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With the launch of every new iPhone comes a wave of fresh problems plaguing iOS users.
In 2010, it was so-called Antennagate, a hardware issue that saw iPhone 4 users getting significantly reduced cellular reception if they held their iPhones in a particular way. With the launch of iOS 6 last year, the new Maps app sent iOS users into a tizzy (as well as into trailer parks, the ocean, and the middle of the desert).
With the launch of iOS 7 and the iPhone 5s last month, we’ve got a whole new batch of issues to deal with. Here are six major iOS- and iPhone-related problems that many users are experiencing and how to deal with them. If there are any we’ve missed, feel free to share them in the comments.
Above:
iPhone 5s Sensors Incorrectly Calibrated
If you plan to use your new iPhone 5s as a level, a compass, or to track your activities using its gyroscope or accelerometer, you may find things are a little…off. That’s because those sensors aren’t working properly on some iPhone 5s units.
This issue could be a big one. For now, it’s unclear if it’s a software or hardware problem. On top of that, the specific issues people are experiencing seems to vary quite a bit, which means if it is hardware related, it’s going to be a challenge for Apple to issue a software-based fix. Some people who have affected units are taking them back to the Apple Store and swapping them out for new ones. That seems to be the only fix for now. Even then, some customer’s new units still have gyro, accelerometer, and compass abnormalities.
Photo: Josh Valcarcel/WIRED
-
Battery Drain
I can’t remember the last iOS update that wasn’t accompanied by at least some complaints of excessive battery drain. And iOS 7 is no exception. While the iPhone 5s chugs along swimmingly with quite stellar battery life (at least in our experience), the iPhone 5 in particular is seeing some serious battery drainage. It doesn’t appear that the problem is universal — for some, their battery life has actually improved.
If your iPhone seems to be sucking up more juice than usual, here are a few fixes you can try.
- Turn off Background App Refresh by going to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. You can turn it off entirely, or turn it off for select apps. You can also switch off background app updates by going to Settings > iTunes & App Store and scrolling down to the Automatic Downloads section and toggling Updates to off.
- Disabling Parallax, which we will describe in a forthcoming slide.
- Switch off Location Services for apps you don’t need it on by going to Settings > Privacy > Location Services.
- Eliminate Auto-Brightness by going into Settings > Wallpapers & Brightness and switching Auto-Brightness to the off position.
Gizmodo has a long list of other tweaks you can make to maximize your iOS device’s battery life.
Photo: Jon Snyder/WIRED
-
iMessage Woes
iMessage can be buggy even on the best of days. But since the launch of iOS 7, a percentage of users are now unable to send iMessages. If you’re experiencing this, the first thing you should try is to restart your iOS device, and crossing your fingers that does the trick. If it doesn’t, just turn off iMessage and send all your texts as regular text messages. To do this, go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. For some, the problem is also resolved by switching on the Send as SMS setting under Settings > Messages.
Apple is aware of this issue and will be delivering a fix in an upcoming software update.
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Parallax Inducing Motion Sickness
iOS 7 has some pretty nifty 3D effects and animations built in. Unfortunately for some, all that zooming in and out is making them nauseous. While there’s nothing you can do to alter the actual animations, save for closing your eyes every time you open or close an app, you can eliminate the parallax effect in the OS. Simply go to Settings > General > Accessibility and tap on Reduce Motion.
As an added bonus, this can also help save on battery life.
Photo: Josh Valcarcel/WIRED
-
Students Bypassing iPad Restrictions
Some teachers aren’t too pleased with the latest updates to Apple’s mobile OS. Apparently savvy students can now bypass restrictions on school issued devices. iOS 7 removed supervision profiles that had been installed on the devices. These profiles let administrators remotely manage student privileges and filter what apps and content students could access. Now students can just go willy nilly on their tablets.
The only way to fix this issue is to prevent students from being able to download the iOS 7 update and stay on iOS 6.1.3. Apple is aware of this problem, and plans to have a fix before the month is through.
Photo: John Bradley/WIRED
-
Getting Logged Out of Apps
Some users have experienced problems with apps repeatedly logging them out. Mailbox and Snapchat seem to be the two most cited culprits. While the problem hasn’t been officially resolved yet, Mailbox told The Verge that they believe Background Refresh is the issue, so they updated their app to remove it. That seems to have fixed the issue.
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With the launch of every new iPhone comes a wave of fresh problems plaguing iOS users.
In 2010, it was so-called Antennagate, a hardware issue that saw iPhone 4 users getting significantly reduced cellular reception if they held their iPhones in a particular way. With the launch of iOS 6 last year, the new Maps app sent iOS users into a tizzy (as well as into trailer parks, the ocean, and the middle of the desert).
With the launch of iOS 7 and the iPhone 5s last month, we’ve got a whole new batch of issues to deal with. Here are six major iOS- and iPhone-related problems that many users are experiencing and how to deal with them. If there are any we’ve missed, feel free to share them in the comments.
Above:
iPhone 5s Sensors Incorrectly Calibrated
If you plan to use your new iPhone 5s as a level, a compass, or to track your activities using its gyroscope or accelerometer, you may find things are a little…off. That’s because those sensors aren’t working properly on some iPhone 5s units.
This issue could be a big one. For now, it’s unclear if it’s a software or hardware problem. On top of that, the specific issues people are experiencing seems to vary quite a bit, which means if it is hardware related, it’s going to be a challenge for Apple to issue a software-based fix. Some people who have affected units are taking them back to the Apple Store and swapping them out for new ones. That seems to be the only fix for now. Even then, some customer’s new units still have gyro, accelerometer, and compass abnormalities.
Photo: Josh Valcarcel/WIRED
-
Battery Drain
I can’t remember the last iOS update that wasn’t accompanied by at least some complaints of excessive battery drain. And iOS 7 is no exception. While the iPhone 5s chugs along swimmingly with quite stellar battery life (at least in our experience), the iPhone 5 in particular is seeing some serious battery drainage. It doesn’t appear that the problem is universal — for some, their battery life has actually improved.
If your iPhone seems to be sucking up more juice than usual, here are a few fixes you can try.
- Turn off Background App Refresh by going to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. You can turn it off entirely, or turn it off for select apps. You can also switch off background app updates by going to Settings > iTunes & App Store and scrolling down to the Automatic Downloads section and toggling Updates to off.
- Disabling Parallax, which we will describe in a forthcoming slide.
- Switch off Location Services for apps you don’t need it on by going to Settings > Privacy > Location Services.
- Eliminate Auto-Brightness by going into Settings > Wallpapers & Brightness and switching Auto-Brightness to the off position.
Gizmodo has a long list of other tweaks you can make to maximize your iOS device’s battery life.
Photo: Jon Snyder/WIRED
-
iMessage Woes
iMessage can be buggy even on the best of days. But since the launch of iOS 7, a percentage of users are now unable to send iMessages. If you’re experiencing this, the first thing you should try is to restart your iOS device, and crossing your fingers that does the trick. If it doesn’t, just turn off iMessage and send all your texts as regular text messages. To do this, go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. For some, the problem is also resolved by switching on the Send as SMS setting under Settings > Messages.
Apple is aware of this issue and will be delivering a fix in an upcoming software update.
-
Parallax Inducing Motion Sickness
iOS 7 has some pretty nifty 3D effects and animations built in. Unfortunately for some, all that zooming in and out is making them nauseous. While there’s nothing you can do to alter the actual animations, save for closing your eyes every time you open or close an app, you can eliminate the parallax effect in the OS. Simply go to Settings > General > Accessibility and tap on Reduce Motion.
As an added bonus, this can also help save on battery life.
Photo: Josh Valcarcel/WIRED
-
Students Bypassing iPad Restrictions
Some teachers aren’t too pleased with the latest updates to Apple’s mobile OS. Apparently savvy students can now bypass restrictions on school issued devices. iOS 7 removed supervision profiles that had been installed on the devices. These profiles let administrators remotely manage student privileges and filter what apps and content students could access. Now students can just go willy nilly on their tablets.
The only way to fix this issue is to prevent students from being able to download the iOS 7 update and stay on iOS 6.1.3. Apple is aware of this problem, and plans to have a fix before the month is through.
Photo: John Bradley/WIRED
-
Getting Logged Out of Apps
Some users have experienced problems with apps repeatedly logging them out. Mailbox and Snapchat seem to be the two most cited culprits. While the problem hasn’t been officially resolved yet, Mailbox told The Verge that they believe Background Refresh is the issue, so they updated their app to remove it. That seems to have fixed the issue.
Christina is a Wired.com staff writer covering Apple, robotics, and everything in between. She’s also written for Gizmodo and Wired magazine. Check out her Google+ profile here.
Read more by Christina Bonnington
Follow @redgirlsays and @gadgetlab on Twitter.
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