5 Things to Know About the iOS 13.3.1 Update

Apple’s released an iOS 13.3.1 update for iPhone and the firmware addresses some lingering issues on board iOS 13.

iOS 13.3.1 serves as iOS 13.3’s successor and the point update brings a short list of enhancements, bug fixes, and security patches to iPhone users.

With that in mind, we want to take you through everything there is to know about Apple’s latest update for the iPhone and iOS 13.

In this guide to the iOS 13.3.1 update we’ll take you through iOS 13.3.1’s performance, the current list of iOS 13.3.1 problems, the best places to find feedback about bugs and performance issues, the iOS 13.3.1 jailbreak status, and more.

We’ll start with our impressions of iOS 13.3.1 update’s performance on iPhone.

iOS 13.3.1 Reviews

If your iPhone is currently running iOS 13.3, you’ll see a 200+MB download. The iOS 13.3.1 update is a 219.3 MB download for the iPhone X and it’s around the same for other versions of the iPhone.

If you’re running an older version of iOS 13 on your iPhone, you’ll see a larger download size because your iOS 13.3.1 update includes the changes from the iOS updates you skipped.

If you’re already on iOS 13.3, the iOS 13.3.1 installation shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to complete. It took about seven minutes to install on an iPhone X.

For more on the iOS 13.3.1 download and installation, take a look at our guide.

We’ve been using the iOS 13.3.1 update on the iPhone for several weeks now and here are some quick impressions of its performance so far:

Connectivity

• Battery life is stable.
• Wi-Fi connectivity is fast and reliable.
• Bluetooth is working normally.
• GPS and cellular data are stable.

Apps

• Third-party apps including Netflix, Dark Sky, Twitter, Slack, Asana, Gmail, Chrome, and Spotify are currently stable.
• First party apps like Safari, Podcasts, and Calendar are also working fine.

Speed

• iOS 13.3.1 feels as fast as iOS 13.3.

If your iPhone is struggling on iOS 13.3 or an older version of iOS 13, you might want to install the iOS 13.3.1 update right now.

If you need help making a decision, please check out our reasons to, and not to, install the iOS 13.3.1 update. It’ll help you to one side of the fence or the other.

We’ve also published our mini iOS 13.3.1 reviews for the iPhone 11, iPhone XS, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s, and iPhone SE so check those for additional feedback if you need it.

iOS 13.3.1 Problems

iOS 13.3.1 is causing problems for some iPhone users. Some of these problems are brand new, others have carried over from previous versions of iOS.

The current list of iOS 13.3.1 problems includes installation problems, issues with first and third-party apps, UI lag, random reboots, abnormal battery drain, Exchange issues, issues with Touch ID and Face ID, and a variety of other bugs and performance issues.

If you run into an issue on iOS 13.3.1, take a look at our list of fixes for the most common iOS 13 problems. We’ve also released tips to improve iOS 13 performance and some tips to help fix bad iOS 13 battery life.

If you can’t handle the iOS 13.3.1 update’s performance, note that you can no longer downgrade to the previous version of iOS 13.

Apple has stopped signing on iOS 13.3 which means you can’t use a loophole to drop back down in an effort to improve your iPhone’s performance.

Once you move to iOS 13.3.1 you’re stuck unless you move your phone to beta software.

iOS 13.3.1 Update: What’s New

Apple’s x.x.x updates always bring under-the-hood improvements and iOS 13.3.1 isn’t any different.

The company promised to release fixes for bugs impacting the new Screen Time features that emerged with iOS 13.3 and iOS 13.3.1 patches those up.

As for new features, iOS 13.3.1 includes a new toggle that lets owners of newer iPhone models disable Ultra Wideband.

Apple added this toggle after users discovered the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max would continue to track a user’s location even when the device’s location services were toggled off. The company claims this was due to the devices Ultra Wideband chip.

The toggle is found inside the Settings app. Users must head to Privacy then Location Services then System Services. From there, users can now toggle off the “Networking & Wireless” option.

iOS 13.3.1 also brings support for Indian English Siri voices for HomePod.

Here’s the full iOS 13.3.1 change log:

• Fixes an issue in Communication Limits that could allow a contact to be added without entering the Screen Time passcode
• Adds a setting to control the use of location services by the U1 Ultra Wideband chip
• Addresses an issue that could cause a momentary delay before editing a Deep Fusion photo taken on iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro
• Resolves an issue with Mail that could cause remote images to load even when the “Load Remote Images” setting is disabled
• Fixes an issue that could cause multiple undo dialogs to appear in Mail
• Addresses an issue where FaceTime could use the rear facing ultra-wide camera instead of the wide camera
• Resolves an issue where push notifications could fail to be delivered over Wi-Fi
• Addresses a CarPlay issue that could cause distorted sound when making phone calls in certain vehicles
• Introduces support for Indian English Siri voices for HomePod

iOS 13.3.1 also includes 21 security patches. You can read more about them right here.

iOS 13 Jailbreak

If you still jailbreak, it appears that you can go ahead and download iOS 13.3.1. The current jailbreak tool looks like it supports the latest version of iOS 13.

What’s Next

iOS 13.3.1 will be followed by iOS 13.4.

Apple’s pushed iOS 13.4, a milestone upgrade, into beta testing ahead of a release later this month. The update is set to bring new features to the iPhone including new Memoji stickers. iOS 13.4 should also carry bug fixes and security patches.

The company plans to release the iOS 13.4 update on March 24th, the same week it plans to launch new iPad Pro models.

For more on iOS 13.4, take a look at our guide.

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