iOS 8.4.1 on iPhone 6: 5 Things We Learned in Two Weeks

Its been just about two weeks since Apple released its iPhone 6 iOS 8.4.1 update. In those two weeks, we’ve learned some important things about the update and the future of iOS for Apple’s current flagship. Today, we want to take a look at a few things that’ve stuck with us after two weeks with the iPhone 6 iOS 8.4.1 update.

Earlier this month, Apple finally pulled its iOS 8.4.1 update out of beta and released it to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users around the world. As expected, the company’s follow-up to June’s iOS 8.4 release didn’t come with a ton of new features on board.

That said, Apple’s latest iOS 8 release is an extremely important update and that’s why we’ve been taking a deep dive into its performance since its release date.

We’ve been using the iOS 8.4.1 update on several devices including Apple’s 4.7-inch iPhone 6, its current flagship and a device that’s seen its fair share of troubles since launch back in September. iOS updates, even small ones like iOS 8.4.1, have the potential to destroy performance.

That, and the fact that we have another iOS update on the horizon, are why we’ve been taking such an extensive look at this 50MB update.

iOS 8.4.1 is an important update for the iPhone 6 but it might not be worth it for some of you. Today we want to revisit the iPhone 6 iOS 8.4.1 update and tell you about a few things we’ve learned in the past two weeks. Keep these in mind as August comes to a close.

iOS 8.4.1 Performance

We’ve been using the iPhone 6 iOS 8.4.1 update for two weeks now and the software continues to hold up. At this point, we don’t expect that to change in the days leading up to the iPhone 6 iOS 9 release date.

For two weeks, we’ve been poking and prodding the iPhone 6 iOS 8.4.1 update on several variants of Apple’s flagship model. We’ve also been using it on the iPhone 6 Plus.

We haven’t run into any issues with battery drain, connectivity, apps, or speed. All of these areas are holding up quite nicely and that’s exactly what you want from an incremental bug fixer like iOS 8.4.1.

It’s also important to note that we’re seeing this across several versions of the iPhone 6 and it’s nice to see that kind of consistency after an upgrade. Mileage varies when it comes to iOS updates so it’s good that it’s holding up on several variants, each with a different owner and set of applications.

iOS 8.4.1 is the same as iOS 8.4. It’s solid and it’s worth a look if you’re dealing with issues on iOS 8.4 or below. There’s a chance it might stabilize things for you.

There Are iPhone 6 iOS 8.4.1 Problems

While we’re having an excellent experience with iOS 8.4.1, we’ve learned that there are iPhone 6 iOS 8.4.1 problems plaguing users.

We continue to see iPhone 6 users complain about the iOS 8.4.1 update on social media and Apple’s discussion forums and problems range from issues with Wi-Fi to abnormal battery drain. And while we do continue to see complaints about iOS 8.4.1, these issues appear to be isolated.

We haven’t seen any widespread iPhone 6 iOS 8.4.1 problems emerge in the two weeks since release. Instead, they appear to be affecting a small fraction of the iPhone 6 population in the United States and abroad.

What this means is that we probably won’t see an iOS 8.4.2 update roll out between now and the iOS 9 release. We’d be shocked if Apple made this move. It also means that you’ll want to be extremely careful if you decide to install the iOS 8.4.1 on your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus.

You can’t predict how a piece of iOS software will run on your device so you’ll want to be absolutely sure you need iOS 8.4.1 before you download it. Remember, you can no longer downgrade to iOS 8.4 as Apple’s stopped signing off on the older update.

Our iOS 8.4.1 review is a great place to start your research. You’ll also want to keep our list of fixes in mind if you do decide to make the move to iOS 8.4.1.

Important Patch for Enterprise Users

The iPhone 6 iOS 8.4.1 comes with a number of security patches including fixes for the exploits used by the iOS 8.4 jailbreak. There is one fix in particular that we learned about a few days ago that you should be aware of if you use your iPhone 6 for work or if you’re concerned about data theft.

Security firm Appthority says that it worked with Apple to plug up a potential vulnerability (dubbed Quicksand) with the iOS 8.4.1 release. Quicksand was discovered earlier this year and it has the potential to leak sensitive data to third-party applications.

An attacker could target as many enterprises it can get into (using the iTunes store to spread an app designed to read and share the configuration files), or a specific target (traditional spear-phishing attack, through targeted e-mail, etc). In either case, they would develop an app that has a high chance of being installed in the enterprise, such as a productivity app.

The security firm recommends updating to the iOS 8.4.1 update as the patch only protects devices running Apple’s latest software upgrade. The firm also notes that 70% of iOS devices remain on iOS 8.4 and below. For more information on Quicksand, take a look at the company’s full run down.

Apple Music Is Still A Work In Progress

The iOS 8.4.1 update’s sole purpose is to fix problems within Apple’s new Music application. In case you missed it, here’s the full change log:

• Resolves issues that could prevent turning on iCloud Music Library
• Resolves an issue that hides added music because Apple Music was set to show offline music only
• Provides a way to add songs to a new playlist if there aren’t any playlists to choose from
• Resolves an issue that may show different artwork for an album on other devices
• Resolves several issues for artists while posting to Connect
• Fixes an issue where tapping Love doesn’t work as expected while listening to Beats 1

After two weeks we can say, with confidence, that these fixed what they were supposed to fix. We haven’t run into any of these issues post-iOS 8.4.1 release. That said, Apple Music is still a work in progress.

Apple’s Music discussion forums are full of complaints from iPhone 6 users who are having issues with the platform two weeks after installing the update. One iPhone 6 user describes issues with syncing music while another complaints about problems with playlists.

This is not a platform that Apple will abandon and we expect to see numerous fixes emerge with the iPhone 6’s upcoming iOS 9 updates.

iOS 9 Release Date

We’ve learned that the iPhone 6 iOS 8.4.1 update’s successor is probably just a few short weeks away.

The iOS 9 release date is expected to land on September 16th, two days before the rumored iPhone 6s release date. This should be music to the ears of those of you dealing with iOS 8.4.1 problems and those of you who still aren’t sold on the iOS 8.4.1 upgrade and what it has to offer.

iOS 9 should come with fixes for lingering iOS 8.4.1 and Apple Music problems. It’s also going to be a much larger update than iOS 8.4.1 so if you’re not interested in iOS 8.4.1’s fixes and security enhancements, you have the option of holding out for a few more weeks.

When We'll Get Key iPhone 6 iOS 9 Release Info

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The first thing to expect is an iPhone 6 iOS 9 announcement in September. And more specifically, on September 9th.  Apple hasn't sent out media invites yet but the company's iPhone event is all but confirmed for September 9th. The date comes from a trusted source. So unless Apple decides to make some huge change behind the scenes, this is the day that you should expect many of Apple's big fall announcements.  The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will be the stars of the show though we also expect the company to talk about the iOS 9 update. We expect it to run down key features for devices like the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and we expect it to confirm an iPhone 6 iOS 9 release date.  We expect Apple to host a live stream of the event and so if you're at all curious about the iPhone 6 iOS 9 release, you should tune into the show. We'll probably get most of the key details on stage during the lengthy event.  We'd expect invites to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus launch event to go out soon so keep an eye out this week and next.

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