Maria Diaz/ZDNET Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS 26 -- yes, if you've not been keeping up, that's what will come after iOS 18 -- is landing real soon (September 15), and it'll be pushed out to hundreds of millions of compatible iPhones worldwide within a few days. For the most part, the vast majority of these upgrades will be smooth and painless. Also: Every iPhone that can be updated to iOS 26 (and when you can install it) Maybe I'm being overly cautious here, but, as someone who's experienced a painful upgrade, I like to take a few precautions before I allow a new update to go wild on my system. And it's not like any of these steps are a huge chore or consume a lot of time. First, will you even get iOS 26? Good question. Every major release, I invariable get messages from people endlessly checking for an update only to find that their iPhone is at the end of the line of upgrades. The good news is that if your iPhone is running iOS 18, then there's a very good chance that you'll be getting iOS 26. In fact, everything from the iPhone 11 and iPhone SE 2nd gen onwards will get iOS 26, and the only iPhones running iOS 18 that won't get upgraded are the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR. Also: Every iPhone that can be updated to iOS 26 (and when you can install it) So, on Monday, the release day of iOS 26, the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR will be the last in the line. With that out of the way, let's look at how to prepare your iPhone. 1. Declutter your iPhone We all have those apps that we downloaded and never used, or the game that lost its appeal once we realized it was going to bombard us with ads every 48 seconds. This is the perfect time to get rid of those apps and free up some space. The same goes for all those videos you shot of that eel in the aquarium and that UFO that turned out to be a drone. Also: How to clear your iPhone cache (and why you should do it before upgrading to iPhone 17) For a full-on, deep declutter of my camera reel, I use CleanMy Phone. Yes, it costs a few bucks a month, but that might save you from having to spend more money on storage when you buy a new iPhone. 2. Update your apps I recommend updating all your apps if you've disabled automatic updates and forget to do them manually. Running older apps on the new iOS release can cause glitches and issues. Even if things update automatically, I like to do a manual update just to be sure. To open the App Store, tap your Profile icon at the top right, and then scroll down to see pending updates. You can tap the Update button next to individual apps or tap Update All to update everything at once. 3. Backup! After decluttering comes ensuring that what you have left is protected in case things go wrong. Imagine your photos gone, your banking app deleted, or all those open tabs on your browser missing. Even if you don't lose any data, setting up an iPhone from scratch takes a lot of time and effort. Also: The best cloud storage services: Expert tested I recommend having two backups of your data -- one in the cloud in case things go bad, and one on a PC or Mac in case things go really bad. Apple has a support document detailing how to make effective backups to iCloud on a Mac or PC. 4. Put your iPhone on its charger While you can technically possible to update iOS with only 50% battery, it's far better to be safe than sorry and put it on a charger. Running out of power mid-update wouldn't be good. Also: iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro: I compared both models, and here's who should upgrade 5. Use the best internet connection possible It is possible to update an iPhone over a sketchy internet connection, but it's far better and less frustrating to carry out the update over a fast, reliable connection. Choose the best spot, whether that be at home, work, or the nearest Apple Store. 6. Choose the time and the place Now you're ready for the update. While you could wait for the iOS update to be downloaded and installed automatically, you can also do what I do: Take charge and download it on your terms. Tap Settings > General > Software Update and kick off the update when you want. Or you might want to wait Almost every major iOS update seems to have a fair share of bugs. If your livelihood depends on your iPhone, you might consider delaying the update for a few days so you can see just how buggy this release is, or even wait for the iOS 26.0.1 bug fix release that will inevitably be rolled out in a few weeks. Also: Why I'm breaking the 5-year iPhone upgrade cycle - and I'm not alone However, iOS updates are also brimming with security updates, so I don't recommend waiting too long. Also, if you want to skip this update for now, you do need to make sure that your iPhone isn't going to automatically update itself. To do so, go to Settings > General > Software Update and turn off Automatic Updates until you are ready to update.