iOS 7 on iPhone 4

[sunking101]

So we have people complaining that iOS7 killed their iPhone 4, we have people saying that they should be glad Apple still support their device, and we also have people saying that nobody is forced to upgrade.

All of these points are strictly true but the bottom line is that Apple have no business making an update available which SERIOUSLY affects the performance and usability of the iPhone 4. Certainly not without making the performance issue absolutely clear as a disclaimer before install.

Most people install updates for new features or performance enhancements, not to cripple their device with an o/s it simply isn't able to run in the manner it should. Apple MUST have tested iOS7 on all the devices it was signed to run on, and they MUST have seen the performance issues with the iPhone 4. If they didn't test it, which unless they cynically set out to render the device obsolete is the only explanation, then they're out of order and should give users the means to go back to their previous o/s should they be unhappy.

The only people I see 'happy' with iOS7 on the iPhone 4 are Apple fanboys or people who prefer style over function. Sorry to say this but there can be no other explanation for it because the i4 plain runs nasty with iOS7. Even 7.1.1, which is lauded as bringing the performance back to iOS6 fluidity, is lousy on the i4.

I'm not talking about boot times, or how quick you can access menus - none of that really matters. What DOES matter is web browsing speed, how fast it loads websites, keyboard lag when typing on websites and intermittent lag all over. Then the Facetime thing if you used it. These are real functionality issues and in no way is a control centre and inbuilt torch utility an adequate trade-off. Torch apps are ten a penny and free. Control centre isn't essential. Usability IS essential.

Even though I don't use an i4 now, I handed my old one to my father and he *does* use one. Plus he's stuck with the slow, frustrating and downright nasty device until the contract on my i5 is up. I really feel for him, because I couldn't use that POS for more than ten minutes without throwing it at the wall. It was once a great device and the hardware is in A1 condition. Sadly the o/s isn't.

 

[mangomind]

Then it should be allowed to run/remain on an OS where it performs without a performance/stability hit.

I agree. Although technically Apple allows users to remain on a previous iOS, they force users to upgrade to get security fixes and reinstallations. Apple should treat iOS more like OS X in this respect. It should allow users to stay on a recent OS and receive security updates, and allow users to reinstall a previous version. Hopefully Apple is moving in this direction, as issuing security fixes for iOS 6 on the 3GS and 4th iPod touch marked the first time Apple has supported a previous iOS.

The other option would be this: Apple should fragment or give the option to turn off new resource-hungry features, and continue to optimize iOS. Apple does do the former: it has given users the option of turning off almost every new resource-hungry feature in iOS 7: such as blur, animations, and background refresh. Hopefully Apple will continue doing the latter.

 

[Paddle1]

issuing security fixes for iOS 6 on the 3GS and 4th iPod touch marked the first time Apple has supported a previous iOS.

No it didn't.

 

[The Doctor11]

Nothing like having an iPhone 4...##

 

[crashnburn]

- Should apple allow people to downgrade to previous iOS versions without having to resort to saving SHSHs.. Yes, probably

- Should they add patches updates to iOS like they do for OSX or Service Patches and Packs for Windows.. ideally.. But you have to realize.. this is FIRMWARE / OS on a mobile device.. v/s that on a desktop/ laptop. You'd rarely see such updates incrementally.. Usually its a full Firmware Install or Upgrade not Patch installations as on Desktop OSes

- Bottom line.. this thread is about iOS 7 performance, usability experiences on iPhone 4.. SO TAKE THE ABOVE "DEBATE.. ELSEWHERE.

Whether you want apple to not release iOS7 for iPhone 4 is irrelevant..

If you have EXPERIENCED iOS7 on iPhone 4 and can give your 'unbiased' EXPERIENTIAL QUANTIFIED narration of it.. we are interested.

Talk about the non-beta releases on iOS7.x.x as compared to iOS 6.xx. EXPERIENCES! With the iOS, Stock Apps and your SPECIFIC apps that have or have not experienced major LAGs.

Simple!

 

[curiosity]

There are so many mixed opinions that I wonder if there are two different versions of iPhone 4, one of which performs terribly and the other quite well.

Probably.
I owned several iPhone 4 (iOS 6). There were visible differences in color and surface: displays, cameras, headphone jacks, top microphones - they all looked different. And they performed differently. I noticed changes in camera brightness (dark environments), display response time, and recordings' loudness. Maybe critical internal performance parts are different, too.

 

[iFarmer]

The only people I see 'happy' with iOS7 on the iPhone 4 are Apple fanboys or people who prefer style over function. Sorry to say this but there can be no other explanation for it because the i4 plain runs nasty with iOS7. Even 7.1.1, which is lauded as bringing the performance back to iOS6 fluidity, is lousy on the i4.

While I love Apple, I have no hesitancy in saying I'm not happy with something or expect more. My iPhone 4 with iOS 7 performs at or above my expectations for an older device with limited hardware running a newer operating system. I don't see any of the keyboard lag you're reporting (try restarting your device more often, that will help), slow loading webpages (though it's slow since it's 3G not LTE, but that's expected. I didn't think iOS 7 would give me magically new hardware capable of LTE) or slow animations. I turned on reduce motion and animations are doing a-ok. Don't assume your experience is the same as every other person. It's not "plain nasty", it's useable and I for one am happy for the iOS 7 features like control center and a built in flashlight.

That said, I'm using a 16GB iPhone 4. If you're using an 8GB, that may be why. In my experience those with a 16GB or 32GB are much happier with their experience.

 

[sunking101]

While I love Apple, I have no hesitancy in saying I'm not happy with something or expect more. My iPhone 4 with iOS 7 performs at or above my expectations for an older device with limited hardware running a newer operating system. I don't see any of the keyboard lag you're reporting (try restarting your device more often, that will help), slow loading webpages (though it's slow since it's 3G not LTE, but that's expected. I didn't think iOS 7 would give me magically new hardware capable of LTE) or slow animations. I turned on reduce motion and animations are doing a-ok. Don't assume your experience is the same as every other person. It's not "plain nasty", it's useable and I for one am happy for the iOS 7 features like control center and a built in flashlight.

That said, I'm using a 16GB iPhone 4. If you're using an 8GB, that may be why. In my experience those with a 16GB or 32GB are much happier with their experience.

First off, it's my father's device. Secondly it's a fresh installation of 7.1.1 and thirdly he has zero apps installed. The whole thing is 100% stock.

The slow website loading is over WiFi, he never uses 3G. The keyboard lag is whilst typing on websites, and occasionally emails/SMS. It is intermittent.

As for the device performing at or above your expectations for an older device running newer software, that is the WHOLE point here. The iPhone 4 doesn't need to be running a newer o/s which bogs it down, and it shouldn't be running it either. LOTS of people feel that their i4 has been ruined by iOS7 and they are basing their opinion on the same phone running iOS6. There was NO NEED for Apple to roll out a newer o/s which crippled the older hardware. There was NO NEED for people to get their heads around accepting the old tech/new software argument and blindly agreeing that it's 'to be expected'. A device which was running perfectly well and then became crippled by a manufacturer's 'update' is not acceptable to me, nor many others.

 

[FatPuppy]

Anyone noticed how laggy the settings app is? When scrolling? Sometimes it is more laggy than third party apps like tweetbot. And if you turn off the click sounds the keyboard is not as laggy.

 

[honglong1976]

I have an iPhone 4 with 7.1.1. Bit laggy now and then but it's 4 years old. It's got the latest iOS so I am happy. My wife's iPod Touch 5th Gen flies with iOS 7.1.1. If I compare my iPhone 4 to that, I would be disappointed. I am not though, I am taking it for what it is.

A 4 year old phone. Thank you for updating it!

All those unhappy, simple. Sell it on eBay, but a new iPhone, you will never be happy with iOS7. Move on!

These threads are so boring now!

 

[C DM]

I have an iPhone 4 with 7.1.1. Bit laggy now and then but it's 4 years old. It's got the latest iOS so I am happy. My wife's iPod Touch 5th Gen flies with iOS 7.1.1. If I compare my iPhone 4 to that, I would be disappointed. I am not though, I am taking it for what it is.

A 4 year old phone. Thank you for updating it!

All those unhappy, simple. Sell it on eBay, but a new iPhone, you will never be happy with iOS7. Move on!

These threads are so boring now!

Yeah, seriously, people likes their iPhone 4 just fine on iOS 6 but for one reason or another updated or even had to update their phone, and now that iOS 7 made it perform worse obviously that's people's own fault and they should just sell the phone they liked just fine and get another one. Some great logic right there.

 

[honglong1976]

Yeah, seriously, people likes their iPhone 4 just fine on iOS 6 but for one reason or another updated or even had to update their phone, and now that iOS 7 made it perform worse obviously that's people's own fault and they should just sell the phone they liked just fine and get another one. Some great logic right there.

I had an iPhone 4 from day one. Updated to iOS6, runs great. Updated to 7.0, bit laggy but worked ok. Updated to 7.1.1 big improvement. Bit laggy now and again but again, still functional, usable, not at all as bad as people make out.

iPod Touch 4th Gen on iOS6, that on the other hand was pretty awful, sluggish, slow, laggy, etc.

So, iPhone 4 has lived for 4 years, people are complaining about iOS7. Has any other phone been supported for so long? Seriously, it's not even that bad, in fact it's not that bad at all.

I guess you guys are the same people who complain that OS X runs slow on their G4 iBook or Windows Vista sucks on their 486 DX2.

Seriously, sell your iPhone on eBay, buy a new phone! Technology has and always will be like this. It's moves faster than no other field.

 

[C DM]

I had an iPhone 4 from day one. Updated to iOS6, runs great. Updated to 7.0, bit laggy but worked ok. Updated to 7.1.1 big improvement. Bit laggy now and again but again, still functional, usable, not at all as bad as people make out.

iPod Touch 4th Gen on iOS6, that on the other hand was pretty awful, sluggish, slow, laggy, etc.

So, iPhone 4 has lived for 4 years, people are complaining about iOS7. Has any other phone been supported for so long? Seriously, it's not even that bad, in fact it's not that bad at all.

I guess you guys are the same people who complain that OS X runs slow on their G4 iBook or Windows Vista sucks on their 486 DX2.

Seriously, sell your iPhone on eBay, buy a new phone! Technology has and always will be like this. It's moves faster than no other field.

So again because of your experience people who are just fine with iOS 6 on their phone but had to upgrade to iOS 7 should just sell their phones and move on? People can't possibly have their own opinions and make decisions for themselves, right? Again, some logic there.

 

[sunking101]

I'm with CDM here. The logic involved in accepting Apple making a phone feel old & tired overnight doesn't work for me. Suddenly, thanks to Apple, a phone suddenly needs to be sold and a new one bought because it has overnight become incapable of functioning as it once did. That's to be expected, and thankyou Apple for updating my device? Gee, yeah. Lol.

 

[BJMRamage]

I have an iPhone 4.
I updated it the day iOS 7 came out. it worked fine...took it on a vacation the following week and all was GREAT.

between September and December I got a 5S as a work phone and used that...how awesome was that phone and responsive was iOS 7!!

talked to some iPhone 4 owners who were saying their phone was terrible now with iOS 7. I never thought that when i had it.

Fast Forward to today. Work took back cell phones and so I reverted BACK to the iPhone 4. Ohhh how slow and laggy it feels. I am not sure if it is merely because I used the 5S for a while and enjoyed that or if it really is bad.

BUT, I am biting the bullet and will stick it out until September and hopefully upgrade to the iPhone 6 at that time.

 

[honglong1976]

So again because of your experience people who are just fine with iOS 6 on their phone but had to upgrade to iOS 7 should just sell their phones and move on? People can't possibly have their own opinions and make decisions for themselves, right? Again, some logic there.

Yes, you got it. Sell the phone and buy a better one (iPhone 4S would be a massive improvement). Or stay with the iPhone 4 and continue to complain. That's what I will do when the iPhone 4 is no longer up-gradable to the latest iOS.

If I didn't have an iPhone 4 with iOS6 and upgrading to iOS7, I would have no argument. But I have used both. I also have used many different phone and the iPhone 4 is not as bad as everyone makes out. I think the reasons are:

1. Perception: Maybe they have played with a newer iPhone or Android and the iPhone 4 which was ok, now feels slow.
2. Jailbreak reasons: I can't play my dodgy IPA's because there is no Jailbreak. How dare Apple not let me downgrade.

 

[sunking101]

I have an iPhone 4.
I updated it the day iOS 7 came out. it worked fine...took it on a vacation the following week and all was GREAT.

between September and December I got a 5S as a work phone and used that...how awesome was that phone and responsive was iOS 7!!

talked to some iPhone 4 owners who were saying their phone was terrible now with iOS 7. I never thought that when i had it.

Fast Forward to today. Work took back cell phones and so I reverted BACK to the iPhone 4. Ohhh how slow and laggy it feels. I am not sure if it is merely because I used the 5S for a while and enjoyed that or if it really is bad.

BUT, I am biting the bullet and will stick it out until September and hopefully upgrade to the iPhone 6 at that time.

Coming from the i5 to briefly testing my father's i4, it was horrifically slow. However, my father has only ever had the i4 and is basing his opinion on the same phone running iOS6. So two different perspectives there, and the same end opinion. The iPhone 4 is slow and laggy running iOS7 in any flavour. Sure 7.1.1 slightly polishes the experience but it in no way takes it back to iOS6 levels. Some people can live with this for some bizarre reason, but a lot of others can't and I don't blame them. I would be mad as hell if I was stuck with an i4 running iOS7.

 

[honglong1976]

I have an iPhone 4.
I updated it the day iOS 7 came out. it worked fine...took it on a vacation the following week and all was GREAT.

between September and December I got a 5S as a work phone and used that...how awesome was that phone and responsive was iOS 7!!

talked to some iPhone 4 owners who were saying their phone was terrible now with iOS 7. I never thought that when i had it.

Fast Forward to today. Work took back cell phones and so I reverted BACK to the iPhone 4. Ohhh how slow and laggy it feels. I am not sure if it is merely because I used the 5S for a while and enjoyed that or if it really is bad.

BUT, I am biting the bullet and will stick it out until September and hopefully upgrade to the iPhone 6 at that time.

Perception: As I mentioned, compared to my wife's iPod Touch 5th Gen with iOS7 which runs amazingly quick, the iPhone 4 looks awful and is laggy in comparison. Take the iPod out of the equation and the phone is pretty good with minor lags.

----------

Coming from the i5 to briefly testing my father's i4, it was horrifically slow. However, my father has only ever had the i4 and is basing his opinion on the same phone running iOS6. So two different perspectives there, and the same end opinion. The iPhone 4 is slow and laggy running iOS7 in any flavour. Sure 7.1.1 slightly polishes the experience but it in no way takes it back to iOS6 levels. Some people can live with this for some bizarre reason, but a lot of others can't and I don't blame them. I would be mad as hell if I was stuck with an i4 running iOS7.

horrifically slow? Really? I have an iPhone 4 with iOS 7.1.1 and that's not how I would describe it. Laggy now and then but all in all a nice experience.

 

[sunking101]

Perception: As I mentioned, compared to my wife's iPod Touch 5th Gen with iOS7 which runs amazingly quick, the iPhone 4 looks awful and is laggy in comparison. Take the iPod out of the equation and the phone is pretty good with minor lags.

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horrifically slow? Really? I have an iPhone 4 with iOS 7.1.1 and that's not how I would describe it. Laggy now and then but all in all a nice experience.

Where does perception come into it when the SAME device ran way faster and was a much more fluid experience a matter of minutes earlier, before the iOS7 install?

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Perception: As I mentioned, compared to my wife's iPod Touch 5th Gen with iOS7 which runs amazingly quick, the iPhone 4 looks awful and is laggy in comparison. Take the iPod out of the equation and the phone is pretty good with minor lags.

----------



horrifically slow? Really? I have an iPhone 4 with iOS 7.1.1 and that's not how I would describe it. Laggy now and then but all in all a nice experience.

Loading a newspaper site on my i5 takes 7 seconds. On my father's i4 running 7.1.1 it takes 21 seconds. Both figures are when using the same WiFi connection of 30Mbps download speed. When he was running iOS6 his i4 loaded the site in around the same time my i5 does now. Throw in the slow boot time, laggy settings menus, keyboard lag and just general slooowww experience and it's a lousy 'update'. Some here are disagreeing and I just don't understand the logic. So because your phone still 'works', by the skin of its teeth, everything is ok?

 

[C DM]

Yes, you got it. Sell the phone and buy a better one (iPhone 4S would be a massive improvement). Or stay with the iPhone 4 and continue to complain. That's what I will do when the iPhone 4 is no longer up-gradable to the latest iOS.

If I didn't have an iPhone 4 with iOS6 and upgrading to iOS7, I would have no argument. But I have used both. I also have used many different phone and the iPhone 4 is not as bad as everyone makes out. I think the reasons are:

1. Perception: Maybe they have played with a newer iPhone or Android and the iPhone 4 which was ok, now feels slow.
2. Jailbreak reasons: I can't play my dodgy IPA's because there is no Jailbreak. How dare Apple not let me downgrade.

I've used both and had a different experience than you, and seems like quite a few others did. That's not to say that your experience isn't valid and just fine for you and some others, but that's also to say that my different experience and that of many others isn't any less valid and thefore while your opinion works for you and some others, it doesn't work for me and some others. Nothing really crazy about that given that many things in life work in a similar fashion--can't just blindly assign what works for you and what you think to others.

 

[charlituna]

Yeah, the dissenters always have faulty hardware...

Or bogged up software. Crappy coded games that don't release their memory properly, filling up storage almost to the limit, never turning off your devices and so on can cause just as many issues as bad hardware.

 

[C DM]

Or bogged up software. Crappy coded games that don't release their memory properly, filling up storage almost to the limit, never turning off your devices and so on can cause just as many issues as bad hardware.

And there are still people who try running fresh installations as new without anything added at all and still experience issues and/or worse performance.

 

[FatPuppy]

iOS 7 on iPhone 4

Iphone 4 users, set up the ios as new, disable the animations, keep only three rows of apps on any page and also folders to be more organizedand your 4 will somehow be a bit better. And about the keyboard, when it pops up on my retina mini it lags so it's not a hardware problem it's a software problem. On iphone 4 also disable everything you don't need, but I mean EVERYTHING and somehow disabling transparency makes the iphone laggy, no button shapes, and no "on/off" labels on those little green switches in the settings app.

 

[honglong1976]

Where does perception come into it when the SAME device ran way faster and was a much more fluid experience a matter of minutes earlier, before the iOS7 install?

You used something before that seemed quick, then an i5, then back to the iPhone 4 with iOS7. Of course it will feel slow. Try one with iOS6 again and I bet it's not as fast as you originally thought.

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Loading a newspaper site on my i5 takes 7 seconds. On my father's i4 running 7.1.1 it takes 21 seconds. Both figures are when using the same WiFi connection of 30Mbps download speed. When he was running iOS6 his i4 loaded the site in around the same time my i5 does now. Throw in the slow boot time, laggy settings menus, keyboard lag and just general slooowww experience and it's a lousy 'update'. Some here are disagreeing and I just don't understand the logic. So because your phone still 'works', by the skin of its teeth, everything is ok?

I tried iPhone 4 with iOS6 and iOS7 to test and websites load roughly the same amount of time. A few seconds later, no issue, if it took mins extra, then that's a problem.

Boot time is not an issue, it's loading more data, so of course it will take longer. Once it's loaded it's great to use.

Perception is the biggest problem, you use an i5 and i4, of course the i4 will feel poor in comparison because it's what you are used to. It's not that bad at all. I think if it's that bad, just sell it, buy a 4S from ebay.

No, your expecting the world from a 4 year old phone. Basically iOS has been updated, it's a touch slower than before. Big deal! I am happy they just updated it.

 

[BJMRamage]

oh...not an iOS 7 thing but...my iPhone 4 Home button is hit or miss. Mainly miss. I have to hit is many times to get it to work...then it suddenly drops in and out of App Manager (whatever that is called-switcher?)

and once out of the program I am in the button works better.

I can hardly wait for the next phone release.