How to get your iPhone or iPad ready for iOS 10

Apple will release iOS 10 on Sept. 13, which means you have a few days to get your hardware ready for the big upgrade.

Here's what you need to do to make sure things go smoothly for you.

See also: How to securely wipe your iPhone for resale

Will you get iOS 10?

First things first, will you get iOS 10?

Here is a complete list of the devices that are supported:

• iPad 4th gen
• iPad Air
• iPad Air 2
• iPad Pro
• iPad mini 2
• iPad mini 3
• iPad mini 4
• iPod touch 6th
• iPhone 5
• iPhone 5c
• iPhone 5s
• iPhone SE
• iPhone 6/6 Plus
• iPhone 6s/6s Plus
• iPhone 7/7 Plus

To know what device you have, use this page to decipher the model number, which you can find on the back of the device or under Settings > General > About > Model.

Is your device not in the list? Then you're out of luck.

Back up your data

Before you do anything major, such as upgrading your device, you need to make sure that you have a backup just in case things don't go smoothly. You can either back up your data to iCloud, or if you don't have enough space, you can take the old-school road and connect your iPhone or iPad to a PC to do the backup through iTunes.

Details on how to carry out a backup can be found here.

Spring clean your device

Chances are good that your iPhone or iPad has accumulated a lot of detritus over the months and years, so what better time to get rid of it than now. While iOS 10 doesn't need as much free space to install as earlier releases, getting rid of apps that you no longer use -- or perhaps have never used -- makes good sense.

Built-in iOS apps you should replace with third-party apps

Do I need to delete apps to make space for the upgrade?

Not if you are on iOS 9 or above, because the operating system will clear space for you (even if that means deleting and redownloading apps).

If you are on an earlier version, and you're cramped on space, then you might need to clear space by deleting apps (be careful -- because you will lose any associated data), deleting audio or video content (music, downloaded videos, audio books, etc), or moving data such as photos to the cloud (keep reading for more information).

Update your apps

If you've not updated your apps in a while, then this is a good time to do so, because a lot of the apps will have been updated to make them compatible with iOS 10 (although apps designed for iOS 9 seem to run well based on my testing).

While it's likely that your device automatically updates apps in the background, it's not a bad idea to check just to make sure. Find the App Store app, then tap on it, and click Update (bottom-right of the screen). Once in there, you can kick off the update process.

Put your photos in the cloud

Another thing you can do is to upload your photos to the cloud. CNET has an excellent rundown of some of the free services you can use for this.

Know your passwords

Following the upgrade, you'll need to enter your iCloud password in order to be able to reconnect to all your data and photos. If you don't have this close to hand -- remember, having it on the device you're upgrading isn't all that convenient -- then this might be a good time to do that.

Also, if your iTunes backup is encrypted, then remember you'll need that password if something goes wrong!

Every day carry (EDC) pocket tools and gadgets

Is it better to upgrade or wipe a device and start from scratch?

It's a lot less hassle to just upgrade a device because you get to keep all your apps and settings.

However, devices that I have wiped and reloaded a new iOS onto, and then installed and re-setup all my apps and such, feel faster and seem to suffer from fewer problems (such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi issues). However, wiping and reloading the apps and data is pretty big hassle, and it's probably more work than most want to undertake.

Should I wait a while before doing the upgrade?

There will likely be an update or two to iOS 10 over the coming weeks, so you might want to wait for the dust to settle and for any last-minute bugs to be squashed before making the leap, especially if you rely on your device.

Also, if you use your device in a BYOD setting, make sure you get the OK from the IT department before upgrading, in case you're unable to access the network or data you need.

See also:

• These iPhones and iPads will all become obsolete on September 13
• Here's what Android owners do when Apple releases a new iPhone
• Like it or not, Apple really does have the 'courage' required to dump obsolete technology
• Can I just ignore the recall and carry on using my Galaxy Note 7?