iOS 14 update stuck on “Preparing Update”

My Mac Mini failed to install twice. I rebooted and got through all the upgrade right up to where it rebooted by itself. It then rebooted 4 times and is now stuck about 1/4 way through the startup. Just an apple logo and incomplete progress bar. It hasn’t moved in 4 hours. I’m afraid to turn it off. I’ll let it sit overnight. Then turn off the power.

crap.

My 14.2 update for new iPhone 12 Pro Max just sat on "preparing update" for 31 minutes (give or take) before the hyperlink for "install update" showed....that's why I googled this and am responding. :)

This gives me hope! I’m at around the 7 hour mark of restoring/downloading/preparing update on new phone - also done hard reset on PC & put phone in DFU mode. Have tried every suggestion on Google. And now I have tried logging out of my Apple ID - this wasn’t suggested anywhere on Google - but probably only thing I haven’t tried!? So now I’m sitting waiting, hoping, praying that this is the magic answer to get to the end of preparing update because I need this phone to be operating for work in the morning!

Mine is doing the same thing on my iPad. I’ve deleted it twice now because apple tech said to do so. I did the download again and it said preparing update again. So I deleted that one because my iPhone installed it faster than the iPad and I started the iPad first. So now I’ve did it once more and I started the process at 6:03 pm and it’s now 6:45 pm and it still says Preparing update. I was told by the apple tech to call tomorrow if it doesn’t work again. It’s ridiculous!

I'm having the same issue and have tried all the options / suggestions I can locate, except for giving it more time. After about 30 min. I deleted the update and started over. The only hopeful thing I've noticed is that now (at about the 35 minute mark) the little spinning circle icon next to my wi-fi icon continues to spin, denoting that it's processing something. But, it really is preposterous the amount of time this is taking, considering I'm on lighting fast wi-fi and the only person using it at present. I had to do a full, large-scale update earlier today for Windows 10 on my notebook computer, which is a huge amount of data and processing, and it took 15 minutes in total. This shouldn't be so clumsy nor so lacking in giving back any useful indications of what the actual status is, if something really is wrong, or when in the name of Hades this thing will actually, maybe, perhaps, be done. I was old enough when I started this. I'll be retired and in "the home" by the time it's done.

What might “stuck” mean? How long did you allow? Are you using a strong wi-fi signal?

I suggest allowing at least 30 minutes, maybe more depending on what else is happening on the network.

If your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch won’t update - Apple Support

I am having the same issue, download and install, then preparing update, over night, 8 hours it reverted back to download and install, guess I am waiting 14.1

what is black shadow across the iPhone screen while on FaceTime call?

This seems to be a problem for the 12.9 pro - ‘preparing update’ and then ‘reconnecting’. Literally hours so far.

is this really state of the art technology?