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iOS 7.1 Release & Feature Breakdown (iPhone & iPad)

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iOS 7.1 beta 4 is out and it’s currently being combed through by developers inside Apple’s developer program. With the iOS 7.1 update now in its fourth beta and with rumors flying around, we want to take another close look at the next big iOS 7 update for iPhone and iPad and breakdown everything that we know, and want, from Apple’s upcoming upgrade.

In November, Apple released iOS 7.0.4 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Since then, the company hasn’t released any other updates to its iOS 7 operating system leaving some owners in peril thanks to bugs, and others, searching for information about what awaits them after the iOS 7.0.4 is replaced.

Thanks to Apple’s beta program, we know that there is a very good chance that Apple will be skipping an iOS 7.0.5 update for iPhone and iPad. The same month that saw the iOS 7.0.4 release saw the release of the first iOS 7.1 beta, an update that has now been replaced three times.

Yesterday, Apple released iOS 7.1 beta 4, the fourth beta release of an update that is almost certainly going to be the next update for iPhone and iPad owners. And for those that have used an Apple product before or have been following iOS 7.1 developments, there is a reason to be excited about this update in particular.

iOS x.1 updates historically have served as the bridge between two major iOS updates. In the case of iOS 7.1, it will be iOS 7 and the rumored iOS 8 which should arrive later this year alongside a new iPhone 6. Apple’s iOS x.1 updates almost always come with an assortment of enhancements and fixes and they usually come with some new functionality. From what we’ve seen and heard, iOS 7.1 will feature both.

Now that iOS 7.1 beta 4 is out, we’ve been able to glean some new details for iPhone and iPad owners. We’ve also heard some new things about the iOS 7.1 update and its release date, so, we have decided to breakdown the iOS 7.1 update situation for a second time.

iOS 7.1 Release Date

We’re now in the fourth version of the iOS 7.1 beta which means that Apple is progressing towards a public release for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. And while the company won’t say how many betas it intends to use during the iOS 7.1 testing process, rumors suggest that the company could still be a couple of betas away from the end.

According to BGR, a site that has proven accurate in the past with iOS update information, Apple plans to use six iOS 7.1 betas before the update is released to the public. It’s not clear if the company plans to use the sixth beta as a Gold Master or if it will be another update released after that that serves as the final version.

IOS 7.0.4 update warning iOS 7 jailbreak

What’s clear though is that Apple is moving closer to a public release of iOS 7.1. The iOS 7.1 release date was previously rumored for March and it appears that that hasn’t changed. With two betas remaining, that timing seems to fit given Apple’s history of taking two weeks or so to release new beta updates.

At this point, iPhone and iPad owners should have both February and March circled on the calendar as both months seem likely, at this point, for an official iOS 7.1 roll out for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

iOS 7.1 Features

Besides the iOS 7.1 release date, the most important thing to iPhone and iPad users are the features and fixes on board the iOS 7.1 update. And thanks to the beta process, we know about a number of features that could find their way to the final version of Apple’s brand new iOS 7 update.

The first two iOS 7.1 betas coughed up a number of details. iOS in the Car, for one, is expected to be a major component of iOS 7.1. References have picked up inside Apple’s betas, a sign that Apple intends to finally release the feature that was promised at the WWDC conference all the way back in June.

iOS 7 Jailbreak and iOS 6.1.3 Jailbreak

We also saw other smaller tweaks emerge including improvements to the speed of animations, a more visible section for TouchID and Passcode settings, and a new animation for Control Center. The beta also appears to have added a new list function to the calendar.

iOS 7.1 beta 3 and iOS 7.1 beta 4 expanded upon these features adding a number of user interface design tweaks. As we pointed out, iOS 7.1 beta 3 changed the look of several applications including the Phone App, which now utilizes red and green circles instead of rectangles. The third iOS 7.1 beta also included a new option to dismiss the parallax effect when changing the background, a brand new look to the shut down screen, and some small tweaks to the keyboard.

The look of the music controls also fall in line with the rest of the UI changes, and according to Macerkopf.de, iOS 7.1 beta 3 brought the ability to delete the update OTA files that often clog up space for iPhone and iPad users.

iOS 7.1 beta 4, from what we’ve heard, includes some minor tweaks but is mainly focused on bug fixes and improving the overall iOS 7 experience for iPhone users. That said, here’s what the update seems to have brought along with it.

Contacts Option in the Dialer

We’re hearing that these is a new contacts option inside of the dialer, also known as the Phone App, which allows users to more easily add a new contact or add to existing contact inside of iOS.

It’s a simple addition but one that should come in handy for those that are constantly networking and adding new numbers.

Messages Animation

According to MacRumors, there is more “bounce” inside of the Messages application. This makes sense given that the Control Center toggle received the same animation change.

Slide to Unlock/Power Off

Finally, the slide to unlock function that is now more prominent than it has been in the past. The key thing here is that it’s much brighter than it was inside iOS 7.0.4. The changes also apply to the Slide to Power Off function which received a revamped look inside of iOS 7.1 beta 3.

3 Things iOS 7.1 Needs to Fix

Random Reboots

Random reboots continue to plague iPhone 5s owners in particular. The springboard issue has been an ongoing iOS 7 problem and one that has existed since last year. It’s not clear if the iOS 7.1 update will fix this issue in particular but BGR claims that Apple is working to patch up memory leaks.

There are still some iPhone 5s problems on iOS 7.

There are still some iPhone 5s problems in iOS 7.

So, in other words, there is a very good chance that iOS 7.1 will fix the random reboot issues that iPhone 5s owners have endured since the release of iOS 7 and the iPhone 5s.

iPad Lag

We’ve been experiencing lag on the iPad 3 since the release of the iOS 7 update back in September and while we’ve seen the experience marginally improve from update to update, the lag issues still exist inside iOS 7.0.4. Sluggishness impacts actions like opening folders and scrolling from home screen to home screen. Apps don’t open up as fast as they used to.

ipad-review-3-new-2-478x620-443x575

We’ve heard that iOS 7.1 greatly improves the overall performance on the iPhone and iPad and hopefully this translates to the public release as the lag issues are still a major problem for some iPad owners.

Safari Crashes

Recently, we were pointed in the direction of a major iOS issue that seems to be plaguing many iOS 7 users. It seems, according the Apple’s discussion forums, that users that utilize the stock Safari browser are encountering regular crashes. There doesn’t appear to be a temporary fix for the issue, leaving users hoping for a fix inside iOS 7.1.

iPhone Symbols iOS 7

We haven’t heard about anything specific though the rumors that suggest Apple is working on fixing crashing and lock up issues inside iOS 7.1 are definitely a good sign. This one thread has over 50,000 views so it’s clear that this is an issue that is impacting a larger number of iDevice owners.

10 Comments

10 Comments

  1. Roger

    01/21/2014 at 8:13 pm

    Does the iOS 7.1 provide a faster way to toggle on and off cellular data like it does for wi-fi in the control center?

    • Zac

      01/24/2014 at 7:50 pm

      airplane mode?

  2. David

    01/21/2014 at 8:15 pm

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  3. Glen Foster

    01/22/2014 at 11:14 am

    We really need to have the Music sorting return to pre-iOS 7. Two issues (1) when you select an artist, it list all songs of each album, so for those artists that you have a lot of albums (and, really, more than 5 albums is a problem), you have to scroll down for some time, if the album you want to listen to is near the bottom. And (2), if you choose to search by way of Genre, then after you select that Genre, then an Artist, it needs to show only that artist’s albums that are THAT GENRE. Example, I have 53 albums of from one individual artist, of which 3 are Christmas genre. So, if I choice Christmas, what would I want to see all 53 albums, when clearly (to us, that is) I want to listen to a Christmas album. In the old days (before digital music), I arranged my albums by Genre. Others might arrange them by Artist (they would use the Artist search option then). Let’s get sorting to make better sense.

  4. Bgf

    01/22/2014 at 6:13 pm

    I hate Adam mills

    Sign,

    Ios 7

  5. Techo

    01/22/2014 at 10:56 pm

    what about itunes radio realeasing to uk? i thought they were releasing early 2014

  6. kathyneil

    01/23/2014 at 3:14 am

    i am waiting for ios 8, when will this release

  7. Mick

    01/23/2014 at 4:52 am

    will it allow mass deliting of emails from the inbox. For me, this is one of the most annoying features of 7.0.4 as I am only able to delete single emails. Also it does not have a cut/copy and paste function – two lessons from Blackberry here.

  8. E

    01/24/2014 at 7:45 am

    This is a horribly-written article. It says the same thing so many times over and over for the first half that I got frustrated, and then angry. I just wanted a feature list! I guess I should have scanned the article first before just reading it.

  9. V

    01/28/2014 at 7:08 am

    Will it fix the wifi bug introduced by 7.0.4 on iPhone 4s?

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