5 Things to Know About the iOS 16.3.1 Update

Apple’s released a new iOS 16.3.1 update for iPhone.

Unlike the previous version of iOS 16 (iOS 16.3), iOS 16.3.1 is a small point upgrade. The firmware brings important bug fixes and security patches to iPhone models compatible with iOS 16.

With that in mind, we want to walk you through everything there currently is to know about Apple’s iOS 16.3.1 software for iPhone.

In the walkthrough below we’ll take you through iOS 16.3.1’s changes, the software’s early performance, the current list of iOS 16.3.1 problems, the iOS 16 jailbreak status, and more. We’ll start with some quick thoughts on iOS 16.3.1’s performance

Update: Apple has released a new iOS 16.4 update and it replaces iOS 16.3.1 as the most up-to-date version of iOS 16. For more information about iOS 16.4, please head to our walkthrough.

iOS 16.3.1 Review

If your iPhone currently has iOS 16.3.1 installed, you’ll see the smallest iOS 16.3.1 download size.

Apple’s pushed an iOS 16.3.1 update to iPhone.

The iOS 16.3.1 download size depends on your iPhone model and the version of iOS it’s currently running. So if your iPhone is running an older version of iOS, you may see a bigger download because iOS 16.3.1 update includes the changes from updates you skipped.

If you’re moving up from iOS 16.3, the iOS 16.3.1 installation process should take less than 10 minutes to complete. It took about seven minutes to install on an iPhone 12 Pro.

We’ve been using iOS 16.3.1 on an iPhone 12 Pro for several days now and here’s what we’ve learned about the software’s performance thus far:

Connectivity

• iOS 16.3.1 battery life is stable.
• Wi-Fi connectivity is fast and reliable.
• Bluetooth is working normally.
• GPS and cellular data are working properly.

App Performance

• Third-party apps including Netflix, Twitter, Slack, Gmail, Chrome, and Spotify are all working fine at the moment.
• First party apps like Safari, Podcasts, and Calendar are also running properly.

Speed

• iOS 16.3.1 feels fast and we haven’t run into any major issues with the UI.

If you’re dealing with bugs and/or performance issues on iOS 16.3, or an older version of iOS, you might want to install the iOS 16.3.1 update on your iPhone right now. It could help.

If you need help making a decision, please check out our reasons to, and not to, install the latest version of iOS 16 today.

iOS 16.3.1 Problems

iOS 16.3.1 is causing problems for some iPhone users. Some problems are brand new while others have carried over from older versions of iOS.

The current list of iOS 16.3.1 problems includes Wi-Fi issues, installation issues, UI lag, Exchange issues, problems with first and third-party apps, touchscreen issues, and Bluetooth problems.

If you run into a problem on iOS 16.3.1, head over to our list of fixes for the most common iOS 16 problems. We’ve also released tips that could help you improve your phone’s performance and some tips that could help fix bad iOS 16 battery life.

Apple recently stopped signing on iOS 16.3 which means you can’t drop your iPhone’s software back to the previous version of iOS 16 if iOS 16.3.1 starts causing problems on your phone. You can’t downgrade to anything older than iOS 16.3 either.

For more on the downgrade process, check out our guide.

iOS 16.3.1 Features: What’s New

As for iOS 16.3.1’s changes, the software comes with five changes. Three of those changes are bug fixes and two are security patches. Here’s the full iOS 16.3.1 change log:

• iCloud settings may be unresponsive or incorrectly display if apps are using iCloud
• Siri requests for Find My may not work
• Crash Detection optimizations on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models

If you’re curious about the pair of security patches, head over to Apple’s security site for more information.

iOS 16.3.1 Jailbreak

If you still jailbreak, avoid the iOS 16.3.1 update for now.

Developers have released a new jailbreak that works with iOS 15.0-iOS 16.2. Unfortunately, the jailbreak doesn’t work with iOS 16.3 or iOS 16.3.1 and it’s only compatible with the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus.

What’s Next

Apple’s confirmed a new iOS 16.4 update and the software is currently in beta testing ahead of a release later this year. We expect it to arrive in March or April.

For more about the iOS 16.4 update and the beta, have a look at our walkthrough. For more about the iOS 16.4 release date, check out our guide.

It looks like the company is also working on iOS 16.5. It should arrive sometime after iOS 16.4 and it may serve as one of the final versions of iOS 16. Apple will release iOS 17 for iPhone later this year.

For more about iOS 17, check out our guide.

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