5 Things to Know About the iOS 11.1.1 Update

Apple’s released a new iOS 11.1.1 update and the company’s latest release comes with a bug fix for an extremely annoying autocorrect issue.

Apple is hard at work on an iOS 11.2 update for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, but the iOS 11.2 release date is probably still a few weeks away. In the meantime, the company’s released a brand new version of iOS 11, a tiny maintenance update that delivers a big punch.

The iOS 11.1.1 update is a maintenance release which means it comes with a short change log and a much smaller download size than its predecessor, iOS 11.1.

iPhone X users are looking at a mere 54MB download coming from iOS 11.1. If your iPhone 7 is currently running iOS 11.1, your download is just 44.6MB.

If you’re currently running an older version of iOS your iOS 11.1.1 download will be much larger due to the features and fixes from previous versions of iOS. The features and fixes from the iOS update’s you skipped should be baked into your version of the iOS 11.1.1 update.

The iOS 11.1.1 update is a tiny update, but we’re already hearing about problems. Some users are reporting iOS 11.1.1 installation issues, others are reporting performance issues such as abnormal battery drain, lag, reboots, and issues connecting to Bluetooth devices.

Our guide to the iOS 11.1.1 update will take you through the most important things to know, right now, about the iOS 11.1.1 update for your device.

It includes our impressions of the iOS 11.1.1 update on the iPhone, a look at iOS 11.1.1 problems, fixes for iOS 11.1.1 problems, the iOS 11 downgrade, and what you can expect from Apple as we push toward the end of the year.

iOS 11.1.1 Review

Thanks to its size, your iOS 11.1.1 download should only take a few seconds to download if your device is connected to a high-speed Wi-Fi network.

If you’re moving your device from iOS 11.1, the installation should take less than five minutes. Your phone might reboot itself once or twice, but that’s perfectly normal.

If you are updating from an older version of iOS 11 or from Apple’s iOS 10 operating system, your download size will be much bigger and your installation will take a lot longer.

For more on timing, take a look at our walkthrough.

We’re currently running the iOS 11.1.1 update on the iPhone X, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, iPhone SE, iPad Air 2, iPad Air, and iPad mini 2. We’ve only been using the software for several days now and here are some initial thoughts about its performance.

We didn’t run into any installation problems on our devices. The download and installation went smoothly. If you want to install the iOS 11.1.1 update right now you should be able to do so without long download times or major issues.

We’ve only been using it for a short time, but battery life appears to be holding up on all of these devices. We haven’t noticed any weird battery drain on our iPhones. Connectivity (LTE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi) is also strong and we’ve successfully paired the devices with our routers and Bluetooth devices which include headphones and speakers.

Both the iPhone X and iPhone 7 feel fast with iOS 11.1.1 on board though we noticed a bit of keyboard lag on the iPhone 7. We’ve also noticed lag on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5s. The iPhone SE is actually handling iOS 11.1.1 and iOS 11 quite well.

Overall, iOS 11.1.1 feels much faster than iOS 11.1 did on our devices.

iOS 11.1.1 feels pretty stable right now, but that could certainly change in a heartbeat. If you own an older device, you’ll want to be extremely careful with iOS 11.1.1.

If you need additional feedback about iOS 11.1.1 and iOS 11, take a look at our reasons to, and not to, install the iOS 11.1.1 update on your device right now.

We’ve published several mini iOS 11.1.1 reviews and you can find them at these links for the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, iPhone SE, and the iPad Air 2, iPad Air, and iPad mini 2.

iOS 11.1.1: What’s New

The iOS 11.1.1 update doesn’t come with any new features or security patches, but it does come with two key bug fixes for iOS 11 problems.

Apple’s iOS 11.1.1 change log lists two bug fixes. One is a fix for an issue where Hey Siri would suddenly stop working. The other fix is for a widespread autocorrect issue that emerged after the iOS 11.1 release date.

On iOS 11.1, the OS would frequently autocorrect the letter “i” to the uppercase letter “A” and the question mark symbol. It would do this in third-party apps like Hangouts as well. We’ve tested iOS 11.1.1 and the bug appears to be fixed across the operating system.

iOS 11.1.1 Jailbreak

Jailbreak developers have also reportedly cracked an iPhone X running iOS 11.1.1.

iOS 11.1.1 jailbreak by Liang Chen from Keen Lab. pic.twitter.com/WLI07Us5pV

— vangelis (@vangelis_at_POC) November 10, 2017

The iOS 11.1.1 jailbreak was shown off Liang Chen of KeenLab during POC2017 in Seoul, South Korea. A proof-of-concept video is circling around, but it doesn’t guarantee a release for the general public.

As of right now, iPhone and iPad users need to be running iOS 10 in order to jailbreak an iOS device.

iOS 11.1.1 Problems: Battery Drain & More

The iOS 11.1.1 isn’t causing problems for us, but others are running into trouble.

Some of the issues apparently carried over from iOS 11.1 and previous versions of iOS 11. Other problems are new and unique to iOS 11.1.1.

It’s early, but we’re seeing complaints about download and installation trouble, issues with Bluetooth, bad battery life, issues with first and third-party applications, Wi-Fi connectivity problems, UI lag, and random reboots.

We expect the list of problems to grow as more people download iOS 11.1.1 to their phones and tablets

If you’re already noticing bugs or problems with iOS 11.1.1, take a look at our list of fixes for the most common iOS 11 problems. Our list covers abnormal battery drain, Bluetooth issues, and many other problems.

You might also want to take a look at our tips to improve iOS 11 performance and iOS 11 battery life. These guides will help if you start noticing lag or weird iOS 11.1.1 battery drain.

Downgrade Still Open

If the iOS 11.1.1 update is causing problems on your device, you can try downgrading to an older version of iOS 11.

Apple is currently signing off on iOS 11.0.1, iOS 11.0.2, iOS 11.0.3, and iOS 11.1. Downgrading could improve your device’s overall performance though if you drop below iOS 11.1, you’ll lose access to its features.

Apple’s closed off the iOS 11.0 and iOS 10 downgrades which means there’s no going back to iOS 10 or the first version of iOS 11. If you’ve already moved your device to iOS 11, you’re stuck.

The company will stop signing off on iOS 11.0.1, iOS 11.0.2, iOS 11.0.3, and iOS 11.1 so those of you interested in downgrading will need to move quickly. Apple won’t make an announcement ahead of time.

Our iOS 11 downgrade guide will take you step-by-step through the process so take a look if you already want to get off the iOS 11.1.1 update.

What’s Next

The iOS 11.1.1 update fixes some major iOS 11 bugs, but the new release isn’t perfect. Unfortunately, it could be a few days before we see the next iOS 11 update touch down for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Apple hasn’t confirmed an iOS 11.1.2 update though a release in November or December is certainly possible. If Apple does release iOS 11.1.2, don’t expect a beta.

The company currently has a single update in its (known) iOS pipeline. Apple’s confirmed an iOS 11.2 update for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and it’s currently in beta for the iPhone X, iPhone 7, and others.

Apple hasn’t confirmed an official iOS 11.2 release date, but it could arrive in December alongside the company’s new HomePod speaker.

The iOS 11.2 introduces SiriKit for the HomePod. It also includes performance improvements, Apple Pay Cash, and bug fixes for lingering iOS 11 problems.

If you’re dealing with iOS 11 problems, be on the lookout for new iOS 11.2 betas as we push through the fall. Apple will likely tack on additional fixes and tweaks to the beta ahead of the public release.

Install iOS 11.4.1 for Better Security

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Apple's iOS 11.4.1 update comes with 15 patches for potential security issues. If you value your security, you should think about installing it today. iOS 11.4.1 also comes with a USB Restricted Mode that disables the Lightning port on your iPhone or iPad if a device hasn't been unlocked or connected to a computer using a passcode within a certain amount of time.  The new setting is located in Settings > Face ID/Touch ID & Passcode. There you’ll see a new toggle for USB Accessories. It's toggled off by default.  This provides an added layer of protection and prevents the use of cracking tools like GrayKey. If you skipped iOS 11.4, your iOS 11.4.1 update comes with 30+ patches aimed at improving your device's security. This makes it an essential download for most iPhone and iPad users.  If you missed any of Apple's previous iOS updates, your iOS 11.4.1 update comes with a lot more. If you skipped iOS 11.3.1, your version of iOS 11.4.1 comes with iOS 11.3.1's four security patches. If you skipped iOS 11.3, your iOS 11.4.1 update comes with 27 additional patches for potential exploits. Those of you lingering on iOS 11.2.6 would be wise to make the move sooner rather than later. If you missed iOS 11.3, your iOS 11.4.1 update also includes a new privacy feature. When an Apple feature wants to use your personal information, an icon now appears with a link to access detailed information about how your data will be used and protected. If you're running iOS 11.2.5 or older, you're currently exposed to an issue that lets people send a specific character that will crash an iOS-powered device and block access to the Messages app. It can also block apps like Facebook Messenger, Gmail, Outlook, and WhatsApp. The iOS 11.2.6 update's main purpose was to patch up this issue. If you skipped iOS 11.2.6, you'll get these enhancements with iOS 11.4.1. If you skipped iOS 11.2.5, you'll get 10 additional security patches including one for the malicious chaiOS link exploit. If you're running iOS 11.2.2 or below and receive a certain GitHub link through your Messages app, your iPhone or iPad can lockup or respring. The Messages app will also become unusable. If you're on iOS 11.2.1, your iOS 11.4.1 update includes security improvements to Safari and WebKit to mitigate the effects of Spectre. Apple's iOS 11.2 update fixed several problems, but it also brought problems of its own including a potentially nasty zero-day iOS HomeKit vulnerability. The vulnerability, discovered by Tian Zhang, allowed for unauthorized control of HomeKit accessories including garage door openers and smart locks. Apple quickly rolled out a server-side fix, but the company restored full functionality with the release of iOS 11.2.1. If you skipped iOS 11.2.1 and use HomeKit, you should download iOS 11.4.1 right now. If you skipped iOS 11.2, you'll get a few more patches with your iOS 11.4.1 update. Apple's iOS 11.2 update delivered 11 patches including one for Mail and one for Wi-Fi. The iOS 11.2 and iOS 11.2.1 updates also patched up a widespread security issue called "Meltdown." Apple says its analysis suggests it "has the most potential to be exploited." Meltdown affects all iOS 11 powered devices so we highly recommend downloading iOS 11.4.1 if you skipped iOS 11.2. If you skipped iOS 11.1.2, iOS 11.1.1, and iOS 11.1, you'll get additional patches with your iOS 11.4.1 update. The iOS 11.1 update delivered eight security patches including a fix for a serious Wi-Fi vulnerability called KRACK or Key Reinstallation Attack. KRACK is an exploit that targets the common WPA2 encryption protocol. If you're just now making to move from iOS 10 (or whatever you're on) to iOS 11, your iOS 11.4.1 update will come with even more security-related features. Apple's first iOS 11 update delivered several patches for potential exploits. iOS 11 also comes with new security features aimed at keeping your data safe. In iOS 11 you can't establish trust with a PC using fingerprints alone. You'll also need to put in a full passcode in order to gain that trust. If you want to protect the data you store on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you should make your move to the latest version of iOS. This is particularly important for those of you running older versions of iOS.

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