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iOS 7.0.6 for the iPhone 5s: First Impressions

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Apple has always been generous with software updates. After initially releasing iOS 7 for the iPhone this past September, many hoped the company would continue to keep user’s device’s updated with the latest in software fixes, bug patches and more as quickly as possible. Thankfully, Apple has obliged and we now have iOS 7.0.6 for the iPhone 5s.

To be clear, the iPhone 7.0.6 update for the iPhone 5s isn’t as robust as some users might think. It doesn’t rearrange settings or drastically change the way users do things on their iPhone. Users who are looking for such a software update will need to pin their hopes on iOS 7.1, the first major iOS 7.1 update that has been teased for an eventual release.

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That isn’t to say that there isn’t anything in iOS 7.0.6 for iPhone 5s users to get excited about. There are bug fixes, and users of the iPhone 5s (and any other user with an iPhone that can get the update) should definitely rush to download the update.

iOS 7.0.6 Performance

As with many of its software updates, Apple hasn’t been very forthcoming about any under-the-hood changes that caused it to release iOS 7.0.6. As such, there aren’t many other changes to highlight that the user can see. Here’s how the update breaks down.

Apps

iOS 7.0.6 installed flawlessly on my iPhone 5s. Since letting it finish the install process, I’ve opened each of my favorite apps one-by-one and scrolled through their settings and screens just to confirm that they’re still operating the way they should be.

Apps I checked include Stitcher Radio, Facebook, YouTube, Netflix, Bing, Xbox Music, OneNote, OneDrive, Darky Sky, Runtastic Pro, Starbucks and a few apps from small businesses in my community.

There weren’t any big performance changes that I noticed. None of them seemed to stutter or have trouble loading from the web either. The same thing goes for the apps that Apple installs on all of its devices. There wasn’t a single hiccup to be found in Weather, Contacts, Mail, Safari or any other apps of that ilk.

iOS 7.0.6 Battery Life

Simply put, battery life hasn’t declined in any meaningful way with iOS 7. My iPhone still feels as if it can last all day, and it often does when I’m not trying to watch six episodes of a television show in rapid succession or have the screen brightness manually turned up as high as it can go.

Apple was able to update the iPhone 5s to iOS 7.0.6 while not introducing any issues that could have a serious impact on battery life. That’s something Apple hasn’t always been able to pull off in the past. Users who update their iPhone 5s to iOS 7.0.6 and notice some degradation in their battery life should check out GottaBeMobile’s Tips for Better Batter Life. If the problem persists it may be time to visit the closest Apple Store.

Connectivity

Updates breaking Wi-Fi has been a problem that consistently surface whenever there’s an update to iOS. In iOS 6 users reported that upgrading caused their devices to not connect to any wireless networks at all. So far, there haven’t been many reports of iOS 7.0.6 breaking internet connections in the same way that iOS 6 did, and I certainly didn’t encounter any Wi-Fi issues following the update.

Upgrade Now

Simply put, if you’re using an iPhone 5s then the time to upgrade to iOS 7.0.6 is now. Earlier I mentioned that Apple is notorious for not actually announcing any work it does internally with small updates like this. One of the features the company did detail was that it’d fixed a SSL vulnerability that hackers could have used to gain access to user’s data.

That means that iPhone 5s devices that haven’t been updated to iOS 7.0.6 are vulnerable when connecting to Wi-Fi networks at McDonald’s, at the mall, the library and more.

Read: That iOS 7.0.6 Update Plugs a Big (and Stupid) Security Hole

That bug fix alone should be enough for users to run out and upgrade their iPhone 5s, and there aren’t many negative side effects of upgrading. There’s no battery life impact nor do applications suddenly stop working or experience issues.

Download the upgrade. Download the upgrade as soon as you’re ready.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Lonnie Drake

    03/09/2014 at 11:42 pm

    Staying up late and updating.
    Thanks

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