Apple OS updates way too large!

Turns out there is a setting to just install security updates....After calling Apple support, here's what I learned: Desktop Mac, go to system settings, and (counterintuitively) turn on "automatic updates." Then select the (in my case) "i" inside the circle to the right of that setting. You can select for just security updates and turn off "download when available" and/or "install macOS updates," leaving just "install system data files and security updates." Also, if there's a notice for an incremental update and also an OS upgrade you can ignore the update and load OS upgrade any time for a while, some months, I think. On IOS, system settings / general / software update: you can leave auto updates off, go into that menu and turn on only System Files / Automatically install. Thanks for replies...!

Zurarczurx wrote:

If you've got a Mac then you could try updating your phone by connecting it to the Mac and updating user Finder. The files sizes are smaller when done via the Mac.

Are you sure about that? When updating through the Mac, the full ipsw file is downloaded and the OTA update is a delta version depending on the previous OS, typically much smaller.

The only example I have is when I updated my iPad to 26.7, where on my Mac at ~/Library/iTunes/iPad Software Updates, it shows that update was downloaded using 9.78GB, where the Delta OTA update to iPad 26.7 from my previous 26.3 version shows it is about 2.7GB.

https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/OTA_Updates/iPad/26.7

You may be referring to the suggestion to use a Mac to update when the iPhone/iPad is low on space and that is not because of the file size downloaded. The reason why that is suggested is because the installer does not have to be first downloaded to the phone, then unpacked, and installed from that file taking up additional storage space that is only removed after the install has completed. You will need more storage space on the iPhone/iPad than the size of the file that is actually downloaded to install.

You can't limit the size of the updates, I'm afraid.

If you've got a Mac then you could try updating your phone by connecting it to the Mac and updating user Finder. The files sizes are smaller when done via the Mac.

There is also delayed gratification. Don't try to update everything in one month. Easier on that quota…

It was from memory, I haven't done it that way for a long time. Happy to be corrected.

I vaguely remember that in the good old days you could download it once on the Mac and update multiple devices with the same download. Maybe I'm confusing the two.