Apple has finally rolled out iOS 27, bringing major changes, including the new Siri AI, expanded Apple Intelligence features, and several improvements across the native apps. But what if you’re not ready to install it yet?

I know plenty of iPhone users prefer to wait before jumping to a major iOS update. Maybe you want to see how the new version performs, you’re running low on storage, or you simply don’t want your iPhone to update right now.

The good news is that you can stop an iOS update before the installation actually begins. If the update has already been downloaded, you can also remove the update file from your iPhone’s storage.

Here’s how to stop an iOS 27 update in progress and prevent your iPhone from automatically downloading or installing future updates.

Can you stop an iPhone update in the middle?

Yes, you can, but it depends on when you try to stop it.

If the update is still downloading: Easy! You can cancel it right from your iPhone’s settings.
If the update is preparing to install: You can usually still stop it by deleting the update file.
If the update has already started installing: Sorry, at this stage you can’t stop it. Once your iPhone shows the Apple logo and progress bar, it has to finish installing.

So, the trick is to catch it early, before your iPhone actually begins the installation process.

How to cancel an iOS update in progress

While Apple doesn’t provide a pause or stop button for updates, you can still cancel an iOS update in progress if you haven’t started the installation process after downloading it.

An over-the-air iOS update generally involves two separate stages: your iPhone downloads the update and then prepares and installs it.

If the download is still underway, you can interrupt your internet connection. If the complete update has already been downloaded, you can remove it from your iPhone’s storage. But once you’ve started the installation, you cannot stop it midway. You must downgrade your iOS after the update is complete.

Here’s what I recommend doing.

Step 1: Stop the iOS update while it’s downloading

Your iPhone needs an active internet connection to download the update from Apple’s server. So, you’ll need to disconnect your iPhone from the internet to stop the download, as explained below:

While the iOS update is downloading, open the Control Center.
Enable Airplane Mode. The tile should turn orange when enabled.
Make sure Wi-Fi is also disabled.

Refresh cellular network using airplane mode

Once you toggle on Airplane Mode and disable Wi-Fi, the download will immediately pause as the connection is interrupted. You can verify the same by navigating to Settings → General → Software Update. Whatever you do, keep the iPhone in Airplane Mode until the next step is completed.

If the update has already finished downloading, move on to the next step.

Step 2: Delete the downloaded iOS update file

The next step is to delete the downloaded software update files. This will prevent the new iOS 27 update from continuing to install and free up storage on your iPhone.

Go to Settings → General → iPhone Storage.
Scroll down and tap the iOS update file → Tap Delete Update.
Finally, tap Delete Update again to confirm your action.

Once the update file has been deleted, your iPhone won’t have the downloaded iOS 27 package available for installation. Still, you may follow the steps below to verify the update has been terminated before using your iPhone again:

Swipe down from the top-left corner to open the Control Center → Turn off Airplane Mode.
Go to Settings → General → Software Update to ensure that the page has reverted to the initial update screen. If not, you may perform the previous steps again.

The steps mentioned above will help you prevent the iOS update from installing on your iPhone for the time being.

What if I can’t find the iOS 27 update in iPhone storage?

Don’t worry if you don’t see an iOS update listed under Settings → General → iPhone Storage. It generally means the update hasn’t been completely downloaded or there isn’t a removable update package currently stored on your iPhone.

If your iPhone is still showing that it is downloading an update, disconnect it from the internet first and give the download some time to stop.

If you still can’t remove the update or the installation continues, Apple recommends updating or restoring the iPhone using a Mac or PC in situations where normal updating doesn’t work.

How to turn off automatic updates on iPhone

If you don’t want your iPhone to automatically download or install future iOS updates without your permission, you can change the automatic update settings.

Apple currently provides separate controls for automatically downloading and automatically installing iOS updates.

Here’s how to find them:

Go to Settings → General → Software Update.
Select Automatic Updates → Then, toggle off Automatically Install.
Now, an Automatically Download option appears. You must toggle it off If you don’t even want the iOS update package automatically downloaded to your iPhone.
You can also turn off Automatically Install under System Files.

From now on, your iPhone won’t automatically install the update overnight while charging and connected to Wi-Fi. You’ll still get a notification when a new update is available.

Alternatively, instead of entirely turning off Automatic Updates on your iPhone, you can just toggle off Automatically Install.

This way, your iPhone can still auto-download new iOS update files whenever a suitable network becomes available, but they won’t be installed without your knowledge. Every time, you need to check for the new update and tap the Update Now button.

What happens if iOS 27 has already started installing?

This is where you need to be careful.

If your iPhone has already moved beyond downloading and preparation and is actively installing iOS 27, don’t try to interrupt the process. When you see the Apple logo with a progress bar, leave your iPhone connected to power and allow the installation to finish.

Turning off the iPhone or deliberately interrupting the installation at this stage can cause problems. If your iPhone becomes stuck during an update, Apple provides separate troubleshooting steps for completing the update or using recovery mode when necessary.

Can I stop iOS 27 beta updates too?

If you’re running an iOS beta, you can also control whether your iPhone continues receiving beta software through the Beta Updates setting.

However, turning off beta updates doesn’t downgrade your iPhone or remove the version you’re already running. It simply prevents your device from continuing on the beta update track.

If you want to return to a publicly released version of iOS, that’s a different process and may require restoring your iPhone, depending on the beta version and the version you want to install.

Signing off

By following the steps in this guide, you’ll be able to regain control over your iPhone and decide whether and when to install the latest iOS update.

Not only that, but you can use the same steps to cancel beta updates for iOS in addition to canceling public releases of iOS updates that are in progress.

For more awesome iOS hacks, check out the links below: