The situation where an iPhone or iPad’s operating system update process halts indefinitely during the pre-installation phase, specifically when the device is seemingly frozen while “preparing” the new iOS 18 software, is a common user experience. This can manifest as a progress bar that fails to advance, or a static screen displaying the update prompt for an extended period. It indicates a potential interruption or error occurring before the actual installation of the new operating system begins.
This pre-installation freeze can be problematic due to several factors. Firstly, the device becomes temporarily unusable during this period. Secondly, data integrity is potentially at risk if the process is forcibly interrupted. Furthermore, it often requires troubleshooting steps to resolve, consuming user time and potentially necessitating technical assistance. Historically, these issues have been linked to factors such as insufficient storage space, unstable network connections, or software glitches within the existing operating system preventing a clean update initialization.