sight, and iPad and iPhone owners have some things to do to prepare for its arrival.
Since November, the iOS 7.1 update has remained within Apple’s developer schedule. We’ve seen five iOS 7.1 beta releases pointing to many of the features that will be included in Apple’s brand new update.
iOS 7.1 says it’s a pretty big change from iOS 7 in that it not only provides bug fixes but also brings cosmetic changes. The shutdown screen looks completely different, and Apple has made other design changes to incorporate the look and feel of the new iOS 7 update. It’s also said to come with specs for the car, something that Apple announced at WWDC but has yet to come.
Today, iOS in the Car arrived as CarPlay. Apple says the feature will be available to iOS 7 users via Lighting ports, although it’s careful not to say how or when.
All signs point to iOS 7.1 and multiple reports have determined that the update will be released for the month of March. No exact date has been given, but it looks like it could come before the middle of the month.
Apple doesn’t announce iOS x.1 release dates in advance, which makes preparing the update difficult, but now that it’s on the horizon, it’s time to start preparing your iPhone or iPad for release.
Here we offer some tips and tricks for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners before the iOS 7.1 release date.
Cleaning Your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
The first thing that iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users recommend to do before iOS 7.1 is to clean their software.
Over the past few months, many iPhone and iPad users have downloaded apps, music or other files that they probably no longer use. Now is the time to get rid of unused apps and files. It will get rid of any clutter and also free up some valuable storage space.
16GB iPhone and iPad owners in particular may want to consider doing this because iOS updates require a ton of free space when pulled over the Air. Those without a few GBs of free storage won’t be able to download and install the update and will instead have to install it via iTunes.
Frankly, we recommend keeping iOS clean and tidy throughout the year, but it’s always a good idea to clean some up right before a major iOS update.
Make Sure Your Device Is Charged
Before the iOS 7.1 update for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch arrives, users will want to make sure their devices are charged. If not plugged into a power source, users probably need at least 50% when installing software.
Those who know they won’t have a ready-made power supply should make sure the device is charged and ready before installing iOS 7.1 when it arrives. iPhone and iPad owners with access to the Lightning or 30-pin dock connector simply plug in a device and the update should download and install without any issues.
Update Your Apps
Besides cleaning your iOS software, now is the time to update apps. While the developers do a good job of keeping apps stable in iOS 7, there’s always the possibility that something will break when iOS 7.1 arrives. It reduces the risk of encountering problems by updating and keeping apps up to date.
We also recommend that you take a look at the information from the developers. Often times, they pass vital information to their users after an update is released.
We don’t expect there to be a widespread plague of broken iOS apps, but we recommend updating just to be safe.
Back Up Your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch
iOS 7.1 has been in beta for months, so it should come with a ton of bug fixes rather than a ton of bugs. However, there is always the possibility that something will go horribly wrong after installing the software. We’ve seen this with almost every iOS update in the past.
Users will want to back up all their files before installing iOS 7.1 so that data can be easily retrieved if something goes wrong. This is especially important considering that iOS 7.1 will be much larger than a typical incremental iOS update and there is a possibility that some things may not be compatible with the software.
To do this, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners will want to go into iTunes and make a backup. After connecting your device to a computer, the backup process begins. If it doesn’t happen automatically, you can force a backup to happen.
Next, go to iTunes, right-click on your device and choose Backup. The process will take some time to complete, especially for those with tons of content on their device, but it’s worth doing before the iOS 7.1 release date.
Get the Latest Version of iTunes
Future iOS 7.1 users will want to download the latest version of iTunes before the iOS 7.1 release date.
Currently the current version is iTunes 11.1.5 and this may be the iTunes version available when iOS 7.1 arrives. It’s possible that Apple may release another version between now and the release date, but that’s the version iPhone and iPad owners want right now.
There are two ways to get the latest version of iTunes. First pass it Apple’s website. There, users will need to download the appropriate version and install it on a desktop or laptop computer.
The second way is to manually check for an update. If you’re using a Mac, go to or go to the Mac App Store. For Windows users, go to iTunes. Those who do not have the latest version should be prompted to download the latest version when opening iTunes.
iOS 7.1 Jailbreak Tips
We still don’t know what will happen with iOS 7.1 and the current iOS 7 jailbreak. At the moment, things look dire, given that Apple has patched the vulnerabilities used by the jailbreak. However, there’s a good chance we won’t see an iOS 7.1 jailbreak on day one.
Those who want to jailbreak their device may want to install iOS 7.0.6 or lower now and jailbreak it. Evasi0n 7 jailbreak is compatible with all versions of iOS 7.0. There is a possibility that an iOS 7.1 jailbreak will be released, but those who want to be sure will probably want to consider installing it now.
Those who are already jailbreaking will want to keep an eye on what the jailbreak team has to say before and after the iOS 7.1 update arrives. musclecow He is a good person to keep an eye on.
While we can’t say for sure what will happen, jailbreakers will want to ignore the iOS 7.1 download or install prompt until the jailbreak team makes a statement.
talk to IT
iOS updates, like OS X updates, tend to cause problems with Enterprise software. While we don’t know yet if iOS 7.1 itself will cause nasty problems, it’s a good idea to check with your company’s IT department right before the iOS 7.1 update.
They have a chance to get a recommendation before iOS 7.1 release. Most of the time, this advice is to avoid updating until you can confirm that it works with third-party software. Your IT department may be using the iOS 7.1 beta to test the apps and services users need. This probably won’t be the case everywhere, but it’s definitely worth checking out.
iOS 7.1 is said to make enterprise deployment easier, so Enterprise users won’t be dealing with the usual post-iOS update issues for much longer.
