Apple

5 Things to Know About the iOS 13.6.1 Update

Published

4 years ago

08/26/2020

Apple’s released an iOS 13.6.1 update and the maintenance upgrade brings a short list of changes to the iPhone.

The iOS 13.6.1 release came as a bit of a surprise. Apple didn’t release a beta and there were no indications it would release a new version of iOS 13 ahead of iOS 14. But here we are.

As for the software itself, iOS 13.6.1 is a point release which means it’s much smaller than the previous version of iOS 13 (iOS 13.6).

Like all point upgrades, iOS 13.6.1 brings under-the-hood improvements to the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, and the iPhone SE 2.

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. With the fall fast approaching, iOS 13.6.1 will likely serve as one of the last upgrades to iOS 13.

In this guide to iOS 13.6.1 we’ll take you through the update’s performance, the current list of iOS 13.6.1 problems, the best places to find feedback about bugs and performance issues, the iOS 13.6.1 jailbreak status, and more.

We’ll start with our impressions of iOS 13.6.1 update’s performance on iPhone.

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iOS 13.6.1 Reviews

If your iPhone is currently running iOS 13.6, you’ll encounter a fairly small download.

For iOS 13.6 users, the iOS 13.6.1 update will be around 100 MB. The exact download size will vary based on your device and the version of iOS 13 your device is currently on.

If your phone is currently running an older version of iOS 13 you’ll probably see a larger download size because your iOS 13.6.1 update includes the changes from any iOS updates you skipped.

If your phone is on iOS 13.6, the iOS 13.6.1 installation will probably take less than 10 minutes to complete. It took about seven minutes to install on the iPhone X.

For more on the iOS 13.6.1 download and installation, take a look at our guide.

We’ve been using the iOS 13.6.1 update for several days and here’s what we’ve learned about its performance thus far:

Connectivity

Battery life is currently 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 working fine at the moment.
First party apps like Safari, Podcasts, and Calendar are also stable.

Speed

iOS 13.6.1 feels as fast as iOS 13.6.

If your iPhone is struggling with bugs or performance issues on iOS 13.6 or an older version of iOS 13, you might want to install the iOS 13.6.1 update on your iPhone right now.

If you need help making a decision, please check out our reasons to, and not to, install the iOS 13.6.1 update. It will help you decide if the upgrade is worth it.

We’ve published our mini iOS 13.6.1 reviews for the iPhone 11, iPhone SE 2, iPhone XS, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s, and iPhone SE so make sure you check those for additional feedback.

iOS 13.6.1 Problems

The iOS 13.6.1 update is already causing problems for some iPhone users. Some of these problems are brand new. Others have carried over from previous versions of the operating system.

The current list of iOS 13.6.1 issues includes installation problems, lag, Exchange issues, problems with first and third-party apps, hotspot problems, weird battery drain, issues with Touch ID and Face ID, and various other bugs.

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If you run into an issue on iOS 13.6.1, take a look at our list of fixes for the most common iOS 13 problems. We’ve also released tips that could help you improve your phone’s performance and tips to help fix bad iOS 13 battery life.

If you can’t handle the iOS 13.6.1 update’s performance, note that you can no longer downgrade to the previous version of iOS 13. Apple has stopped signing on iOS 13.6.

If you want to move your iPhone off iOS 13.6.1, but want to stay on iOS 13, you can try downloading the latest iOS 13 beta. If you want to move off iOS 13, you can download the iOS 14 beta.

iOS 13.6.1 Update: What’s New

Apple’s x.x.x updates always bring under-the-hood improvements and that’s all you get from iOS 13.6.1. There aren’t any new features on board. Here’s the full list of changes:

Bug Fixes

Addresses an issue where unneeded system data files might not be automatically deleted when available storage is low
Fixes a thermal management issue that caused some displays to exhibit a green tint
Fixes an issue where Exposure Notifications could be disabled for some users

Apple says the update has no published CVE entries aka security patches.

iOS 13.6.1 Jailbreak

If you jailbreak, you’ll want to skip iOS 13.6.1 for now.

Earlier this year, the developers behind the “unc0ver” jailbreak tool for iOS released a new version that’s compatible with iOS 13.5 and most versions of iOS going all the way down to iOS 11.0. iOS 12.3-12.3.2 and iOS 12.4.2-12.4.5 are excluded. So are iOS 13.5.1, iOS 13.6, and iOS 13.6.1.

The jailbreak tool is also compatible with all iOS 13-powered devices including newer iPhone models.

What’s Next

Apple is preparing a new version of iOS 13.

iOS 13.6.1 will likely be followed by iOS 13.7, a new milestone update that’s currently in beta testing. The update will carry new features and bug fixes.

We don’t have an iOS 13.7 release date to look forward to just yet, but a release for iPhone should come sooner rather than later. If you can’t wait for the official release you can download the beta.

For more on iOS 13.7, take a look at our guide.

Apple’s also working on iOS 14, a new operating system that’s headed to all iOS 13-powered iPhone models this fall.

iOS 14 is also in beta testing which means you can give it a try on your iPhone right now if you really want to try new features or really want to move your phone off of iOS 13.

For more on iOS 14 and the beta, please take a look at our guide.

4 Reasons Not to Install iOS 13.7 & 11 Reasons You Should

Install iOS 13.7 for Better Security

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If security is important to you, think about installing the iOS 13.7 update.

iOS 13.7 doesn't have any known security patches on board. That said, if you skipped iOS 13.6 or an older version of iOS, you'll get security patches with your upgrade.

iOS 13.6 had more than 20 patches for security issues on board which made it an extremely important update. If you skipped iOS 13.6, you get the patches with iOS 13.7.

If you want to learn more about iOS 13.6's security patches, head on over to Apple's security site for more information.

If you skipped iOS 13.5.1, you get its security patch with your upgrade to iOS 13.7. You can read more about it on Apple's website. The patch is for an exploit used by jailbreak developers.

If you skipped iOS 13.5, iOS 13.7 brings iOS 13.5's 41 new security patches with it. Apple's posted the details on its website and you can dig into the particulars if you're interested.

Among them, patches for the company's Mail app, Wi-Fi, AirDrop, Bluetooth, FaceTime, Messages, and Notifications.

If you skipped the iOS 13.4 update, you'll get iOS 13.4's 28 security patches with your upgrade. You can read about all of them on Apple's website right here.

iOS 13.4 also brought several improvements to Apple's Intelligent Tracking Prevention. Apple's John Wilander outlined them in a blog post and it's worth checking out.

Reports have outlined a vulnerability in Wi-Fi chips made by Broadcom and Cypress Semiconductor that left billions of devices susceptible to attack.

Dubbed Kr00k, the vulnerability allows nearby attackers to decrypt sensitive information that's relayed over-the-air.

Fortunately, it looks like the issue was patched up with the release of iOS 13.2, an update that arrived all the way back in October.

So if you're running a really old version of iOS 13, you'll really want to move your device up to the newest version of iOS 13.

If you skipped iOS 13.3.1, you get its patches with iOS 13.7.

The iOS 13.3.1 update included 21 new security patches that will help protect your device from harm. The company's outlined those patches in detail if you want to dig in.

If you skipped iOS 13.3, you get its patches with iOS 13.7. iOS 13.3 brought 12 new security patches to the iPhone and you can read about each one over on Apple's security page.

The iOS 13.3 update also added support for NFC, USB, and Lightning FIDO2-compliant security keys in the Safari browser.

If you missed iOS 13.2, it had 16 new security patches on board. You can read about all of them on Apple's website right here.

iOS 13.1.1 brought a security patch for a third-party keyboard issue to your iPhone. If you're interested in the particulars, you can read about them over on Apple's website.

If you passed on installing iOS 13.1, you get an additional patch with your iOS 13.7 update. You can learn more right here.

If you're moving up from iOS 12, you'll get iOS 13.0's nine security patches with your upgrade to iOS 13.7. Read about those here.

If you skipped iOS 12.4.1 or any older versions of iOS 12, you'll get their security patches with your iOS 13.7 update.

iOS 12.4.1 only had one patch on board, but Apple's iOS 12.4 update brought 19 security patches to the iPhone. If you're interested in the specifics, you can read about them on right here.

In addition to those patches, iOS 13 itself comes with some security and privacy upgrades including improved anti-tracking features in Safari and the ability to get rid of location metadata in your photos.

You also now have the ability to block apps from using Bluetooth and the ability to allow apps to access your location just once.

iOS 13 will also send you reminders about applications that track your data.