8 iOS 8.1.1 Tips for iPhone & iPad Users

Last week, Apple rolled out its iOS 8.1.1 release for iPhone and iPad replacing the iOS 8.1 update it rolled out back in October. With iOS 8.1.1 problems and details still swirling, we want to offer some post-release iOS 8.1.1 tips for iPhone and iPad users that should help make the decision and transition process a little bit easier.

At WWDC in June, Apple announced its replacement for last year’s iOS 7 update. Two months ago, Apple rolled out that brand new update for iPhone and iPad, an operating system that it dubbed iOS 8.0. iOS 8 doesn’t deliver the massive overhaul that arrived with last year’s iOS 7 update but it still brings some important new features to the table including improved notifications, Apple Pay, changes to iMessage and the Camera app, a new keyboard, and more.

As is the case with most software updates, the iOS 8 update delivered bugs and problems to owners of the iPhone and iPad. Over the past two months, Apple’s worked to iron out those kinks with a series of incremental upgrades. First, the company pushed out iOS 8.0.1. Next, it was iOS 8.0.2, an update that delivered fixes for iOS 8.0.1 bugs. After that, Apple rolled out iOS 8.1, a much larger update that spent time in its beta program. Last week, after another beta period, Apple pushed out iOS 8.1.1.

Like the iOS 8 updates before it, iOS 8.1.1 delivers bug fixes for iOS 8 problems. It also comes with self-proclaimed performance enhancements for the iPhone 4s and the iPad 2. While there are benefits, the iOS 8.1.1 update also delivered a number of problems for iPad users, problems that have many users on edge with some looking to go back down to iOS 8.1.

With those people in mind, we want to offer up some iOS 8.1.1 tips that should help to limit headaches and help those of you that are going to be moving to iOS 8.1.1 on your iPhone or iPad in the future.

Read Our iOS 8.1 Reviews

The first piece of advice that we can offer to prospective, or current, iOS 8.1.1 users is to look at our full length iOS 8.1.1 reviews for iPhone and iPad. We’ve gone into great detail about our experiences with iOS 8.1.1 in an effort to help you make an informed decision about the upgrade. Use these reviews as a guide to one side of the fence or the other.

Research Potential Bugs & Performance

Before making the move, we recommend researching some of the more common iOS 8.1.1 bugs in an effort to get acclimated with potential issues that might emerge on your iPhone or iPad. Most of you won’t encounter issues but if you go into this update prepared, you’re going to be much better off than those who neglect to put in the time.

We suggest taking a look at Apple’s Discussion forums and the MacRumors forums. There is a ton of good discussion going on at both of those sites, particularly about the iPhone. These will will serve as valuable resources post-update and they will be a place where you can discuss your bugs and perhaps track down fixes ahead of time.

You would also be wise to get feedback from your fellow iPhone or iPad users. Don’t be afraid to ask around. Our reviews are going to help but we don’t represent every single user out there. Poke around for feedback before installing.

Prep Your iPhone or iPad

If you’ve yet to move to iOS 8.1.1 and you’re heavily leaning toward making that move, we suggest taking some steps to prepare your device for the roll out. We’ve outlined eight of those steps here though you don’t need to follow them all.

A few of the important ones include making a backup. This will ensure that you do not lose files in the installation process. While we don’t anticipate anything going wrong, there’s always a chance that the update will cause something to go haywire on your device. You’ll also want to use this time to clean up your device and free up some storage space. iOS 8.1.1 frees up 500MB of storage space but use this time to get rid of old, unnecessary files.

If you prep your iPhone or iPad for this update, you’re going to go into the installation process with confidence and you’re probably going to come out of the process unscathed.

If You’re Having Issues, Make the Move

If you are having major problems on iOS 8.1, iOS 8.0.2 or iOS 8.0, it’s probably time to make the move. Sure, we’ve been hearing about iOS 8.1.1 problems and bugs in the days after its release but none of those bugs appear to be widespread issues. Instead, they appear to be isolated. This is consistent with our iOS 8.1.1 experience.

In our opinion, iOS 8.1.1 has been Apple’s most stable iOS 8 update. It fixes problems and it keeps the performance steady across a number of models including the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and iPad Air. It’s more stable than iOS 8.1, that’s for sure.

If you’re already having issues, iOS 8.1.1 has the potential to do more good than bad. It comes with fixes and performance enhancements for the iPhone 4s and iPad 2. And just because a fix isn’t listed on the change log doesn’t mean that it’s not there. We’ve seen plenty of issues work themselves out without getting listed in the change log.

Fixes for iOS 8.1.1 Problems

If you’re already on iOS 8.1.1, just a reminder that we have a nice little guide that lists all of the common iOS 8.1.1 bugs. The best part is that we’ve come up with a number of possible fixes for those issues. Now, they’re not going to work for all of you but there’s a chance that some of these remedies are going to return your device to the way it was before you installed iOS 8.1.1.

Keep in mind, you’re also still able to drop back down to iOS 8.1, Apple appears to still be signing the update, so if you were having a good experience on Apple’s previous iOS 8.1 update, you’ll also want to take a look at that guide.

Do Not Install It While Traveling

As a reminder, do not install this update while traveling, or better yet, while you’re out for Thanksgiving. The last thing you want to do is install an iOS update away from home base. What if something goes wrong during the install process?

What if you lose precious photos that you took while on your travels or during holiday dinner? If that happens, you’ll want (and need) to be in front of your own computer.

Don’t Update If You Want to Jailbreak

Do not update if you want to jailbreak your device. iOS 8.1.1 does not support the Pangu iOS 8 jailbreak, only iOS 8.1. With no iOS 8.1.1 jailbreak in sight, you’re going to want to remain on iOS 8.1 if you see a jailbreak in your future.

Take Your Time

If you haven’t updated yet, maybe the best advice that we can give you is to take your time. There is absolutely no rush to move to iOS 8.1.1. You can stay on iOS 7.1.2, iOS 8.0 or iOS 8.1 for as long as you’d like. iOS 8.1.1 is an extremely small update but there’s a chance it could have a big impact on your iPhone or iPad, both positively or negatively. You’ll want to do as much research as you can especially those of you with older devices like the iPad 2 and iPhone 4s.