Apple Seeds iOS 5.1 Beta 3 to Developers, Restores 'Enable 3G' Toggle

MacRumors · Jan 9, 2012

Returning from a holiday break, Apple today seeded iOS 5.1 Beta 3 to developers to allow for further testing of the next update to the company's mobile operating system. The new version arrives as Build 9B5141a, up from the previous Build 9B5127a released ad iOS 5.1 Beta 2 on December 12.

Screenshot of iOS 5.1 Beta 3 over-the-air update (Source: @CDeeRON)

So far the update appears to only be available via the over-the-air update mechanism for existing iOS 5.1 beta users, but should become available for general download through Apple's iOS developer program site shortly. We'll have more information on the new build at that time.

Update: We're still waiting for Apple to post iOS 5.1 beta 3 to the developer site with release notes, but commenters in our forums have noted that the new build restores the toggle that allows users to turn off 3G cellular data access. As Apple notes on the setting, 3G offers faster data speeds but uses more battery power than EDGE.

Update 2: iOS 5.1 Beta 3 is now available via the iOS developer program portal. Xcode 4.3 Developer Preview 3 and Apple TV Software Beta 2 have also been released today.

The full release notes for iOS 5.1 Beta 3 still have not been posted.

Update 3: The release notes for iOS 5.1 Beta 3 have now been posted, and one item of note involves a new API to help developers flag app content that should not be backed up.

iOS 5.1 introduces a new API to mark files or directories that should not be backed up. For NSURL objects, add the NSURLIsExcludedFromBackupKey attribute to prevent the corresponding file from being backed up.

The addition appears to be an expansion of the company's iOS 5.0.1 effort to help deal with content being stored for offline use that does not need to be committed to a device backup but which should not be subject to removal during the purging of caches. Apple will be replacing the com.apple.MobileBackup file attribute introduced in iOS 5.0.1 with the new API usage in iOS 5.1.

Article Link: Apple Seeds iOS 5.1 Beta 3 to Developers, Restores 'Enable 3G' Toggle

JackieTreehorn · Jan 9, 2012

5.1 will be make or break for me whether or not I'll return the 4S. Four different units give me a battery life time of 5 hours maximum.

I don't want to able to delete photostream pictures: I want my new phone to last about as long as my old phone did.

jasonxneo · Jan 9, 2012

its the dreaded 5.1

MattMJB0188 · Jan 9, 2012

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

Anyone else crossing their fingers this enables 4s users to be able to switch 3G off and use EDGE only. I'm not talking about turning cellular data off.

ballsop · Jan 9, 2012

heres to hoping

this build has some form of siri enhancements i.e give us brits the bloody map/business search.

mms13 · Jan 9, 2012

JackieTreehorn said:
5.1 will be make or break for me whether or not I'll return the 4S. Four different units give me a battery life time of 5 hours maximum.

I don't want to able to delete photostream pictures: I want my new phone to last about as long as my old phone did.

Not sure why this is getting downvoted but I agree. While I have no intention of returning my 4S, I am dissapointed with the battery life when compared to my old iPhone 4. I get about 5-6 hours usage from the 4S, used to get at least 7 from the 4.

I'm just hoping 5.1 is out soon and offers even a minor improvement...5.0.1 did nothing for me, in fact I think it made it worse.

Peace · Jan 9, 2012

MattMJB0188 said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

Anyone else crossing their fingers this enables 4s users to be able to switch 3G off and use EDGE only. I'm not talking about turning cellular data off.

Like this ?

bmms8 · Jan 9, 2012

Peace said:
Like this ?

yes he meant like that. 5.1 does not include that, unless beta 3 is different. i dont think apple will go back and allow the user to turn off 3g.

TimUSCA · Jan 9, 2012

MattMJB0188 said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

Anyone else crossing their fingers this enables 4s users to be able to switch 3G off and use EDGE only. I'm not talking about turning cellular data off.

Absolutely NOT. Edge is painfully slow. And other than battery life, it isn't like your data usage will be less on Edge. It'll just download slower.

Mlrollin91 · Jan 9, 2012

TimUSCA said:
Absolutely NOT. Edge is painfully slow. And other than battery life, it isn't like your data usage will be less on Edge. It'll just download slower.

But it can effect battery drastically. If you are in an area with poor 3G, your phone is constantly looking for that signal. If you manually switch to Edge it saves battery because its not looking for 3G.

bmms8 · Jan 9, 2012

guys, we all stand corrected.. in the latest beta, you can turn off 3G! this is great for me!

mms13 · Jan 9, 2012

TimUSCA said:
Absolutely NOT. Edge is painfully slow. And other than battery life, it isn't like your data usage will be less on Edge. It'll just download slower.

Obviously....but that's not why people turn off 3G. Sometimes 3G can be bogged down or unresponsive. For example when I attend NFL games, it's sometimes impossible to send texts or get data on 3G, but when I switch to EDGE, things go through. Ever since I got my 4S though, this hasn't been possible.

5aga · Jan 9, 2012

Mlrollin91 said:
But it can effect battery drastically. If you are in an area with poor 3G, your phone is constantly looking for that signal. If you manually switch to Edge it saves battery because its not looking for 3G.

this is true. If people dont use it they can leave it on 3G but the option should at least be there.

catserfp · Jan 9, 2012

We definitely need filters in Mail, a pain in the butt otherwise...

DerekTS · Jan 9, 2012

Unfortunately I keep getting an error when I try to update over wifi. I guess I will be waiting until they post it to the developer download section.

EDIT- It finally works now. Currently downloading the update and will confirm about the 3G toggle once it's done.

Primejimbo · Jan 9, 2012

JackieTreehorn said:
5.1 will be make or break for me whether or not I'll return the 4S. Four different units give me a battery life time of 5 hours maximum.

I don't want to able to delete photostream pictures: I want my new phone to last about as long as my old phone did.

I would like to know what people do. I have a 4s, I receive and send 200-300 emails, web and talking on the phone a lot and I get a full days worth.

mms13 said:
Not sure why this is getting downvoted but I agree. While I have no intention of returning my 4S, I am dissapointed with the battery life when compared to my old iPhone 4. I get about 5-6 hours usage from the 4S, used to get at least 7 from the 4.

I'm just hoping 5.1 is out soon and offers even a minor improvement...5.0.1 did nothing for me, in fact I think it made it worse.

just over an hour less? 4 is single core, 4s is dual, the 4s will use more battery life and will never have battery life like the 4.

TimUSCA said:
Absolutely NOT. Edge is painfully slow. And other than battery life, it isn't like your data usage will be less on Edge. It'll just download slower.

But when you're in spotty 3G area, the phone will always look for 3G signal and kill the battery a lot faster. Being able to turn in off for these areas will help battery life.

hexonxonx · Jan 9, 2012

bmms8 said:
guys, we all stand corrected.. in the latest beta, you can turn off 3G! this is great for me!

What about for Verizon users?

bmms8 · Jan 9, 2012

hexonxonx said:
What about for Verizon users?

i believe the beta OS is the same for all carriers. i am on ATT and i have 3g turned off, i assume itll be the same for sprint or verizon, but a member will have to give that info

lancastor · Jan 9, 2012

bmms8 said:
guys, we all stand corrected.. in the latest beta, you can turn off 3G! this is great for me!

Really or fake/troll post?

throys · Jan 9, 2012

Primejimbo said:
I would like to know what people do. I have a 4s, I receive and send 200-300 emails, web and talking on the phone a lot and I get a full days worth.

just over an hour less? 4 is single core, 4s is dual, the 4s will use more battery life and will never have battery life like the 4.

But when you're in spotty 3G area, the phone will always look for 3G signal and kill the battery a lot faster. Being able to turn in off for these areas will help battery life.

This is even greater news if 3G TOGGLE is back. Also I have a iphone 4S and battery life is pretty good just under par with my iphone 4 but considering the speed and with SIRI and fantastic camera I'm very happy

bmms8 · Jan 9, 2012

lancastor said:
Really or fake/troll post?

is something wrong with you? why dont you read my previous posts, or at least download and install the beta 3 before you comment.

jbrown · Jan 9, 2012

ballsop said:
this build has some form of siri enhancements i.e give us brits the bloody map/business search.

You know this??

flottenheimer · Jan 9, 2012

Just wondering.

When people complain about a battery-life of only 5 hours, what kind of usage are we talking about? Constant talk? Constant surf? Or...?

My wife's 4S typically lasts for a day and a half (that's 36 hours).

On a normal day she talks for about half an hour. The phone is constantly syncing mails (Gmail + MS Exchange). She takes a couple of photos. She sends around 5-10 SMS messages. She surfs for 15 min. and sends 3 emails. And she plays at least an hour or two of Tiny Tower, Bejeweled and Wordfeud.

JackieTreehorn · Jan 9, 2012

Primejimbo said:
I would like to know what people do. I have a 4s, I receive and send 200-300 emails, web and talking on the phone a lot and I get a full days worth.

I do nothing exceptionally power consuming. For example, yesterday I was browsing (twitter, Reeder) over WiFi and boom: 9% gone in about 20 minutes. The day before that, I was viewing some NYE pictures and boom: 8% gone in about 15 minutes.

With four units already on my tally with more or less similar performance, I really need to know if 5.1 fixes this to more acceptable percentages.

And yes, I am willing to give developers my UDID for that

schimanke · Jan 9, 2012

I can confirm that you can definately turn off 3G manually again in the new beta! Thanks for that, Apple!

Apple Seeds iOS 5.1 Beta 3 to Developers, Restores 'Enable 3G' Toggle

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