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iOS 8.1.2 iPhone 6 Review: Three Weeks Later

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About three weeks ago, Apple pushed out its current iOS 8 update, iOS 8.1.2. iOS 8.1.2 is a small bug fix update but it’s one that’s had both a positive and negative effect on iOS 8 powered iPhones and iPads. With that in mind, we want to revisit Apple’s iPhone 6 iOS 8.1.2 update three weeks after the software’s release.

Apple’s taken a long windy road to get to its current iOS 8.1.2 update. In September, Apple’s iOS 8 update pushed out and almost immediately, iOS 8 problems started plaguing owners of the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. This is typical of a major iOS update and we, and many others, expected Apple to push out an iOS 8.0.1 update shortly after its arrival.

Right on cue, Apple pushed out an iOS 8.0.1 update with assorted bug fixes on board though it did not have the intended results. While it did deliver some fixes, it also broke cellular connectivity and Touch ID for some users. These issues forced Apple to quickly go back to the drawing board and a day later, the company conjured up an iOS 8.0.2 update that tackled those problems and delivered the rest of the fixes to those that did not upgrade to iOS 8.0.1.

Despite the arrival of these two updates, complaints about iOS 8 continued and over the past couple of months, Apple’s worked hard to squash the remaining iOS 8 problems.

Speck MightyShell iPhone 6 Case Review - 1

First, the company pushed out a massive iOS 8.1 bug fixer. Then, the company followed that up with an iOS 8.1.1 update that, unlike most smaller updates, went through the beta program. And then, nearly three weeks ago, Apple pushed out iOS 8.1.2, a small bug fixer aimed at countering a problem with iTunes ring tones.

We continue to get bombarded with questions about iOS 8.1.2’s stability and questions about its worthiness. In other words, people still want feedback and many others want to know if it’s worth the risk. I’ve spent a solid three weeks with the iOS 8.1.2 iPhone 6 update and today I want to relay feedback to those of you in need.

iPhone 6 iOS 8.1.2 Review: Three Weeks Later

From December 9th up to today, I’ve spent a ton of time with iOS 8.1.2 on iPhone 6. The iPhone 6, after all, is my daily driver.

Before getting into this updated review and my impressions, I should note that mileage is going to vary from device to device, person to person. That is to say, I probably don’t have the same apps installed and there’s a chance that I use Google Chrome, play more games, and use my home screen more than you do. So, consider this a general guide as you try to decide whether iOS 8.1.2 is worth installing on your iPhone 6.

Apps

My app experience remains solid three weeks into the iOS 8.1.2 era. I’ve seen the occasional Google Chrome crash but all of my other core applications (Slack, Asana, Gmail, Instagram, Twitter, Amazon, Dark Sky, and others) are performing as well as they ever have. I haven’t run into any stability issues other than those browser crashes.

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Better yet, I haven’t heard or seen many complaints about apps after the iOS 8.1.2 update. My colleagues are all getting solid performance out of their applications and many of the iPhone 6 users I’ve spoken with over the past three weeks are reporting the same.

If you are having issues with applications right now on iOS 8.1.2 or some other iOS update, my suggestion is to go ahead and install as many bug fix updates as you can. Most of the time, they are going to help. You should also think about switching automatic updates on. In the past, I used to forget to install bug fixers. Now, I don’t even have to think about it.

iOS 8.1.2 Battery Life

Battery life is obviously an integral piece of the iPhone (and iOS) puzzle. It’s also one of the areas that is often affected in the hours, days, and weeks after an iOS update. I’ve been getting a ton of feedback about iOS 8.1.2 battery life in the weeks after its release and for the most part, people are still getting a solid charge. There are some bad apples, there always are, but the majority of user feedback has been positive.

I haven’t experienced any problems with iOS 8.1.2 battery life. My iPhone 6 still holds an extremely solid charge and I’m able to get a full day of use out of the phone when using a mixture of Wi-Fi and LTE. I’ve been doing some traveling for the holidays and I’ve had to rely on LTE a bit more than usual and I haven’t seen any issues with drain there either.

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iOS updates like iOS 8.1.2 aren’t supposed to bring battery life problems along with them and typically, bad battery life is caused by third-party apps or by users themselves. I’ve outlined a number of strategies to get better battery life inside iOS 8.1.2 and I recommend taking a look at those tips if you do run into problems after getting the update on board.

Wi-Fi, LTE & Bluetooth

Connectivity is still fine for the most part. Bluetooth and AT&T’s LTE network are still very solid after three weeks though I have run into the occasional problem with Wi-Fi. It might be a router problem, it might be an Apple problem, I don’t know but occasionally my iPhone 6 will just drop the Wi-Fi connection in favor of LTE. Wi-Fi is on and by default, the phone is supposed to stay connected to a Wi-Fi network. This problem only started happening in the past week so it makes me wonder.

I’ve tried some of the solutions from our list of possible fixes and since I reset my network settings, my Wi-Fi performance has improved. It’s a trick that I constantly recommend and it’s one that might have done the job here. I’ll know for sure when I go a couple of days straight without stumbling into a Wi-Fi issue.

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If you’re running into problems, try that fix. You might also want to think about upgrading your router if the problems are consistent. Newer devices and new iOS updates have been known to present difficulties for those with older routers and modems.

Bugs & Issues

So far, so good. iOS 8.1.2 is very stable on the iPhone 6 and I haven’t noticed any weird bugs, things like random reboots or buggy mail. It’s working fine after three weeks and that’s a very positive sign moving forward.

One of my colleagues claims that the landscape issues that plagued the iPhone 6 in the days after its release are back. I haven’t run into any landscape issues after getting the iOS 8.1.2 on board. The issues on his iPhone 6 are infrequent but they’re still a nuisance nonetheless.

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I haven’t been able to find any large bugs but smaller bugs are harder to catch and they might only pop up when doing something very specific. I haven’t noticed any but it’s possible that I’ll notice something in the future. For now, iOS 8.1.2 is extremely stable on the iPhone 6.

If you do stumble into problems, have a look at our rundown of bug fixes for iOS 8.1.2 problems. These are a good starting point but you’ll probably also want to gather fixes from other places as well.

Speed

The iPhone 6 is still very fast and fluid and I haven’t run into any sluggishness or slowdown. This is huge given how much I use the iPhone 6 and I’m hopeful that the device retains its speed for the foreseeable future.

Is iOS 8.1.2 for iPhone 6 Worth It?

Here’s how I see it. If you’re on iOS 8.0.1 or below and you’re not dealing with any problems, you don’t need to install this update right now. If you’re on iOS 8 and you’re dealing with problems, I would recommend installing iOS 8.1.2. There’s a good chance it will patch up some of the problems you’ve been seeing on the iPhone 6.

If rumors are correct, we could see an iOS 8.1.3 update emerge out of Cupertino sometime soon. iOS 8.2 is also making a ton of progress. So if you’re nervous, you can go ahead and wait for those. Just remember both updates have the potential to deliver problems of their own.

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. Jones

    12/30/2014 at 7:42 am

    ever since updating to iOS 8.1.2, I can’t sync my phone to iTunes. Please help!

  2. John

    12/30/2014 at 9:49 am

    ios 8.1.3 is just a rumor and it is not officially informed yet. Check out these some tips & tricks based on iOS 8 https://www.mobileinhand.com/interesting-tips-tricks-for-ios8-iphones-ipad/

  3. Matt

    01/08/2015 at 8:30 am

    Definitely not my experience, and I’ve been and iPhone / iOS user since 3GS, having had a 4, 5, and now 6. iOS 8 has, by far, been the worst experience I’ve had with the phone(s). 8.1+ (especially .2) has been awful with phone calls – it’s crashing mid-call about once a day, and the landscape rotation issue is amazingly annoying. App crashes, especially iMessage, are still occurring, and the ActiveSync email was utterly broken from 8.0 to 8.1.1.

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