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iPhone 4s iOS 9 Reviews: Should You Install iOS 9?

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The iPhone 4s iOS 9 release is here and Apple delivers a collection of new features, even on this aging device. Once users learn that there is a iPhone 4s iOS 9 update, the next question is, “Should I Install iOS 9 on the iPhone 4s?” Here is what current iPhone users with iOS 9 have to say about the performance on the iPhone 4s, battery life and issues with the update.

After looking at the iPhone 4s iOS 9 reviews from regular users and watching speed comparisons of iOS 9 vs iOS 8.4.1 on the iPhone 4s we can help you decide if you should upgrade to iOS 9 or wait for the iOS 9.1 release date to upgrade when Apple adds more fixes.

The iPhone 4s is the oldest iPhone getting the iOS 9 update, so you shouldn’t expect that it will do everything that the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6s will, but it still adds new features and overall the iPhone 4s iOS 9 reviews are positive.

Here are the details you need to know to figure out if it is worth installing on your iPhone 4s.

iOS 9 Installation

What you need to know about the iPhone 4s iOS 9 performance.

What you need to know about the iPhone 4s iOS 9 performance.

After an initial error that slowed the iOS 9 upgrade for everyone, the overall iOS 9 update process has gone pretty smoothly for most users.

We found scattered reports of users who upgraded the iPhone 4s and other devices who got stuck on the swipe to upgrade screen after the installation completed. If this happens you can try unplugging from iTunes to finish this setup part of the upgrade.

Whatever you do, make sure you have a recent backup before you try to install iOS 9.

iPhone 4s iOS 9 Performance

It is important to remember that the overall iOS 9 performance will vary from one device to the next, even from one iPhone 4s to the next. The user reviews of iOS 9 on the iPhone 4s paint a generally positive picture, but there are some issues.

iPhone 4s iOS 9 Speed

The video below shows a comparison of iOS 9 vs iOS 8.4.1 on the iPhone 4s. This shows the speed of iOS 9 and iOS 8 on the iPhone 4s so you can figure out if it is worth upgrading.

Both of these phones are with a fresh install of the operating system with the same apps and games.

The iPhone 4s iOS 9 reviews from users are also mostly positive regarding performance, but there are some complaints. Check out the feedback from users below.

https://twitter.com/adrianadreamer/status/644279861243019264

iPhone 4s Apps

We did not find reports of apps crashing after installing iOS 9 on the iPhone 4s. Some developers have told us that they are still working to deliver iOS 9 updates. If you run into issues, update your apps.

iPhone 4s iOS 9 Battery Life

Unlike most of the updates we cover, there are few reports of very bad battery life after installing the iPhone 4s iOS 9 update.

In fact, users are mostly raving about the increase in battery life from the new battery saving features and the new iOS 9 Low Power Mode.

iPhone 4s iOS 9 Connectivity

Connectivity is a very important part of any update, and the good news so far is that we are not seeing any widespread complaints about Bluetooth, WiFi or Cellular connectivity problems on the iPhone 4s with iOS 9.

Bluetooth and WiFi problems do have a way of sneaking up after the initial release, so there is a chance that you might run into issues, but the release itself is not causing widespread problems.

iOS 9 Bugs on the iPhone 4s

There are a number of small iOS 9 problems that users need to know about, but most of these are not show-stopping issues.

https://twitter.com/LivsSunshine/status/644276282545442816

If you experience any iPhone 4s iOS 9 problems on your device, please alert us so we can share with others.

Should You Install the iPhone 4s iOS 9 Update

Should you install the iPhone 4s iOS 9 update?

Should you install the iPhone 4s iOS 9 update?

If you want to use some of the new iOS 9 features, you will need to upgrade to this new update. The overall experience with iOS 9 is positive, but on an older device there are always concerns.

In this case, if you upgrade to iOS 9 you can expect added features, possibly better battery life and fixes for some iOS 8 issues. Don’t expect a completely new experience on your iPhone 4s, as it is still an old device, and a surprise that it is getting iOS 9.

For the time being you can install the iPhone 4s iOS 9 update and still downgrade to iOS 8.4.1 if you don’t like it.

20 Comments

20 Comments

  1. Nick

    09/17/2015 at 12:17 pm

    Updated from iOS 8.4.1 to 9 on iPhone 4s, the phone at times freezes, likewise when unlocking screen with swipe action, this is not always smooth and laggy at times. Have soft reset (home & holding down power button) but makes no difference. I hope Apple address through a bug fix 9.0.1

  2. Ray

    09/18/2015 at 12:11 am

    That’s fine, on a 4S you get the same slow performance as iOS 8. What a deal. iPhone 4S users should stick to iOS 6. Having put 2 out of 3 iPhone 4S’s on later versions (7 & 8 – restore as new), they both ran noticeably slower than iOS 6.

  3. Esther Margulies

    09/18/2015 at 7:41 pm

    Words with Friends freezing consistently. Screen clear swiping more difficult than 8.xx

  4. Harold Dexter Ediza

    09/18/2015 at 7:48 pm

    I’m an iphone 4s user and installed ios 9 yesterday. Fresh install. I noticed that some of my apps freezes when you just opened it and you’ll wait for a few seconds before it can become responsive again. Gamecenter in settings menu also takes forever to load, unlike in ios 6, 7 & 8 is very quick to load. When I click the gamecenter, it will take you a while up to a few minutes before it can show your account and name. It will not appear also when running gamescenter-enabled games. I won’t recommend this update for now on iphone 4s if you’re using ios 8 or older. Maybe ios9.1 when they fix this issue in gamecenter. Although battery low power mode is pretty usefull.

    • Eugene

      09/20/2015 at 4:58 am

      For you having that problem on the gamecenter app it is because your iPhone 4s is an really old phone that can still get software updates but eventually the iPhone 4s in general was always little bit slow on mostly opening all of the apps that it is in it.

    • Eugene

      09/20/2015 at 5:00 am

      I hope that you still can use your iPhone 4s for more inportant stuff than only for the gamecenter app.

  5. Cliffacampbell

    09/20/2015 at 10:19 am

    0=18my buddy’s aunt makes $82 /hour on the internet . She has been without work for eight months but last month her payment was $14597 just working on the internet for a few hours.
    published here… See More

  6. mahidhar

    09/21/2015 at 5:02 am

    day before yesterday i updated my ios 8.4 to 9 on my 4s mobile, mobile was very slow and apps gets laggy when opend, call function was a big problem for me , it is showing blank page , it remains like that only upto my mobile gets restarted, im restarting my mobile every hour , this was a serious problem i had faced ever……

  7. Jus

    09/21/2015 at 8:31 am

    Can any one help
    Just done update and stats update successful but when trying to swipe won’t move at all.
    Any ideas??

  8. shubham

    09/22/2015 at 8:08 am

    i update my apple 4s with ios 9…….after that screen got blank……..and after 6 hrs it remain in same position……………….please suggest what can i do????????

  9. Paula

    09/22/2015 at 9:03 am

    I experienced a total crash of my phone after IOS9 was installed. I am not able to access any of the phone features as the screen is non-functional–it just shows a picture of a cable connector with an upward pointing arrow to an ITunes symbol. When the phone it connected to ITunes, it begins to install and stops at a little over 50% and indicates an error has been experienced; the same thing happens when I try to restore the phone to the factory settings. When I called Verizon, I was told the phone is likely not fixable. I hope the creators of this “lovely” program have a fix or plan on replacing my phone with a like model or something better.

    • Stephanie

      09/25/2015 at 5:35 pm

      I am having the exact same experience… Has anyone figured out how to fix it? I’m just Uber-pissed about it, as I’ve never had a problem updating iOS versions before.

  10. Phil

    09/23/2015 at 7:34 am

    None of my apps that require data connection work except in wifi mode only. I’ve reset my settings, toggled airplane mode with the recommended delay, and still no fix. I wish I had ignored the update.

  11. Jon

    09/24/2015 at 3:46 am

    I’m waiting for at least 6 months before upgrading to iOS 9. I got burnt with slowness when I upgraded to iOS 8 on my iPhone 4S and iPad2.

  12. karolina

    09/26/2015 at 12:37 am

    i updated to IOS9 and my phone completely broke, after only having it for 2 months. i had to give it back to get it fixed, but nothing that could they’ve done. terrible terrible..

  13. Rakesh

    09/28/2015 at 6:43 pm

    Please fix the bugs from the day of updating my 4s is not working smoothly even it hangs many times so plz do something for this problem

  14. Mario

    10/18/2015 at 8:38 am

    I updated to iOS 9 my iPhone 4s (32 GB) about 3 weeks ago. Since that time, I have no problems with my 4S, everything is ok, work stable, and battery life is about 6 hours longer than on iOS8. Before that, I was also wondering if I should update, today I can say: Yes, do it.

  15. Roger

    10/26/2015 at 10:45 am

    After the download was complete on my iphone 4s it could not sign me in after i typed up my apple id

  16. Liam

    11/11/2015 at 1:40 am

    Downloaded the IOS 9 to my iphone 4s and everything has been good so far despite it occasionally lags when typing and when swapping to and from the emoji keyboard

  17. Mrunmay Parida

    05/22/2017 at 11:05 pm

    dear sir/madam
    i would like to inform you that i am a user of your company since 2 year. Before 2 months i got a notification in my phone to update my phone to iOS 9 version. After updating, i have am facing lots of problems.
    After updating, mobile is becoming very hot. in hangs a lot and battery is draining like a thirsty crow. Forcefully i am selling my favourite phone in olx .
    please give me some solutions to get rid of
    yours faithfully
    Mrunmay Parida.

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