iPhone 6 Plus iOS 8.2 Review: Is It Worth Installing Now?

After spending two weeks with the iPhone 6 Plus iOS 8.2 update some problems are starting to surface, despite an overall positive early experience. This latest iOS 8.2 review for the iPhone 6 Plus outlines the overall performance of the update and several small, but annoying bugs and issues that returned and appeared after extended use.

As some users try iOS 8.3 and the rest of us wait for the iOS 8.3 release there are still many users looking at an update notification on the iPhone 6 Plus. Apple released a flurry of smaller updates in the past six months leading up to iOS 8.2 that is currently available to all devices compatible with iOS 8.

There are many important bug fixes, stability improvements and security fixes in the iOS 8.2 update that make it a tempting upgrade for most users. In a closer look at what’s new in iOS 8.2, there are over a dozen fixes for iPhone problems and iPhone app stability.

The iOS 8.2 update adds the Apple Watch app that owners will use in April to connect the iPhone and an Apple Watch, but for now there is really nothing to do inside the app. Once you can connect to an Apple Watch other sections will open up and an Apple Activity Tracker app will appear. You cannot delete the Apple Watch app, but you can hide it.

This extended iPhone 6 Plus iOS 8.2 review walks through the important details that iPhone 6 Plus owners need to know and can help answer the question, “Is iOS 8.2 worth installing?”

iPhone 6 Plus iOS 8.2 Review: Is It Worth Installing?

After the first week, our initial iPhone 6 Plus iOS 8.2 review was positive but in the last several days some small issues started to appear again. There is a chance that these are isolated, but it is worth noting the potential for problems. There is no longer an option to downgrade iOS 8.2 to iOS 8.1.3, so you are stuck on iOS 8.2 until Apple offers another update.

The iPhone 6 Plus performance can vary from one user to the next, so while most of our problems are small and only irritating, other users may experience bigger problems or no problems at all. If you use special apps or use the iPhone 6 Plus for niche activities, you should check with people in your communities before upgrading.

Apps

In the first week the iPhone 6 Plus apps ran fine on the test device, but over the last several days app crashes became more common. Facebook and Alien Blue crashed several times over the weekend even with updates. The next step is to uninstall and re-install the apps to see if that can solve the problems.

Other apps like Gmail, Asana, Slack, Netflix and HBO Go continue to work without any problems, which is a good sign, but it is still frustrating to deal with apps closing or opening to a black screen instead of something you can use. Occasionally Audible opens to a sign in screen, requiring a force close before it is possible to listen to the audio book again. This happens on the iPhone 6 Plus and on the iPhone 6, but also happened on iOS 8.1.3.

iOS 8.2 Battery Life

One of the great things that did not change is the iPhone 6 Plus battery life. The large battery in the iPhone 6 Plus delivers enough power to last all day, even with phone calls and watching part of a Netflix movie at the gym and simultaneously acting as a personal hotspot. If you do have problems, you can use this guide to fix bad iOS 8.2 battery life.

WiFi, Cellular Data & Bluetooth

For the most part the iPhone 6 Plus connectivity remains solid after the update, but there are some small Bluetooth issues. WiFi connectivity is spot on with easy connections to home and public WiFi networks and the Personal Hotspot feature works great as well. The AT&T LTE connection is fast and call quality is still good. FaceTime Audio calls also sound good.

Bluetooth connectivity is finicky with skipping and missing audio even when the headphones are just a few feet away from the iPhone 6 Plus. This isn’t happening every time, but it is annoying to deal with when it does happen.

Bugs & Issues

In addition to the Bluetooth problem and the app crashes the iPhone 6 Plus also slips into landscape mode at the wrong time. This was an iOS 8 problem, but it disappeared from the our iPhone 6 Plus in updates last year. In the last week the iPhone 6 Plus got stuck in landscape while clearly in portrait mode 9-10 times. There is no real fix for this, but on a positive note it happens less on the iPhone 6 with iOS 8.2 than it did in the past.

There are some other iOS 8.2 problems, and you can find fixes to common iOS 8.2 problems if you already updated and are now running into issues.

Speed

Just as with battery life, the iPhone 6 Plus speed is still solid with iOS 8.2. This is a new phone that is just six months old and it should be no surprise that it still zips along when you open an app, switch apps or make calls. The iOS 8.2 performance is rock solid from a speed standpoint.

Should You Install iOS iOS 8.2?

 

There are enough fixes for iOS 8.1.3 and iOS 8 problems that most users should install the iOS 8.2 update, especially if they are currently running into issues. Yes, there are some small issues with the iOS 8.2 update on this iPhone 6 Plus, but at this point they are an occasional annoyance and not a major reason to skip the iOS 8.2 installation.

For users who aren’t planning to buy the Apple Watch at release and who don’t have any problems, it is acceptable to wait for the next update. We should see the iOS 8.3 release soon and there is already talk about the iOS 8.4 update.

We are still waiting for an iOS 8.2 jailbreak release, and until that comes anyone on iOS 8.1.2 or lower using an iOS 8 jailbreak should not upgrade to iOS 8.2 or future versions.

A final option is to apply for the iOS 8.3 beta, which you can install on the iPhone 6 Plus today to try out a number of exciting new iOS 8.3 features without waiting for the iOS 8.3 release.