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iOS 8.1 Release Date: What Users Can Expect

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The iOS 8.1 release date for iPhone and iPad is confirmed for October 20th and it’s coming to deliver Apple Pay, Camera Roll, and a number of improvements for iOS 8.0.2 problems. Here, ahead of its release date, we take an updated look at what iPhone and iPad users can expect from Monday’s iOS 8.1 release.

In late September, just a few weeks after iOS 8.0 came out of the beta program, Apple released iOS 8.1 beta. Apple did not attach a public iOS 8.1 release date associated with the beta, leaving consumers wondering when the update might come out. iPhone and iPad users put great importance on iOS 8.1 due to a number of iOS 8.0 issues and iOS 8.0.2 issues.

Fortunately, iPhone and iPad users struggling with iOS 8 problems now have their answer. At its media event yesterday, the company detailed a number of new products including the OS X Yosemite release and iOS 8.1 for iPhone and iPad. As expected, the company confirmed an iOS 8.1 release date for next week, which means that the company’s iOS 8.1 beta will be extremely short lived.

iPhone-6 copy

iOS 8.1 won’t be as big as iOS 8.0 but it’s going to deliver a number of big time changes including Apple’s new mobile commerce service, Apple Pay, and a host of unnamed bug fixes for iOS 8.0 problems.

With an iOS 8.1 release date now confirmed for Monday, we want to another take a look at what we expect from the iOS 8.1 release. These expectations should help iPhone and iPad users set their own expectations and they provide an early preview of next week’s release. Here now is what iPhone and iPad users should expect from Apple’s iOS 8.1 release date next week.

iOS 8.1 Release Time

While Apple confirmed the iOS 8.1 release date for Monday, it did not say when it would release the iOS 8.1 update to the general public. And while veteran iOS users should have some idea of what to expect, we want to lay the groundwork for beginners and those that just moved to Apple’s platform from Android, Windows Phone or something else.

iPhone-6-pair

Apple’s iOS update releases aren’t staggered. That is to say, if a device is getting the update, it gets it immediately alongside any other devices. In other words, all iOS 8 compatible devices will get iOS 8.1 at the same time on Monday.

The iOS 8.1 release time isn’t confirmed but we suspect that Apple will follow similar protocol. Historically, Apple’s updates have landed somewhere in between 9AM and 10AM PST. We expect Apple to do something similar here with iOS 8.1. Look for the update to arrive in the morning on the west coast and in the early afternoon on the east coast.

iOS 8.1 Download Problems

We’re not expecting the same kinds of server issues that we saw with the iOS 8.0 release and iOS 8.1 download times should be within reason. iOS 8.0 download times stretched into hours, and in some odd cases, days. We do not expect this to happen with the iOS 8.1 update because there will be fewer devices pulling the update from Apple’s servers. x.1 updates never attract as much attention as x.0 updates.

Now, what we do expect are a bunch of complaints about the iOS 8.1 download process. These complaints will almost certainly come from iPhone and iPad users with no storage space who are trying to install the update Over-the-Air through the settings. Consider this your final PSA.

Speck CandyShell iPhone 6 Review - 3-X3

We fully expect iOS 8.1 to be a large update, maybe not as big as iOS 8.0, but large nonetheless. What this means is that you’re probably going to need a ton of free space available on your device to install OTA. iOS 8.0 required several GBs of free space to install via Settings. This is where people start to panic and make mistakes.

Apple recommends freeing up space to install the update. That means deleting precious files, videos and more. Do not do this. Instead, install through iTunes. iTunes won’t make you delete anything and you’ll get iOS 8.1 up and running in no time.

We still expect to hear complaints about the iOS 8.1 download process but we expect most of those complaints to come from people that fail to do their homework ahead of time.

Need to Be Prepared

Yes, you should expect the need to be prepared. iOS updates, even incremental ones like iOS 8.1, have a way of wrecking havoc on iPhones and iPads. Just look at the mess that iOS 8.0.2 caused when it arrived. Like iOS 8.1, iOS 8.0.2 was designed to improve iOS 8 not hurt it.

While there’s no way to ensure that everything goes smoothly, there are ways to minimize the impact of iOS 8.1. We’ve offered up a number of things that you can do before the iOS 8.1 release to help prepare your iPhone or iPad for the transition from iOS 8.0.2 to iOS 8.1 or iOS 7.1.2 and below to iOS 8. While you might want to dismiss these tips, we highly suggest taking a look at them before you install.

Speck CandyShell iPhone 6 Review - 2-X3

iOS 8.1 is bound to cause problems for some iPhone and iPad users and the more prepared you are the better. You still have a few days left and an entire weekend to go so there’s really no excuse.

iOS 8.1 Problems

We expect iOS 8.1 to cause problems for the iPhone and iPad. It’s a bug fix update and one that should deliver a laundry list of fixes but iOS updates always come with their own set of problems for iPhone and iPad.

Battery life problems, Wi-Fi issues and Bluetooth problems almost always crop up after major iOS updates and we’re expecting all of those to show up after iOS 8.1. We’re also expecting there to be the usual array of smaller bugs that aren’t necessarily game changing but are prone to causing headaches. Apple put on a stoic front during the event but we’ve never seen it release a perfect update.

iPhone 6 privacy

Do not expect iOS 8.1 to be perfect. It will fix some of iOS 8’s problems but it’s not going to fix them all folks.

More iOS 8.1 Updates

And that leads us right into our last big thing to expect. The iOS 8.1 release date Monday will almost certainly not be the last iOS 8.1 release. Apple always rolls out multiple bug fixes for its iOS x.1 updates and we typically see those bug fixes roll out within a few weeks of the initial release. In other words, we’d be shocked if iOS 8.1.1 didn’t roll out before the end of the year.

iphone-6-plus-in-hand-portrait

So, if you do encounter bugs on Monday and we expect many of you to notice issues on the iPhone and iPad, do not panic. Not only will there be temporary bug fixes but we should see Apple deliver some permanent ones in the weeks ahead.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Jenny Sauve

    10/18/2014 at 6:03 am

    What an utterly useless article.

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