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iOS 6.1.3 Issues Plaguing iPhone, iPad Users

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Earlier this month, Apple rolled out its iOS 6.1.3 update for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch in order to fix a security issue that was lingering from iOS 6.1. And while our experience with iOS 6.1.3 has been good on the iPhone 5, iPad and iPad mini, iPhone and iPad owners have been voicing their complaints about iOS 6.1.3 issues and it also appears that a small number of owners are still experiencing issues with Exchange.

Read: OS 6.1.3 on iPad Mini Review.

In late January, Apple rolled out iOS 6.1, an update that was its biggest since rolling out iOS 6 back in September alongside the iPhone 5. The update brought a number of new features including the new lock screen controls, however, it also brought a number of issues along with that forced Apple to roll out several incremental updates.

How-to-Watch-WWDC-2012-Live-Keynote-iOS-6

iPhone and iPad owners are complaining about a number of iOS 6.1.3 issues.

iOS 6.1.1 was rolled out to tackle cellular issues with the iPhone 4S. iOS 6.1.2 emerged to take care of an Exchange bug that caused abnormal activity and thus, caused battery drain. And more recently, Apple rolled out its iOS 6.1.3 update for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch in an effort to fix the remaining security issues that iOS 6.1 brought with it.

Read: iOS 6.1.3 on iPhone 5 Review.

At first, the feedback about iOS 6.1.3 was positive. Our reviews of the new software on the iPhone 5, iPad 3 and the iPad mini elicited no major issues. However, it seems some iPhone and iPad owners are still experiencing issues with iOS 6.1.3, including a new lockscreen bypass that seems limited to the iPhone 4.

Exchange Issues Improve, But Aren’t Gone

With iOS 6.1.2, Apple aimed to fix the Exchange issues wherein the calendar would cause increased network activity and thus, cause severe battery drain to owners. We heard from a number of different people who updated to iOS 6.1.2 but saw the problem persist including one owner who said that an iPhone 5 running iOS 6.1.2 had contacted his company’s Microsoft Exchange 2003 server in the neighborhood of 50,000 times.

We heard from another iPhone user who claimed that his iPhone 4S was downloading emails to his inbox, deleting them, and then contacting the server to re-download them, resulting in a massive hit to his battery life. He also said that it put him over the data allowance on his monthly contract as it would occur up to 20 times per hour.

We’ve been in contact with him since the release of iOS 6.1.3 and after a few days of using it, he says that while the issue has improved, he’s still experiencing abnormal activity with Exchange.

Apparently, since installing iOS 6.1.3, his device has “only wiped the data twice and re downloaded from the server,” a far cry from the twenty times per hour mark that we heard several weeks ago.

We haven’t heard many iPhone or iPad owners complain about this issue since iOS 6.1.3 but the fact remains that some are still having problems with Exchange.

iOS 6.1.3 Battery Drain

iOS 6.1.3 has brought battery issues to iPhone and iPad owners it seems.

iOS 6.1.3 has brought battery issues to iPhone and iPad owners it seems.

As with any iOS update, iPhone and iPad owners alike have come out of the woodwork complaining about battery drain issues. It happens every single time an iOS update is released so we’re not surprised to hear that owners are experiencing problems with iOS 6.1.3.

Read: How to Get Better iPhone 5 Battery Life.

Across the board, iPhone and iPad owners are complaining about iOS 6.1.3 battery drain. In fact, our own Kevin Purcell has noticed a considerable drop in battery life on his iPad mini and iPhone. He’s not alone.

There are several different threads on Apple’s support forums that indicate that owners are having problems with their battery life since downloading the new software.

Read: How to Improve iPad Battery Life in 5 Minutes.

Some are even saying that the tips and tricks that many have suggested do not work. We suggest heading to check out our tips on how to get better battery life. If none of those work, it might be time for a factory reset as that generally takes care of any lingering issues.

Wi-Fi Issues Persist

iPhone and iPad owners are still complaining, as they have been since the release of iOS 6, about Wi-Fi issues with their devices. Owners are saying that their connection was fine after installing iOS 6.1.2 but that after iOS 6.1.3, their connections are either grayed out or non-functional.

Editor Josh Smith also noticed Wi-Fi issue connectivity with his iPad 3 after installing iOS 6.1.2 saying that the device couldn’t pull down any data after supposedly connection. However, he claims that since installing iOS 6.1.3, the issues with his iPad 3 Wi-Fi connection have dissipated.

Apple has an official solution listed for the grayed out Wi-Fi and Bluetooth issues but it appears that it’s not working for many owners.

Volume Issues

We’re seeing a number of iPhone owners complaining about loss of sound after installing iOS 6.1.3 as well. Evidently, after installing iOS 6.1.3 owners are not able to hear anything on their iPhone whether it’s games or the ringer.

iPhone 4 Security Issues

One of the major and widespread iOS 6.1.3 issues is a new security bug that was found that applies to iPhone 4 owners only. The bug utilizes the Voice Dial command and it allows nefarious persons to access the iPhone’s contacts and photos without actually having to input a lock screen code. The process is tricky and involves popping out the SIM card but nonetheless, it works.

This is a similar issue to those that were fixed in iOS 6.1.3 so we expect that Apple will likely tackle this issue at some point down the road for owners of the iPhone 4.

Bug Remedies

After every iOS update there are typically complaints about bugs. Some are extremely isolated while others, like the Exchange bug, are widespread and are cause for a quick bug fix update.

Besides the iPhone 4 security issue, we haven’t seen any bugs that are going to prompt Apple to issue another quick iOS update. Battery life is always a problem for owners after installing a new iOS update, the Wi-Fi issues have persisted for months and it’s unclear if it’s an Apple problem or a user-side issue and the Exchange issues only seem to be affecting a small amount of owners at best. That said, users are going to be on their own to solve many of these issues.

apple-iphone-ipad-christmas

The best solution for iOS 6.1.3 bugs? Take the device to an Apple Store.

Many issues will likely have fixes within the Apple Support forums. However, those that have access to a nearby Apple Store will want to avoid them and take their device down to a Genius.

Recently, my girlfriend took her iPhone 4S down to a local Apple store and it was discovered that her poor battery life was due to a battery that had become defective and not due to any iOS update.

If all else fails, the fail safe that tends to work for most people is a full factory reset. It will wipe out the data on the phone but for those that are experiencing major issues with iOS 6.1.3 and below, a factory reset may be the only and maybe the best way to deal with the issues.

54 Comments

54 Comments

  1. Kevin Stinnett

    03/26/2013 at 5:17 pm

    Volume Issues
    We’re seeing a number of iPhone owners complaining about loss of sound after installing iOS 6.1.3 as well. Evidently, after installing iOS 6.1.3 owners are not able to hear anything on their iPhone whether it’s games or the ringer.

    I am having this exact issue and I cant find any solution anywhere. Any Ideas?

    • Larry

      03/26/2013 at 7:06 pm

      Ya don’t buy iPhones apple sucks all the $$$ they make and they can’t get there act together??? I bet Tim cook is a crook!!! Glad I find have update after failed update on my android !!! That’s greedy apple for ya, I guess you got a bad apple out of a bunch of apples?

    • Yostupid

      03/27/2013 at 10:13 pm

      Clean restore direct from iTunes, not OTA. Do not restore from backup, you corrupted it somehow.

    • Ange

      04/14/2013 at 10:27 am

      Same thing with me :(
      The sound would not be heard unless you use earphones

    • Renee E. Dorsey

      04/21/2013 at 7:55 am

      I am behind here, but fwiw I had this exact issue with my 4s when I updated to 6.1.2. The sound disappeared, unless I used headphones or an external speaker through the jack. I contacted support and basically bitched because THEIR software broke the phone, not me! I ended up with a replacement phone. (I am 1 1/2 hrs from the nearest Apple store.) Now I am scared to update to 6.1.3! Maybe I will wait awhile.

    • Tim Murray

      06/02/2013 at 11:39 pm

      Email me if anyone has any info or is interested in a class action against Apple over all the bugs with especially 6.1.3 ([email protected]); even my lawyer has been having issues directly related to this update.

    • Taybuggs

      08/12/2013 at 4:11 pm

      I’m having the same problem on my ipad any help would be awesome!

  2. Thea

    03/26/2013 at 7:42 pm

    Having the sound issue also….but seems to only be when an app has video links embedded…works fine in safari, youtube, TED. Non safari browsers don’t seem to work either..factory reset it might need to be.

  3. Geek Here

    03/27/2013 at 3:07 am

    These are the bugs you should know about. Here’s a long list. > https://bit.ly/VOfDL1

    • Yostupid

      03/27/2013 at 10:15 pm

      Yes that is a long list. All about android. All bugs all the time. Crappiest mobile operating system to date.

  4. Tony

    03/27/2013 at 4:31 am

    After I installed the latest update on my iPhone 4S, all the outgoing emails with attachment had gone into black hole while normal text emails are ok.

  5. Alan Fujinami

    03/27/2013 at 9:03 am

    6.1.3 is horrible!!! I wish I ignored that update… 6.1.2 worked fine on my 4s…. I was really happy with my iPhone… my batter life made it through the day… no overheating problems… I’m hating my iPhone after I updated it… now my phone acts like a pocket warmer and the batter won’t last more than 4 hours… PLEASE FIX THIS!!!! (hopefully an iPhone developer will see this…) It is ridiculous to have to turn off my phone so that I can have enough battery life to make it through the day… or the alternative is to keep it tethered to either a wall outlet or a backup battery… it kind of defeats the purpose of a mobile phone… not to mention I worry about the whole thing over heating…. it gets quite warm if not hot… so whatever was “fixed” please compare that change with 6.1.2 and see figure this out!!!

    • Oma

      03/27/2013 at 1:18 pm

      It’s ridiculous, to think I just recently got the iPhone 4S, now my battery life is just awful, it’s a miracle if I get through a day without charging my phones battery

    • Yostupid

      03/27/2013 at 10:19 pm

      The iPhone has to be the easiest smartphone to use. Even 80 year old grandmas can use it. You seem to have a problem with problem solving your own issues. You should sell your phone and but a notepad and calculator along with a dumb phone.

      • Tony

        03/28/2013 at 4:15 am

        Your name explains all~

    • fred

      04/22/2013 at 1:49 am

      They know the problem. They don’t want to fix jot. They want you to buy a new phone. Curious how software updates work okay on iPhone 5 but not older phones. They did the same thing with their new MacBooks (2012 model) which amazingly is incompatible with my external hard driven, my print, etc.

  6. Karen

    03/27/2013 at 1:37 pm

    Updated my iPhone 4S with isos 6.1.3 now the iPhone turns on and off when charger plugged in.
    Updated my iPad with it too and now it will not face time?
    Any ideas?

  7. W B Grubel

    03/27/2013 at 8:43 pm

    I uploaded 6.1.3 and instantly I can no longer hit anything on the touch screen without several tries. Just typing this has taken several minutes.

    • Yostupid

      03/27/2013 at 10:20 pm

      Clean your jerkoff juice off the display. Simples.

    • linda squeo

      04/17/2013 at 5:01 pm

      this happens to me everynight for about a hour Just got my THIRD iphone5 same promblem GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

  8. Leaper

    03/29/2013 at 7:33 am

    I upgraded my iPhone 4S from 6.1.2 to 6.1.3. As noted in he article, my battery was getting chewed through quite rapidly. 3/4 through the day and I was down to 10%. Started at 100% in the morning. I am finding the phone to run warm when holstered which would be battery related.

    I also found my Gmail to be sporadic even after disable/enable mail. I ended up backing up my iPhone and wiping it complete, then restored it. Same battery and email problems. I fixed my email issue by removing my Gmail account completely, restarting the phone, and recreating the account. Now it’s the battery.

    I also updated my iPad mini and have noticed the battery to run down quicker as well.

    • Tony

      03/30/2013 at 3:35 am

      Soon after the update, all emails sent from my iPhone 4S with attachments had all gone into blackhole, while normal text email were fine.

      Removed all my mail accounts…rebooted then recreated all the email accounts did fix the problem.

      • Leaper

        03/30/2013 at 6:06 am

        I only did half of that (account removal/recreation). I have two email accounts on my iPhone–Gmail (personal) and Exchange (work). After removing, rebooting, recreating my Gmail account I was still experiencing battery problems. Even when connected to the charge cable my iPhone ran warm. When I started working on my iPhone (detached from power) my battery level dropped from 100% to 97% in a matter of a minute!

        I then removed my Exchange account, recreated it, and rebooted the iPhone and now works somewhat back in a normal mode. It is no longer a hand warmer. My battery level is at 97% at the moment, but that has been two hours since I made the change.

        Perhaps it is just coincidental, but in my case, removal of my Exchange account seem to address my battery issue (for now).

  9. The Gooch

    03/29/2013 at 10:34 pm

    I upgraded to ios 6.1.3. on my iPhone 4s last night. It rebooted and has worked fine just like it did before. I did want to try jailbreaking it for the 1st time, but a quick google search informed me that I should not have upgraded. Hindsight is 20/20 but there isn’t a way to downgrade it to 6.1.2 .

  10. Terri Smith

    04/01/2013 at 9:14 pm

    Still having issues with the exchange email I hate this!!!!!!!!!!!!

  11. Michael Babbitt

    04/05/2013 at 5:37 pm

    And these Apple programmers are geniuses but they cannot create and test an OS properly] to save their lives. Unbelievable that they would release such garbage.

  12. PreciseAir

    04/06/2013 at 12:24 am

    I guess I am stuck with iOS 5 on my iPad 2. No problems.

  13. Dave

    04/06/2013 at 2:29 am

    I upgraded my ipad on 6.1.3 i was able to used with tmobile it was working great after the update now I can not get internet it goes to my billing account. apple sucks im selling all my divices and move to Samsung

    • The Gooch

      04/06/2013 at 4:30 pm

      6.1.3 is still working great on my 4S, I wonder if problems are exclusive to iPads

      • Juan Camilo Vivares

        06/08/2013 at 10:20 pm

        My 4S WiFi insn’t working at all, only data, neither Bluetooth.

        I did everything but I’m just frustrated and that’s after I update the iOS 6.1.3.

  14. Hafeez

    04/08/2013 at 2:28 am

    updated to 6.1.3. did not face any battery issues but i have problems connecting to the personal hotspot. can’t connect through wi-fi but with USB it’s all fine..

    • Juan Camilo Vivares

      06/08/2013 at 10:22 pm

      My 4S WiFi insn’t working at all, only data, neither Bluetooth.

      I did everything but I’m just frustrated and that’s after I updated the iOS 6.1.3.

  15. natsumi

    04/14/2013 at 5:49 am

    why i cant use my sim to my iPhone 4 , here in the phils after i upgrade my iOS to 6.1.3?? cant used for texts. only for music. can anyone help me, please … thanks

  16. hirth

    04/14/2013 at 6:29 am

    youstupid sounds like late steve jobs

  17. Gary

    04/14/2013 at 6:15 pm

    Upgraded last week. During the past three days I have been getting multiple timeout errors when trying to access http://www.ebay.com, sportscenter and other apps. eBay can not be accessed by the App or from Safari

  18. Gigi

    04/16/2013 at 8:05 pm

    it’s all about the fact that all the bloody world forcing update quickly.
    Here are few examples…
    I remember the time when almost all electronic device was over designed by engineers who spend time on quality materials.
    Now days no one want long term working units.
    If you imagine led tv s MP3 players phones washing machines kitchen appliances
    nothing last more than few year or just 2-3 week after warranty.

    Going back to Apple
    Apple was build by those who put into development design quality and enourms time and also heart.
    Since Steve Jobs died the sales and quality dropped down.
    This is because they lost the main leader.I know Steve was tight and strict and not agreed with many things by the years.
    This is important because the quality of products become rock solid.
    If you compare phones from apple you can feel the difference between composition of materials.
    the latest is lightest but more crispy like biscuit.This no gonna be the problem if the software gonna be perfect.
    We need to understand one thing
    There is no software without bugs on the world.
    Apple has also agreement with developers each time we have an update for an apps we are deleting the oldest then is no way back same with ios.
    There is gonna be an option for people to keep all the ios on the server and leave the choice to the customer then we gonna be able to do step back.
    but apple no give you this choice for few reason.
    the first one is to keep pushing you to purchase a new product.
    If you see iphone 3 it’s a great phone but its useless for those who want to download applications.
    not supported any more.i think they should leave old apps on separate folder called vintage.
    this will keep few people who got no money still happy.
    Personally I got few apple devices
    I love the items just hate them policies because they never learn from mistakes.
    Business wise they need to understand the fact that
    when we are getting something we are using that if they take things of or the do some change and it affects usage usually we are barking.
    We are living in the world where everything is mass produced like an egg.
    But we loosing the quality because the time is not enough to understand the materials and behaviors on the fly.
    I heard few people who had genuine unlocked phones they had 2 choices sell the product and purchase other brand or jailbreak the unit and use it the way they want it but again they loosing the purity of clean software environment.

    The battery drainage is from the processes some of these processes running behind and stoning phone down.
    I toke 9 phones with me they was on the same network and I did phone from all of them same time and also use the internet after phone call.
    It seems smart phones are to slow on the catch up with standart phones sometime the signal drops or the internet falls back to edge signal or no internet services at all.
    signing of from network with plane mode won’t help not even soft reset.a full switch off and switch on fix this issue for short time.
    I think this is also the network issue.there is no phone network provider who has perfect signal without cut out.
    This was tested outside UK and has no problem.
    Also battery usage is from the data collection what some apps collecting its seems they running some database to know exactly what we are doing some kind of pivot table.
    Then they selling the data to research companies.usually free apps are more dangerous than payed apps.
    I hope this info help

  19. Winnie

    04/16/2013 at 10:32 pm

    My iPad has been useless since the 6.1.3 update. My iPad shuts down constantly. Hope I can finish this before it happens again. Help!!

  20. Fiquito

    04/19/2013 at 11:50 pm

    I want to know how can I opt-in into a class action lawsuit against Apple about iOS 6.1.3. I’m quite sure it drained my battery -melted inside the phone and ruined it. The wizards at my carrier: a-refused to change the battery, b-didn’t acknowledge any issues with 6.1.3, and c-then claimed water damage in my phone was to blame. I’m EXTREMELY angry.

  21. acoustic58

    04/20/2013 at 10:17 pm

    Apple screwed up with the 6.1.3 upgrade… It is not a coincidence that hundreds of people all of a sudden after making this upgrade are having problems with a local WIFI hookup. I have two I-phones. One works perfectly and one is screwed up. The one that I did not upgrade works perfectly. Apple needs to either fix this immediately or start giving away phones because we are all paying for a product that does not work and it is 100% because of Apples own upgrade that they harass people to do.

  22. fred

    04/22/2013 at 1:45 am

    The 6.1.3 update caused me tremendous battery drain issues with standby time down to 7 hours. So, Apple gave me a new iPhone 4s but it still only gets 12 hours standby time. No apps are running on the phone and there is no non-applesoftware. A 12-hour standby time is a far cry from the 200 hours set forth in the specifications. In fact, when I first purchased the device the standby time was about a week.

    There is also some kind of bug that keeps erasing my calendar. It has happened twice. This is not the exchange bug. It is something else.

    If I didn’t know better, it seems to be planned obsolescence so that we need to buy a new phone, but now Apple wants us to buy a new phone at least every year to boast its profits even though most of us have a 2-year contract. They also keep terminating software and other support for older devices meaning anything over 2 years old. Cell phones used to last for several years and the useful life of new devices is getting shorter and shorter. The software is just erratic and poorly designed.

  23. EyangSubur

    04/22/2013 at 10:38 am

    iOS 6 was fine for me, for like 5 months. Hadn’t encountered any problems with my iPod 5th..until 6.1.2 came up. I was able to connect to the WiFi network I have, but whenever I tried to browse, be it on Safari or Chrome, it kept sending me a connection timed out page. But it DIDN’T give me that crap whenever I browse with my old model Blackberry.
    Whoever behind this update, **** you all. I hope you ****ing burning in hell for this shit. I almost lost my jobs because I wasn’t able to reply some mails I need to reply to in time.
    I DEMAND A QUICK FIX TO THIS AND AN OPEN APOLOGY TO YOUR CUSTOMERS BEFOREHAND.

  24. Jagath Madurapperuma

    04/22/2013 at 10:06 pm

    I can’t get navigation any where in Sri Lanka on my iPad. It is a 3rd generation’s 6.1.3 ios. Pls help me on this matter.

  25. Ys

    05/13/2013 at 1:02 pm

    When someone call on my iphone 4s my phone only shows the number not the name even if the number is registed

    • Shshhs

      05/14/2013 at 4:51 am

      Shksjshgesheh

  26. Edward Dommar

    05/16/2013 at 7:15 am

    I am having an issue on my ipad 4… The mute bottom is not working…I can not mute anything from any site…when I was on ios 6.1 everything was fine but after I updated the ipad to 6.1.3 I had this problem with the mute buttom…well I don’t think it is a hardware problem because I used assistive touch to mute the device but it didn’t work and I tried to mute the device from the multitasking bar instead of using the orientation and it didint work so it seems to be a software problem not hardware ,,,,…,I hope to get a fix in IOS 7..help :D

  27. JK

    06/05/2013 at 4:39 pm

    I’ve had nothing but issues since updating to 6.1.3, my wi-fi is grayed out, my apps don’t work correctly, everything just keeps trying to re load until it finally times out (if I’ve got the patience to wait that long). I called Apple support, there answer was “You’re going to have to purchase a new phone”………..ya, cause I wanna invest MORE money into this POS!! No thanks, off to find a new mobile phone that actually WORKS the way it’s supposed to!!

    • Juan Camilo Vivares

      06/08/2013 at 10:26 pm

      My 4S WiFi insn’t working at all, only data, neither Bluetooth.

      I did everything but I’m just frustrated and that was after I updated the iOS 6.1.3.

  28. Juan Camilo Vivares

    06/08/2013 at 10:26 pm

    My 4S WiFi insn’t working at all, only data, neither Bluetooth.

    I did everything but I’m just frustrated and that was after I updated the iOS 6.1.3.

  29. Daniel Chin

    06/13/2013 at 12:46 am

    Why can’t apple just release a fix for the ios 6.1.3? What is taking so long? A lot of users are having the same issues and yet apple denies that their update cause the problem? I will never buy another Apple product again since they are obviously ignoring customers that spend hundreds of dollars on the phone.

  30. Apple Simply Sucks

    07/20/2013 at 12:31 am

    Apple has a lot to answer for. My iPhone 4 recently deleted all my contacts and the iTunes backup was corrupt and unable to reload them. This is happening to thousands of people.

    I just upgraded to iOS 6.1.3 and now my phone is buggy and sluggish and the iPod feature goes haywire; skipping tracks and simply refusing to play others. Upgrading iOS on my old iPhone 3G ruined that phone and it seems the same thing has happened again with the iPhone 4.

    Be assured Apple – I WILL NEVER BUY YOUR PRODUCTS AGAIN!!!

  31. Annette Wolfington

    07/21/2013 at 7:35 am

    Same problem!! Ever since I updated to ios6.1.3 none of my sounds are working!! I have reset and still not working!! This is on my iPad2 , no problem, till restoring!! Help!!

  32. Steve

    09/10/2013 at 11:38 am

    I haven’t been able to update my IPad2 to 6.1.3. For some reason, the update just stops in the same place every time. Any suggestions

  33. Patriot Lady

    09/22/2013 at 12:43 pm

    I’ve been going nuts with the silence, no chime when I got messages, just vibration when the phone rang, no keyboard clicks. I tried everything and then remembered about that little button on the upper left (iPhone 3gs). I checked it and the red dot was showing so I slid it down and now all the sound is working perfectly!

  34. KA

    10/09/2013 at 7:35 pm

    HELP
    my i pad mini is not working since the last upgrade this week.
    the email boots.. then shuts off when i try to retrieve an email
    when i click on an icon to launch an app.. all app icons shake
    wen i hit safari icon… it wont let me type in URL ( no virtual keyboard will appear) ergo I cannot go to any website/ no access to internet
    each program shuts off /stops on its own..

    whats going on my mni is useless ( typing this on my acer netbook)
    is there a fix? an update of the IOS??

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