The iOS 11 GM (Gold Master) build is now available to download for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users. This is the final build of the software which will be seeded to everyone in a few days.
You Can Now Download iOS 11 GM Build for Compatible iPhone, iPad & iPod touch Devices
The Gold Master candidate of iOS 11 is now available for download. For those wondering: the Gold Master is essentially the final version of a particular software, but meant for developers and testers only. If a last minute show-stopping bug is found and reported, then Apple will release a second GM build to improve the release for the end user. But this is the software which will be seeded to everyone else around the globe later this month. At least for now.
If you already have iOS 11 Beta 10 or iOS 11 Public Beta 9 installed on your device, then you can download iOS 11 GM right away over the air. Just head over to Settings > General > Software Update and install the available release.
Those enrolled in the Apple Developer Program have something more to be excited about since the complete iOS 11 GM firmware file is available to download for a clean restore using iTunes. This is important since it allows you to install brand new software from scratch and receive the maximum performance and feature-related benefits that was intended by Apple.
If you are looking for an easy way out, I would suggest going for the over the air route for installing the software. It’s painless, it retains your files, and it gets the job done. But I'm pretty sure the pro users out there would want to start all over from scratch. After all, iOS 11 really is something to be excited about, and there’s no way one would want to kick things off with minor hiccups.
Since iOS 11 GM is the first big release of a brand new firmware, therefore don’t expect it to operate at its full potential. Subsequent releases will be pushed out to users over time that will improve what Apple intended in the first place. This, on the other hand, doesn’t mean that you end up being demotivated when it comes to trying out new software. iOS 11, by all means, superior compared to iOS 10 in many ways. Therefore getting on the early train will give you the bragging rights ahead of anyone else.
For full details regarding what's new in iOS 11, check out our post here.
We will be back with detailed tutorials on how to clean install and download iOS 11 GM, along with a guide on how to downgrade, so make sure you are tuned in for that. But, if you're in a rush at this point in time, you may check out guides meant for iOS 11 Beta in the meantime. They apply to to the Gold Master candidate build as well.
Update: our tutorial are up, they're linked below.
