5 Things to Know About the iOS 16.7.2 Update [u]

Apple’s pushed a new iOS 16.7.2 update to iPhone users still running iOS 16.

iOS 16.7.2 is the latest update for the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X, the three iPhone models that got left behind on iOS 16. It’s also available if you own a newer iPhone and haven’t moved your device to iOS 17 yet.

The iOS 16.7.2 update isn’t a huge upgrade, future iOS 16 updates won’t be either, but it delivers new security patches which  makes it an extremely important update.

With that in mind, we want to walk you through everything you need to know right now about Apple’s iOS 16.7.2 software for iPhone.

11/2 Update: Apple stopped signing on older versions of iOS 16 which means you can’t downgrade from iOS 16.7.2. We’ve updated this post to reflect the change. 

In this walkthrough we’ll take you through iOS 16.7.2’s changes, the software’s current performance, iOS 16.7.2 problems impacting iPhone users, the iOS 16 jailbreak status, and more.

We’ll start with some quick thoughts on iOS 16.7.2’s performance.

iOS 16.7.2 Review

If your iPhone’s currently running iOS 16.7.1, you’ll see the smallest iOS 16.7.2 download size. Unless your device is running low on storage, you won’t have to make room for the download.

The iOS 16.7.2 installation should take around 10 minutes or so to complete. It took just about eight minutes to install on an iPhone X that was previously running on iOS 16.7.1.

We’ve been using iOS 16.7.2 on an iPhone X for several days now and we haven’t run into any major issues with the software thus far. Here’s what we’ve learned about the software’s performance:

iOS 16.7.2 Battery Life & Connectivity

• Battery life is stable. We haven’t run into any abnormal battery drain
• Wi-Fi connectivity is fast and reliable
• Bluetooth is working normally
• GPS and cellular data are working properly

App Performance

• Third-party apps like Hulu, Netflix, Twitter, Slack, Gmail, Chrome, and Spotify are all working fine
• First party apps like Safari and Podcasts are also running fine

Speed

• iOS 16.7.2 feels as fast as iOS 16.7.1 and we haven’t run into any abnormal lag, lockups, or freezes

If your iPhone is struggling with bugs and/or performance issues on iOS 16.7.1, or an older version of iOS, you might want to install the iOS 16.7.2 update on your iPhone right now.

If you need help making a decision, check out our reasons to, and not to, install iOS 16.7.2 on your iPhone.

iOS 16.7.2 Problems

Apple tested iOS 16.7.2 for bugs and other issues behind the scenes, but the software is causing problems for some iPhone users. Some of these issues are new, others have carried over from older versions of iOS 16.

The current list of iOS 16.7.2 problems includes installation troubles, abnormal battery drain, Face ID issues, broken Bluetooth, busted Wi-Fi, UI lag, Exchange issues, and problems with first and third-party apps.

If you run into a problem with iOS 16.7.2, take a look at our list of fixes for the most common iOS 16 problems. We’ve also released tips that could help you improve your iPhone’s performance and tips that could help fix bad battery life.

Apple recently stopped signing on iOS 16.7.1 and iOS 16.7 which means you can’t drop your iPhone’s software back to older software if iOS 16.7.2 starts causing problems. You can’t downgrade to anything older than iOS 16.7 either.

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

iOS 16.7.2: What’s New

New versions of iOS 16 typically fix problems within the operating system and that’s exactly what iOS 16.7.2 does. Again, you don’t get any outward facing features.

The iOS 16.7.2 change log notes that the software is focused on patching up security problems. You can learn more about iOS 16.7.2’s security contents over on Apple’s website.

iOS 16.7.2 Jailbreak

If you still jailbreak your iPhone(s), make sure you avoid the iOS 16.7.2 update.

Developers have released a jailbreak that works with older versions of iOS. Unfortunately, the jailbreak doesn’t work with iOS 16.7.2. Not yet at least.

What’s Next

We expect Apple to push new iOS 16 software to iPhone in the weeks and months ahead. Again, these updates will almost certainly focus on patching up security issues. We don’t expect future iOS 16 releases to deliver new features.

Apple will release new iOS 17 software before the end of the year so don’t be surprised if new iOS 16 software rolls out alongside said upgrade.

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