How to Get Apple’s First Over-The-Air iOS 5 Update.

Today Apple has pushed out its first over-the-air update for iOS 5. In this new update, Apple is pushing out iOS 5.0.1, which fixes major battery issues introduced with the first release of iOS 5 and enables multitasking gestures for the original iPad.

This is the first true test of Apple’s over-the-air update system and it seems to be going well for now; instead of an over 800 MB file to download, it’s now down to 40 MB. This will make updates easier to download and much faster.

You can get the update on iOS 5, but only by following certain requirements. Your iOS device must be connected to a Wi-Fi network and be above 50% battery life — good luck, as iOS 5 sucks down your battery! It’s recommended to have your device plugged in when updating to prevent anything from going wrong.

Over-The-Air Update:

To check for over-the-air updates, open up the Settings app and navigate to the General section. Tap on Software Update and your device will query the Apple servers to check for an update. If one is found, you’ll be prompted to install it. Your update will begin to download after you tell it to install; it will then install the update. If your battery is below 50%, you’ll be prompted to plug in the device before you can continue to the update. After it’s installed, you’ll be asked to restart the device and your update will then be installed.

You’ll notice that the update is smaller than in the past; this is because of Apple’s new incremental update system.

Non Over-The-Air Update:

Like always, you can connect your iOS device to iTunes and update it that way, but instead of the optimized update, you’ll be downloading the full update that may take longer to download and install. To do this, connect your device to your computer and open up iTunes. You’ll be prompted to install the update from there; just follow the wizard to install the update.

The update seems to be going well for everyone and no major problems have been reported. I was able to install the update without any worries, but if you have any trouble, let us know below in the comments.