Apple

5 Things to Know About the iOS 16.3.1 Update

Published

1 year ago

02/27/2023

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.

Table of Contents

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.

4 Reasons Not to Install iOS 16.7.7 & 10 Reasons You Should

Install iOS 16.7.7 for Better Security

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If security is important to you, think about installing Apple's iOS 16.7.7 update on your iPhone right away.

iOS 16.7.7 has two security patches on board. If you want to protect your device from harm, you should install the upgrade sooner rather than later.

If you missed older versions of iOS 16, you'll get the fixes and features from updates you missed when you upgrade to iOS 16.7.7.

iOS 16.7.6 delivered several security patches to iPhone users.

iOS 16.7.5 had nine security patches on board and they're important if you want to keep you device and its data safe from harm.

iOS 16.7.3 delivered several security patches including one that patches up an issue with the Find My app.

iOS 16.7.2 brought several security patches to iPhone models still running iOS 16. Learn more about them here.

iOS 16.7.1 carried two important security enhancements including one that addressed a kernel vulnerability. You can learn more about the pair over on Apple's website.

iOS 16.7 had three security patches on board and you can learn more about them right here.

iOS 16.6.1 brought two important security patches to iPhone. If you're interested in what they patch up, here's Apple's guide.

The iOS 16.6 update featured 16 security patches. For more information about the changes, check out Apple's rundown.

iOS 16.5.1 brought two security patches to iPhone users If you want to learn more, head on over to Apple's website.

The company's iOS Security Response 16.5.1 (c) update also included a security update and you can learn more about it right here.

iOS 16.5 brought a ton of security patches to the iPhone. You can find out more about them over on Apple's security site.

iOS 16.4.1 included two security upgrades . You can learn more about the pair right here.

Apple's iOS 16.4 update had a substantial number of patches on board. You can read about them in detail over on Apple's security site.

The iOS 16.3.1 update had three security patches on board including one for an actively exploited vulnerability. For more on the security contents of iOS 16.3.1, check out Apple's security page.

iOS 16.3 brought 10+ new security patches with it and you can learn more about all of those right here.

In addition, the software came with support for physical security keys for Apple ID. These will beef up your account security by requiring a physical security key as part of the two factor authentication sign in process. Learn more about the change right here.

If you skipped iOS 16.2, you'll get its changes with iOS 16.7.7. iOS 16.2 brought a ton of important security patches with it and you can dig into the details on Apple's security site.

The update also brought end-to-end encryption to iCloud, iMessage, iPhone backups, Notes, Photos, and more. If you want to learn more about it, head over to Apple's guide.

If you decided to missed iOS 16.1.2, you'll get its solitary security patch with your upgrade. Learn more about it right here.

If you skipped iOS 16.1.1, you'll get its security patches when you upgrade. You can learn more about them right here.

If you missed the iOS 16.1 update, it brought 19 security patches to the iPhone and you can learn about the particulars of those over on Apple's website.

If you failed to download iOS 16.0.3, it had one security patch on board, a fix for a potential exploit within the Mail app. For more about the fix, check out Apple's security site.

If you're still running iOS 15 your iPhone, you'll get a bunch of other patches when you upgrade.

iOS 16.0 brought a ton of 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 security website.

In addition to those patches, iOS 16 brings some additional enhancements to privacy and security including Safety Check which, according to Apple, will help "people in domestic or intimate partner violence situations review and reset the access they’ve granted others."

The feature also resets system privacy permissions for apps and restricts Messages and FaceTime to the device on hand.

Apple's also made some improvements to Passkeys in Safari. iOS 16 brings a brand new sign-in method that's end-to-end encrypted and safe from phishing and data leaks.