iOS 8.4 To Launch Tuesday With Apple Music And Beats 1 Streaming Radio

Apple is set to release iOS 8.4, the latest update for the operating system powering its iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. And this time around its customers can get it earlier in the day.

Starting 8 a.m. PDT/11 a.m. EDT Tuesday, iPhone and iPad owners will be able to download the update, according to a tweet by Apple Music senior director Ian Rogers. Apple historically has launched updates at 10 a.m. PDT/1 p.m. EDT. But this time around the software update release was pushed up, giving users time to download it ahead of the 9 a.m. PDT/12 p.m. EDT launch of the Beats One radio station, led by former BBC DJ Zane Lowe.

The Beats 1 streaming radio station is free for all users with an Apple ID. But customers can also subscribe to the Apple Music service starting at $9.99 per month. This gives unlimited access to 30 million songs in the Apple Music library, saving music for offline listening, music recommendations and more.

For the most part, installing the update on Tuesday will be a fairly straightforward process. The easiest way to install iOS 8.4 is by launching the settings app, tapping General and Software Update. A new screen should appear with the update, along with a description. Tap the update button to start the over-the-air (OTA) update process. Keep in mind that updating through this method works as long as there is enough free space available on an iPhone or iPad.

If there isn’t enough space on the iPhone available, one alternative is plugging it into a Mac or PC and running the update through iTunes. This can be done by launching the iTunes app and clicking the “Update” button on the iPhone’s device page. The process is fairly similar to the OTA update. However, the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch must be plugged into the Mac or PC for the entire duration of the update process.