5 Things to Know About the iOS 13.7 Update

Apple’s pushed out an iOS 13.7 update for iPhone and it brings a fairly short list of changes to compatible devices.

In late August Apple pushed the iOS 13.7 update into beta testing. Typically, iOS updates stay in beta testing for several weeks before they are released to the public, but iOS 13.7 isn’t your typical milestone release.

There were signs that Apple would get iOS 13.7 out to the public much faster than usual and those suspicions were confirmed  with a very quick public release.

iOS 13.7 might be a milestone release (x.x), but it’s actually pretty small. That being said, it brings new features and under-the-hood improvements to the iPhone.

The iOS 13.7 update is compatible with Apple’s 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.

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With all of that out of the way, we want to take you through everything there is to know about Apple’s latest update for the iPhone and iOS 13. With the iOS 14 update getting closer, iOS 13.7 will likely be one of the last upgrades for iOS 13.

In this guide to iOS 13.7 we’ll take you through the update’s performance, the current list of iOS 13.7 problems, the best places to find feedback about bugs and performance issues, the iOS 13.7 jailbreak status, and more.

We’ll start with our impressions of iOS 13.7 update’s performance on iPhone.

iOS 13.7 Reviews

If your iPhone is currently running iOS 13.6.1, you’ll encounter a fairly small download.

For iOS 13.6.1 users, the iOS 13.7 update will require a 100+ MB download. The exact download size will vary based on your device and the version of iOS 13 your device is running.

If your iPhone is running an older version of iOS 13 you’ll likely see a larger download size because your iOS 13.7 update includes the changes from any iOS updates you skipped.

If your phone is on iOS 13.6.1, the iOS 13.7 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 13.7 download and installation, take a look at our guide.

We’ve been using the iOS 13.7 update for a few days now 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 13.7 feels as fast as iOS 13.6.1.

If your iPhone is struggling with bugs or performance issues on iOS 13.6.1 or an older version of iOS 13, you should think about installing the iOS 13.7 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 13.7 update. It will help you decide if the upgrade is worth it.

We’ve also published our mini iOS 13.7 reviews for the iPhone 11, 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 13.7 Problems

The iOS 13.7 update is already causing problems for some iPhone users. Some of problems are brand new, others have carried over from previous versions.

The current list of iOS 13.7 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.

If you run into an issue on iOS 13.7, 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 13.7 update’s performance, note that you can no longer downgrade back to iOS 13.6.1. Apple has stopped signing on the previous version of iOS 13 and older versions of iOS 13.

Once you move to iOS 13.7 there’s no way off unless you move your iPhone to the iOS 14 beta.

iOS 13.7 Update: What’s New

Apple’s x.x updates always bring new features and under-the-hood improvements and that’s what you’ll get from iOS 13.7.

According to Apple’s release notes, iOS 13.7 lets you opt-in to the COVID-19 Exposure Notifications system without the need to download an app. System availability depends on support from your local public health authority.

For more information about this, head over to Apple’s website.

Apple says iOS 13.7 has bug fixes on board, but it doesn’t call them out so it’s unclear what the update fixes. We’ll let you know when we learn more.

The company also says iOS 13.7 doesn’t have any published CVE entries.

iOS 13.7 Jailbreak

If you jailbreak, you’ll have to skip iOS 13.7 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, iOS 13.6.1, and iOS 13.7.

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

What’s Next

iOS 13.7 represents the last known version of iOS 13 and there’s a chance it serves as the final update for the operating system.

Apple’s working on iOS 14, a new operating system, and it’s headed to all iOS 13-powered iPhone models this fall. We expect a release in late September or October.

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

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

Install iOS 14.8.1 for Better Security

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If security is important to you, think about installing iOS 14.8.1 right away. The iOS 14.8.1 update brings 12 new security patches to the iPhone. You can read about all of them over on Apple's site.  If you want to better protect your iPhone and its data, you'll want to install the iOS 14.8.1 update in the near future.  If you missed iOS 14.8, you'll get its security patches with your upgrade. You can learn more about them right here.  If you missed iOS 14.7.1, you'll get its patch with your upgrade. If you want to learn more about iOS 14.7.1's security update, check out its support page. If you missed iOS 14.7, you'll get its 31 security patches with your upgrade. You can learn more about those on Apple's website.  If you skipped iOS 14.6, you'll get the update's 38 security patches with your iOS 14.8.1 update. If you're curious about the particulars, you can read about them right here. If you skipped iOS 14.5.1, you get the update's two security patches on board. You can read about them over on Apple's website. Both are related to WebKit.  If you missed iOS 14.5 you'll get its patches with your upgrade. You can read more about those changes over on Apple's website. iOS 14.5 also brought Apple's new App Tracking Transparency which lets you control which apps are allowed to track your activity across other companies' apps and websites for ads or sharing with data brokers. If you skipped iOS 14.4.2, you get its security patch with iOS 14.8.1. You can learn more about that patch over on Apple's website as well.  If you missed iOS 14.4.1, you get its patch with your upgrade to iOS 14.8.1. You can read about that patch right here. If you skipped iOS 14.4, you get the update's patches with your upgrade. You can learn more about iOS 14.4's security patches right here.  If you skipped iOS 14.3 you'll get its nine security updates with your upgrade. You can read more about them on its security site.  iOS 14.3 also included a new privacy information section on App Store pages that includes a developer-reported summary of the app’s privacy practices. If you skipped iOS 14.2, your iOS 14.8.1 update includes 24 additional security patches. You can learn more about the patches on Apple's security website.  If you're still running iOS 13, iOS 14.8.1 includes iOS 14.0's security updates.  iOS 14.0 brought 11 new security patches to the iPhone. If you're interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple's website. In addition to those patches, iOS 14 comes with some security and privacy upgrades including improvements to Home/HomeKit and Safari.  For instance in Safari, you can now tap the Privacy Report button to better understand how websites handle your privacy. With iOS 14 on board you can now get information on the App Store that will help you understand the privacy practices of apps before you download them.  There is also a new recording indicator that will appear at the top of your screen whenever an app is using your microphone or camera. You can see if an app has used them recently in Control Center. Researchers also discovered that Apple brought a new "BlastDoor" sandbox security system to iOS 14. The system is meant to prevent attacks from occurring via the Messages app.  You can read more about "BlastDoor" right here.

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