Apple

5 Things to Know About the iOS 14.1 Update

Published

3 years ago

10/28/2020

Apple’s released an iOS 14.1 update and the milestone upgrade brings new features and bug fixes for lingering iOS 14 problems.

iOS 14.1 is bigger than the previous version of iOS 14 (iOS 14.0.1), but it’s much smaller than your average milestone (x.x) upgrade.

The new software is compatible with 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. It also powers the company’s new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models.

With all of that in mind, we want to take you through everything there is to know about Apple’s latest software update for the iPhone and iOS 14.

In this guide to iOS 14.1 we’ll walk you through iOS 14.1’s changes, the software’s performance, iOS 14 problems, the iOS 14.1 jailbreak status, and more.

We’ll start with iOS 14.1’s early performance.

iOS 14.1 Reviews

If your iPhone is currently running iOS 14.0.1, you’ll encounter a pretty big download.

For iOS 14.0.1 users, the iOS 14.1 update should be 400+MB. The exact download size will vary based on your device and the version of iOS your device is currently running.

If your iPhone is on an older version of iOS, you’ll probably see a larger download size because your upgrade will include the features and fixes from updates you skipped.

If your phone is running iOS 14.0.1, the iOS 14.1 installation will probably take less than 15 minutes to complete. It took about eight minutes to install on the iPhone X.

For more on the iOS 14.1 download and installation, take a look at our guide.

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We’ve been using the iOS 14.1 update for several days now and here’s what we’ve noticed about its performance in some of the software’s key areas.

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 14.1 feels as fast as iOS 14.0.1 and iOS 14.0.

If your iPhone is struggling on iOS 14.0.1 or an older version of iOS, you might want to install the iOS 14.1 update on your iPhone right now. It could help stabilize performance.

If you need help making a decision, please check out our reasons to, and not to, install the iOS 14.1 update. It will help you decide if the upgrade is worth it.

We’ve also published our mini iOS 14.1 reviews for the 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 14.1 Problems

The iOS 14.1 update is causing problems for some iPhone users. Some problems are brand new, others have carried over from previous versions of iOS.

The current list of iOS 14 issues includes installation problems, lag, Exchange issues, problems with first and third-party apps, hotspot problems, weird battery drain, touchscreen issues, issues with Touch ID and Face ID, and various other bugs.

iOS 14.1 users have discovered a bug related to iOS 14’s default app settings. If you update your selected default app (Chrome, Gmail, etc) in the App Store, it will get removed from the default app slot.

The bug has apparently been fixed in Apple’s upcoming iOS 14.2 update.

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— David Clarke (@DCOneFourSeven) October 21, 2020

Apple has also acknowledged missing GPS data problems impacting the iPhone and Apple Watch. Here’s the full list:

Your workout route maps are missing in the Fitness app on ‌iPhone‌ for previous GPS-enabled workouts from your Apple Watch.
The Activity, Heart Rate, or other health-related apps fail to launch or load data on your Apple Watch.
The Fitness app or Health app fail to launch or load data on your ‌iPhone‌.
The Health app or Fitness app is reporting an inaccurate amount of data storage on your ‌iPhone‌.
The Activity app is reporting an inaccurate amount of data storage on your Apple Watch.
Your environmental sound levels data or headphone audio levels data from Apple Watch is missing in the Health app on ‌iPhone‌.

In order to fix these problems right now, you’ll want to follow the steps Apple outlines in this guide. Apple’s also fixed these in its upcoming iOS 14.2 update.

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If you run into an issue on iOS 14.1, take a look at our list of fixes for the most common iOS 14 problems. We’ve also released tips that could help you improve your phone’s performance and tips to help fix bad iOS 14 battery life.

If you can’t handle the iOS 14.1 update’s performance, note that you can no longer downgrade your phone’s software to the previous version of iOS 14.

Apple has stopped signing on iOS 14.0.1 which means there’s no way back to the firmware. The company has also stopped signing on iOS 14.0 and iOS 13.

For more on the downgrade, check out our guide.

iOS 14.1 Update: What’s New

Apple’s x.x updates typically bring a mix of new features and under-the-hood improvements and that’s what you get from iOS 14.1.

Here’s the full list of changes on board:

New Features

Adds support for 10-bit HDR video playback and edit in Photos for iPhone 8 and later

Bug Fixes

Addresses an issue where some widgets, folders, and icons were showing up in reduced size on the Home Screen
Addresses an issue where dragging widgets on the Home Screen could remove apps from folders
Fixes an issue where some emails in Mail were sent from an incorrect alias
Fixes an issue that could prevent incoming calls from displaying region information
Fixes an issue on some devices where selecting zoomed display mode and an alphanumeric passcode could result in the Lock Screen emergency call button overlapping with the text input box
Addresses an issue where some users were occasionally unable to download or add songs to their library while viewing an album or playlist
Fixes an issue that could prevent zeroes from appearing in Calculator
Resolves an issue where streaming video resolution could temporarily be reduced at the start of playback
Fixes an issue that prevented setting up a family member’s Apple Watch for some users
Resolves an issue where the Apple Watch case material was displayed incorrectly in the Apple Watch app
Addresses an issue in the Files app that could cause some MDM-managed cloud service providers to incorrectly display content as unavailable
Improves compatibility with Ubiquiti wireless access points

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

If you’re moving up from iOS 13, your iOS 14.1 will include all of the features from iOS 14.0. It’s a substantial list of features, improvements, and security patches. For more on iOS 14.0, check out our guide.

If your iPhone is running iOS 13 or iOS 14.0, you’ll also get the fixes from iOS 14.0.1 with your upgrade. You can learn more about those in our walkthrough.

iOS 14.1 Jailbreak

If you want to jailbreak an iPhone running iOS 14, you need an older iPhone model running iOS 14.0.

The developer team behind the checkra1n jailbreaking tool for iOS has released version 0.11.0 which adds support for iOS 14.0. The tool works with the following devices:

iPhone 6s
iPhone 6s Plus
iPhone SE

The team says it hopes to have support for newer models like the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X in the near future. If you own a newer iPhone, and you’re jailbroken or want to jailbreak, you’ll need to stay on iOS 13.

We don’t know if the tool works with iOS 14.1. So if you still jailbreak, you’ll want to avoid an upgrade.

What’s Next

If your device is struggling on iOS 14, help is on the way.

Apple is working on an iOS 14.2 update. iOS 14.2 is in beta testing and the milestone upgrade should carry new features and bug fixes for iOS 14 problems.

We don’t have an iOS 14.2 release date to look forward to just yet though we expect it to arrive in the near future. Apple recently released the final beta.

If you don’t wait for the official iOS 14.2 release, you can download the beta onto your iPhone right now.

For more on iOS 14.2, take a look at our guide.

4 Reasons Not to Install iOS 14.8.1 & 11 Reasons You Should

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.