Apple's iOS 7 arrives: Here's how to get it

The software is going out to users as a free update this morning, a little more than a week after developers got a finalized version, and some three months after Apple first showed it off back in June.

The update is a complete visual overhaul to iOS, which looked much the same in its first six iterations. It also brings new features, including:

• A way to quickly adjust settings from inside any app
• iTunes Radio -- Apple's streaming music service
• An overhauled version of Siri, Apple's voice assistant software
• A reworked multitasking view that shows previews of what's happening within each app
• AirDrop file sharing (for Apple's newest iOS devices)

Users can find the update in iOS' settings app (Settings > General > Software Update), or by plugging their device into iTunes. Apple will also be shipping it on both the iPhone 5C and 5S on Friday.

As with previous releases, iOS 7 cannot be installed on all devices. For this round it's the iPhone 4 and newer, the fifth-generation iPod Touch, and iPad 2 and newer (including the iPad Mini). Some features are also only available on Apple's latest models, like the new AirDrop tool, which only works on the iPhone 5 (and newer), fourth-generation iPad and iPad Mini, and fifth-generation iPod Touch. You can find more details on that here.

For many, the update is likely to warrant connecting to a Wi-Fi network. In the case of iPhone 4 users running iOS 6.1.3, the update to iOS 7 weighs in at a hefty 665 MB. And for the iPad 2, it's around 649 MB. Some users are also reporting that iOS is asking for nearly 3 GB of free space in order to install.