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I'm still stuck on iOS 7 because iTunes and the blessed updaters don't work.

iTunes will start the download, but always drops the connection before finishing. It appears to be incapable of resuming an interrupted download.

I rely on an unlimited mobile data plan from a carrier that doesn't push OTA updates, so my device will only self-update over a WiFi connection that I don't really have. Routing the connection by LTE => iPad => USB tethering to Mac => internet sharing => WiFi device-to-device network => back to iPad sort-of works occasionally. Indeed it's how I got iOS 7, but it's way too flaky now.

Is there any possibility of using a sane, stable HTTP client to get the file?

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I've had the same issue, when I had connectivity issues - you're right, it never does appear to resume.

You can get the update file directly from https://ipsw.me
this site merely links to the correct location at Apple for the file you require & so is safe to use

Get the latest version for your device.
This is not a way to downgrade your iOS, merely to fetch the current one by an alternative method.

If you still have difficulty resuming, then use a separate downloader app, SpeedDownload for Mac or Wget for Windows, etc.

Launch iTunes.
Plug the phone to your computer.

Then, in iTunes, hold Opt [alt] when clicking the Check for Update button & a file-picker will open instead. Find the file you just downloaded & it will run from there as normal.

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  • Fantastic! That site just provides URL links to Apple's servers. The connection drops just as fast when I use the browser — they seem to hate my ISP, despite consistent speeds of 1-3 MB/s — but wget successfully resumes the download.
    – Potatoswatter
    Jan 23, 2015 at 21:06
  • Be aware though, that this does not enable you to install arbitrary versions of iOS onto your device. Only the most current version available for your device can be installed this way.
    – orkoden
    Dec 15, 2015 at 10:49
  • Indeed; why I mention to get the latest version for your device. I'll emphasise that, though there are many other questions covering attempted rollbacks, shsh blobs etc & how they've been little use since about iOS 5 ;)
    – Tetsujin
    Dec 15, 2015 at 10:51
  • This site is blocked by my provider. Are there any others?
    – Trashman
    Dec 13, 2019 at 21:48
  • On Windows you have to hold [shift], then Update.
    – 7hny
    Sep 29, 2021 at 8:47

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