Connect with us

Apple

iOS 8.1.1: 5 Things iPhone Users Need to Know

Published

on

With iOS 8 problems still affecting iPhone users and an iOS 8.1.1 release on the horizon, we want to take an early look at the iOS 8.1.1 update for iPhone and its upcoming release for iOS 8 powered devices like the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 5.

Earlier this year, Apple released its iOS 8.1 update into the beta program. For several weeks Apple and its developers poked and prodded the update in an effort to ensure a smooth public release at a later date. In mid-October, Apple took the stage and confirmed an October 20th release for the iOS 8.1 upgrade for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and a few days later, the company rolled the update out.

Several weeks ago, Apple’s iOS 8.1 update rolled out to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users all over the globe. And while iOS 8.1 fixed some of the initial iOS 8 problems affecting iPhone and iPad users, the iOS 8.1 update failed to tackle all of the annoying problems that emerged in September’s iOS 8.0 update leaving some iPhone and iPad users looking for relief.

We’re still not sure when that relief will arrive, though we’ve offered some potential fixes to help in the meantime, but it’s looking like Apple’s next iOS 8 upgrade and potential savior will be iOS 8.1.1.

iPhone-5s-Nexus-5

Earlier this week, Apple released its iOS 8.1.1 update into its beta program. The move was interesting given that the company rarely releases small bug fixes into beta but it looks like it’s trying to avoid the mistakes it made with iOS 8.0.1. While the iOS 8.1.1 exists only as a beta update for developers, the beta and other sources have provided a great detail of information about the future.

With that in mind, we want to take a look at the most important things iPhone users need to know, right now, about Apple’s upcoming and highly anticipated iOS 8.1.1 update.

iOS 8.1.1 Release Date Unknown

If you’re dealing with iOS 8 problems and you’re wondering about the iOS 8.1.1 release date, know that one still hasn’t been announced and probably never will. Apple almost never relays release date information regarding incremental upgrades and with no launch date in sight, there’s a good chance that Apple will simply pull the update from the beta when it’s ready.

iPhone 6 Review - 2

Here are a few things that we know about Apple’s iOS release dates. We know that it likes to release them during the week, so no need to check in on weekends. We know that it likes to release software in and around 10AM PST. If an update isn’t here by mid-afternoon, it’s time to stop checking. Keep those in mind as we march on towards release.

It’s also worth noting that the iOS 8.1 update, a much larger update than iOS 8.1.1, was in beta for a few weeks before it arrived. In other words, there’s a good chance that we could be close to an iOS 8.1.1 release date. Apple is clearly playing it safe with this update and if everything goes according to plan, we could see it roll out before the end of the month.

One thing of note. We’ve started to see heavy iOS 8.1.1 activity in our analytics. That not only points to an iOS 8.1.1 update in testing, it also means that the release could be close. Activity usually peaks a few days before a public release. We’re not saying it’ll happen on Monday but we wouldn’t be surprised if it happened in the next two weeks.

iOS 8.1.1. Release Slated for All iOS 8 iPhones

So that takes care of what we know about the when. How about the who? The answer to that is fairly straightforward. If you are in possession of an iPhone that’s compatible with iOS 8, then you’re going to be getting the iOS 8.1.1 update. The iOS 8.1.1 beta is available for all versions of the iPhone, not select models, which means it’s on its way to iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, and iPhone 4s users.

iPhone 6 Review - 6

If this your first rodeo, note that all of these updates will arrive at the same time on the same day. There might be some differences in size but the updates should all be fairly similar to one another. In other words, older devices aren’t going to get watered down versions of the update. In fact, we could see older devices benefit the most from the iOS 8.1.1 update. More on that in a second.

Bug Fixes Galore

While we still don’t have the official iOS 8.1.1 change log, we know what the iOS 8.1.1 beta has on board. The iOS 8.1.1 beta update is essentially a collection of bug fixes for iOS 8 problems. This is great news for iOS 8 users because it means that Apple is still working hard at eliminating iOS 8 problems. iOS 8 issues continue to crop up in the days after its release and Apple’s been diligent about trying to squash them.

iPhone 6 Review - 4

It’s not going to be as big as the iOS 8.1 bug fixer that landed a few weeks ago but it’s going to be an important update nonetheless. It should help to improve overall stability of Apple’s new OS. Change logs can change from beta to public release but right now, iOS 8.1.1 looks like it will be nothing more than an update aimed at improving performance ahead of the holidays and ahead of the Apple Watch release in early 2015.

Performance Enhancements

In addition to these bug fixes, it looks like iOS 8.1 is going to provide performance enhancements for the iPad 2 and iPhone 4s, Apple’s two aging former flagships. iOS 8 is the iPad 2’s fourth iOS update, third for the iPhone 4s, so any improvements that Apple can offer going forward should be welcomed. It’s not clear exactly what it’s going to fix but our guess, right now, is speed and fluidity.

iOS 8 Jailbreak

The last thing that iPhone users need to know is that iOS 8.1.1 appears to have plugged up the exploit used by the Pangu jailbreak. What this means is that if you are planning to jailbreak your iPhone 6 or iPhone 5s on iOS 8, you’re not going to want to install iOS 8.1.1. Instead, you’ll want to remain on iOS 8.1 or lower so that you can take advantage.

iPhone 6 Review - iPhone 6 Plus

Speaking of taking advantage of a jailbreak, the iOS 8 jailbreak that was released to iPhone users just a few short days ago is now officially stable enough to install. In addition, Cydia, the unofficial App Store that’s linked to the jailbreak, is now fully operational which brings added incentive to the iOS 8 jailbreak. If you want to jailbreak, now is the time to update to iOS 8.1.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. iostipps

    11/08/2014 at 5:13 pm

    Bla. Bla. Bla.

  2. Bgf

    11/08/2014 at 7:15 pm

    Imagine this … Shit on a stick … This article is worse than shit on a stick

  3. Adam Fan

    11/09/2014 at 3:02 am

    Another completely useless article from no other than our very own Adam!

    I wonder if he’s a real person or just a script that churns out one pointless article after another.

  4. Rohan

    11/20/2014 at 9:46 am

    Will iOS 8.1.1 fix my wifi problem? In iPhone 5?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.