iOS 8.4.1 Release Date Inches Closer

The iOS 8.4.1 release date for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is still shrouded in mystery but thanks to a new beta release, we know that the public iOS 8.4.1 release is inching closer for iOS 8 users.

In late June, Apple released its iOS 8.4 update for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The update delivered the company’s Music platform on top of improvements to iBooks and bug fixes for lingering iOS 8 problems. iOS 8.4 will likely be Apple’s last big iOS 8 update but it won’t be the company’s latest iOS 8 update.

That honor will belong to the iOS 8.4.1 update, a release that Apple confirmed earlier this month for iOS 8 users and an update that currently sits in Apple’s beta program for developers.

Apple’s iOS 8.4.1 is currently without an official release date or release time and Apple’s not expected to announce either one before the software’s release. That said, we know that the iOS 8.4.1 release date is inching closer thanks to the release of a new iOS 8.4.1 beta.

Earlier today, Apple released an iOS 8.4.1 beta 2 for those in the paid developer program. Today’s iOS 8.4.1 beta is not available for those in the Beta Software Program, Apple’s free beta platform that’s open to anyone with an Apple ID.

The release of Apple’s iOS 8.4.1 beta means that the update is making progress towards a public release and it also confirms the fact that iOS 8.4.1 won’t be anywhere near as large as Apple’s previous two iOS 8 updates, iOS 8.3 and iOS 8.4.

Developers testing the iOS 8.4.1 beta are struggling to find changes in today’s beta 2 release, a sign that the update will likely be a small bug fixer and or a jailbreak buster.

While nothing is confirmed, some jailbreak users believe that iOS 8.4.1 will be aimed at squashing the untethered iOS 8.4 jailbreak that’s available to all iOS 8 users right now. Apple engineers are engaged in a constant game of cat and mouse with jailbreak developers and the company often credits hackers with helping plug up iOS exploits.

iOS 8.4.1 is likely going be the last iOS 8 update Apple delivers before it shifts its mobile products to the brand new operating system that it announced on stage during WWDC 2015 in June.

The iOS 9 release date is confirmed for the fall though like iOS 8.4.1, it’s currently without a release date. iOS 9 release date rumors have pegged its arrival for September and iPhone 6s release date details have backed those rumors up this week.

Earlier this week, T-Mobile announced plans to allow customers to buy a new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus now and then switch to an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus by the end of the year. The deal runs until September 8th which means that the iPhone 6s release date probably won’t come before that date.

Apple is, however, expected to get the phone out before the end of its fiscal year. The company’s fiscal year ends on September 28th.

iOS 9, like iOS 8.4.1, will be coming to all devices capable of running iOS 8. That means the iPhone 6, the iPhone 4s, and even the iPad 2. iOS 9 will be the iPhone 4s’ fourth major iOS update and it will represent the iPad 2’s fifth major iOS release.

The new operating system will be bringing some huge changes along with it. They include Apple’s new News application, battery life improvements, new folders for Selfies and Screenshots, a new 4×4 app arrangement on the iPad, improvements to search, new Siri features, and a whole lot more.

Unlike iOS 8.4.1, the iOS 9 update is rumored to be launching alongside two new iPhones including an iPhone 6s and an iPhone 6s Plus. Both phone are rumored to be in production ahead of a release later this year.

Quickly Go Back to Your App

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When you follow a link out of an app to another app or web browser on iOS 8 you have to double tap the home button and choose the app to go back, which is a pain when you need to look at a document or a webpage and reply to someone. With iOS 9 there is a new option at the top of the screen that says Back to App Name. Tap on this to quickly go back to the app you were in. You don't need to turn this on to use it, just look in the upper corner to go back. Google apps offer a similar feature already, but this is built-in to iOS 9 for all apps to take advantage of.

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