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iOS 8.0.2 on iPad Air Review

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A week ago, Apple pushed out its third iOS 8 update, an update that was naturally called iOS 8.0.2. Over the past week, we’ve spent quality time with iOS 8.0.2 on iPad Air and today, we want to take a look at how Apple’s latest iOS 8 update is holding up on the company’s current 9.7-inch slate.

On September 17th, after a lengthy stint in its beta program, Apple released the iOS 8.0 update for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. As expected, the iOS 8 update delivered a number of big time changes including improvements to the Photos app, iMessage, battery usage, accessibility, and more. In addition to these features, it also delivered iOS 8 problems to owners of the iPhone and iPad.

We detailed many of these problems in the hours and days after the iOS 8 release date in our initial impressions and roundups and these issues ultimately forced Apple to release a couple of bug fix updates in iOS 8.0.1 and iOS 8.0.2.

The first update was iOS 8.0.1, an upgrade that rolled out on last Wednesday and one that immediately caused problems for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users. Cellular connectivity died and Touch ID stopped working for thousands of users around the world. Apple claims that about 40,000 people were affected before it pulled the plug on the update about an hour after its arrival.

A day later, Apple made good on its promise to fix those iOS 8.0.1 issues. Late last Thursday, Apple pushed out iOS 8.0.2, an update similar to iOS 8.0.1 but one that came with fixes for those iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus problems. Despite the arrival of Apple’s iOS 8.1 beta, iOS 8.0.2 remains the current iOS 8 update for iPhone and iPad users.

Now that iOS 8.0.2 has been out for about a week, we want to revisit Apple’s latest update and take a look at iOS 8.0.2 on iPad Air. Our review will detail our experiences so iPad Air users can make an informed decision about whether to upgrade from iOS 8.0 or below.

iOS 8.0.2 Performance

When it comes to the performance of iOS updates like iOS 8.0.2, I like to look at five different areas in particular. Those areas are: Applications and how they’re performing post update, battery life and whether there is abnormal drain, random bugs or hiccups, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth performance, and overall speed.

After spending a week with the iOS 8.0.2 update on iPad Air, here’s what I’ve discovered. Keep in mind, mileage is going to vary depending on usage so my experience might look different than yours.

Apps

While I’ve run into some app problems on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5, I haven’t run into the same kinds of issues on my iPad Air. Save for some sluggishness inside Netflix, I haven’t stumbled upon any issues with my applications, at least not yet. From Facebook to Twitter to Google Chrome to Hangouts to Kingdom Rush to Bad Piggies to Spotify, apps on the iPad Air are running extremely smooth. Smoother than the iPhone 6 even.

Developers have been doing a standup job pushing out iOS 8 compatibility updates and bug fixes and that’s a big reason why app performance hasn’t taken a huge hit after the iOS 8 release. Again, I’ve seen some issues on my iPhones but nothing game changing and nothing that’s made me consider throwing the devices against a wall.

iPad Air

Bear in mind, I keep my applications updated on a regular basis. If you’ve seen a drop in performance after the arrival of iOS 8 (apps crashing, sluggish performance, etc) I highly suggest updating your apps. This will typically work out the kinks. Personally, I just keep auto updates on so that I never have to remember to do this. Something to think about going forward.

iOS 8.0.2 Battery Life

I’ve been getting a ton of complaints about iOS 8.0.2 battery life on the iPhone 5. Same goes for the iPhone 6. I haven’t gotten the same complaints from iPad Air users perhaps because they aren’t as many of you out there. Or maybe there just aren’t as many problems going around, I’m not sure.

My battery life is about the same as it was in iOS 8.0.1 and iOS 8.0. That is to say that it’s been absolutely fantastic. I haven’t noticed any abnormal battery drain, slow charging, or any other weird issues with the iPad Air battery. It’s par for the course here with iOS 8.0.2. I’m still able to get more than a full day of use out of the iPad Air and that bodes well for upcoming travels. I take this thing everywhere I go, often as a substitute for a laptop.

Of course, my experience doesn’t mean that other iPad Air users aren’t having issues. If you are experiencing abnormal battery life after installing iOS 8.0.2, you’ll want to check out our iOS 8 battery life tips. These tips could help to alleviate iOS 8 battery life issues on your iPad Air going forward though, as is the case with any unofficial fixes, they might not solve them.

Connectivity

I own a Wi-Fi only version of the iPad Air so I can’t speak to LTE connectivity but what I can speak to are Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Both are working fine inside iOS 8.0.2. Wi-Fi is fast, per usual, and I haven’t run into any connection issues with Bluetooth. If you’re experiencing Bluetooth issues, try resetting your network settings. Just make sure to back up you files before you do.

iPad Air

Wi-Fi issues have plagued iOS for years and I have no doubt that iOS 8 is causing some serious problems for some iPad Air users. If you are experiencing issues with Wi-Fi you will want to check out our potential fixes for those iOS 8 Wi-Fi issues. They aren’t a cure all but they have worked out well for iPad owners in the past.

iOS 8.0.2 Bugs & Issues

After using the iOS 8.0.2 update on iPad Air for a week, I have yet to discover any killer bugs or issues. Locating bugs is often difficult and random so this doesn’t come as much of a surprise though given how new iOS 8 is, and how many problems I’ve heard about, the results are a bit surprising.

I haven’t noticed any random reboots, Apple’s stock apps are running well including Camera, and I’ve yet to stumble upon any smaller bugs lurking in the shadows. That’s not to say that there aren’t any bugs inside iOS 8.0.2, I just either haven’t found them. I prepared for the iOS 8 update’s arrival and it looks like that might be paying off.

The iOS 8.0.2 update for iPad, at least for me, is far more stable than the iOS 8.0.2 update for iPhone. Whether that stability continues or not will be interesting. I hope iOS 8.1 doesn’t break everything.

Speed

iOS 8.0.2 is extremely fast on the iPad Air. I haven’t seen any abnormal slow down at all and the operating system is very fluid. Animations and transitions are still crisp and the experience is on par, if not better, than what I saw with iOS 7.

Should You Install iOS 8.0.2?

Overall, I’ve had an excellent iOS 8.0.2 experience on the iPad Air. Battery life is good, connections are stable, apps are working great, and the iPad Air is still very, very fast. I think for most iPad Air users, the fixes on board iOS 8.0.2 are going to outweigh the potential bugs.

iPad Air Review -  3

Right now, I recommend iOS 8.0.2 to those dealing with issues inside iOS 8.0 or iOS 8.0.1. If you are having an insanely good experience with iOS 8.0 or iOS 8.0.1, it might be worth waiting a few weeks.

What’s Next for the iPad Air

iOS 8.0.3 or iOS 8.1. Apple is scheduled to roll out a new update sometime this month and with Apple Pay support said to be on board iOS 8.1 beta, it could be iOS 8.1 that lands next. The iOS 8.1 release date is rumored for October 20th so it looks like we may see a very short beta period.

This is great news for iPad Air users because we’ve discovered a laundry list of fixes on board iOS 8.1 beta. In other words, it should be a much bigger bug fixer than iOS 8.0.2 and it has the potential to solve the biggest iOS 8 problems.

11 Comments

11 Comments

  1. Jack

    10/03/2014 at 2:20 pm

    I have a 16gb iPad Air but it’s really only a 12gb with all the apps and stuff that come on it from the factory. After installing iOS 8 it went down to 11gb. After you add a few apps and some music or a movie your only left with 2 or 3gb. Your better off getting the 32gb for the extra 100 bucks

  2. rpages2013

    10/03/2014 at 4:12 pm

    8.02 does not work on the IPadAir. The updates do not download and all downloads remain hung up. Nothing works deleting., resetting, etc…

  3. Andy Campbell

    10/04/2014 at 6:33 am

    Interesting review, I believe the battery life is reduced and have thought so several times in the last few days. The only other bug I’ve found is using Google. If you call up a ‘clean’ safari tab and select Google, once I have typed in the first character the keyboard disappears and the cursor does likewise. I then have to reselect the search box to complete typing the search string. I have noticed a hic cough with a navigational app I use for flying, but the developers are expected to send out a fix soon.

    Finally, the selective text is similar to BB’s Playbook only, in my opinion not quite as intuitive.

    Regards

    AndyC

  4. Jaime

    10/04/2014 at 6:25 pm

    Great, glad you’re having such a wonderful experience with ios8.0.2 on your mini-me ipad. As for the rest of us with ipad2’s and regular iPads, it’s been like dipping the things in molasses. Very slow, stuttering, crashing, locking up, very odd pasting and or failure to do so. The problems are so myriad, and entirely annoying, Apple’s definitely been wiped from my future computer purchases.
    And I found forcing U2’s new “album” into my iTunes library the most offensive, boneheaded big brother marketing screw up imaginable. All Apple staff who pushed and ultimately Ok’d these disasters should be demoted to bottom of the rung.

  5. Penelope Fulljames

    10/05/2014 at 2:17 am

    I have seen that I am not the only person furious that our HDMI connection to TV does NOT work since upgrading my Ipad

  6. Rudy Sems

    10/05/2014 at 1:26 pm

    Since installing the latest update on my Ipad I had nothing but problems with many issues. I would like to erase update 8.02 from my Ipad. It worked very well before. How do I go about uninstalling the update?

  7. John burrows

    10/05/2014 at 1:55 pm

    What about iPads pre Air? Seems to me Safari has been slowed down and become unstable.

  8. Tommy Hammond

    10/05/2014 at 4:47 pm

    Since iOS 8.02 I can’t play embedded you tube videos. They play directly on you tube only. This is a pain.

  9. Darl

    10/06/2014 at 1:21 pm

    My iPad air running 8.0.2 has been anything but recommendable, I now can no longer update any of my apps, and since they won’t run with 8.0.2 guess I have a brick. : (

  10. Mark

    10/07/2014 at 4:55 pm

    Did you get paid by Apple for posting this review? My experince on iPad mini retina and everyone I know has been totally opposite to what your review shows. I find it hard to believe that it “just works” on your Ipad Air….. I am very dissapointed with Apple…..

  11. Renwaa

    10/19/2014 at 1:00 am

    Am furious that I lost my Airplay icon for the site that I watched all my tv online. YouTube/Airplay still works, but that is outside Safari on it’s own app. It is infuriating as our family has 3 iPads and could’ve left one behind with the older version. Some of us aren’t techie minded so we use basic things on our devices. This was one of them as I live abroad and it was wonderful NOT having to sit with my face in a computer or iPad to see tv. My old Netbook can mirror without sound. Am I really gonna have to hook that up with the giant DVI cable??? In 2014????

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