IS iOS 16 AND THE iPhone 14 LAUNCH THE WORST EVER? NOT SO FAST!

[Lounge vibes 05]

So there’s been a lot of talk about the iPhone 14 and iOS 16 launch being one of Apple’s buggiest and most unstable launches in history.


But, is this true?


In the 15 years of iPhone launches, is this one really the worst?


Have the launches and updates really gotten worse over the years?


Or is it simply people forgetting all the bugs that have existed through the years.


Here’s a list of articles related to iPhone launches, and the issues that accompanied them, and I think you’ll realize that the iPhone 14 is far, far from the worst.





iPhone 3G and OS2.0:


https://www.macrumors.com/2008/07/10/mobileme-finally-online/


https://www.macrumors.com/2008/07/11/apps-crashing-at-launch-delete-and-resync/


https://www.macrumors.com/2008/07/13/iphone-3g-firmware-update-fixes-yellowing-of-screens/


https://www.macrumors.com/2008/07/1...etter-30-day-extension-to-mobileme-customers/


https://www.macrumors.com/2008/07/19/apple-sends-another-mobileme-apology-e-mail-and-extension/


https://www.macrumors.com/2008/07/21/some-mobileme-users-still-without-email/


https://www.macrumors.com/2008/07/22/extended-mobileme-email-outage-due-to-server-issue/


https://www.macrumors.com/2008/08/12/some-customers-with-iphone-3g-connection-issues/


https://www.macrumors.com/2008/08/14/iphone-3g-connection-issues-related-to-software-or-hardware/


https://www.macrumors.com/2008/08/1...y-affecting-2-of-customers-software-fix-soon/


https://www.macrumors.com/2008/08/19/jobs-fix-for-iphone-apps-crashing-in-september/


https://www.macrumors.com/2008/08/22/iphone-3g-issues-persist-despite-latest-firmware/


https://www.macrumors.com/2008/08/28/apple-confirms-september-iphone-update/


https://www.macrumors.com/2008/09/0...iday-bug-fixes-connectivity-and-battery-life/





So, we had security issues, battery issues, connectivity issues, app crashes, general instability… and it took Apple two entire months to finally release a fix. Is this much better than the iPhone 14 launch? I think not.








iPhone 3GS and OS3.0:


https://www.macrumors.com/2009/06/19/iphone-3g-s-customers-reporting-activation-delays/


https://www.macrumors.com/2009/07/0...rheating-and-discoloration-gaining-publicity/


https://www.macrumors.com/2009/07/31/apple-to-release-fix-for-iphone-sms-vulnerability-on-saturday/


https://www.macrumors.com/2009/07/3...-3-0-1-to-address-sms-security-vulnerability/


Overall, a smooth launch.





iPhone 4 and iOS4:


https://www.macrumors.com/2010/06/22/steve-jobs-on-lack-of-custom-wallpapers-in-ios-4-for-iphone-3g/


https://www.macrumors.com/2010/06/2...els-set-for-second-half-of-july-availability/


https://www.macrumors.com/2010/06/23/some-iphone-4s-experiencing-display-discoloration/


https://www.macrumors.com/2010/06/23/iphone-4-signal-declines-while-being-held-an-old-issue/


https://www.macrumors.com/2010/07/0...th-display-issue-only-software-update-coming/


https://www.macrumors.com/2010/07/0...nce-problems-with-iphone-4-proximity-sensors/


https://www.macrumors.com/2010/07/0...xperiencing-widespread-drops-in-upload-speed/


https://www.macrumors.com/2010/07/15/apple-releases-ios-4-0-1-for-iphone-4-3gs-and-3g/


https://www.macrumors.com/2010/07/16/proximity-sensor-issue-being-addressed-in-future-update/


https://www.macrumors.com/2010/07/23/apple-delays-white-iphone-4-until-later-this-year/


https://www.macrumors.com/2010/07/28/apple-looking-into-reports-of-problems-with-ios-4-on-iphone-3g/


https://www.macrumors.com/2010/08/0...-3g-and-2nd-gen-ipod-touch-in-ios-4-1-beta-3/


https://www.macrumors.com/2010/08/2...-performance-issues-on-iphone-3g-coming-soon/


https://www.macrumors.com/2010/09/0...on-2nd-generation-ipod-touch-no-on-iphone-3g/


https://www.macrumors.com/2010/09/08/apple-releases-ios-4-1-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch/


So not exactly the best launch, is it?


Signal Issues, proximity sensor issues, display issues, the white color delayed, and the sad state of the iPhone 3G. Terrible, terrible performance for months, no multitasking, no stereo Bluetooth, no home screen wallpapers, no game center. And again, it took Apple over 2 and a half months to release 4.1 to fix these issues.


Oh but we’re not done yet…


https://www.macrumors.com/2010/10/0...mpatibility-for-second-generation-ipod-touch/


https://www.macrumors.com/2010/10/26/white-iphone-4-delayed-once-again-until-spring-2011/


https://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/ios-4-3-drops-support-for-iphone-3g-second-generation-ipod-touch/


https://www.macrumors.com/2011/04/27/white-iphone-4-sales-officially-begin/


So yeah, the white iPhone 4 was delayed an entire 10 months, and the iPhone 3G got cut off half way through a software cycle.


And I ask again, is the iPhone 14 and iOS 16 launch really that much worse?








iPhone 4S and iOS 5:


NOTE: longest delay between iOS versions, with 4.0 releasing on June 21, 2010 and iOS 5.0 not launching until almost 16 months later in October 2011, plus having an entire four months of beta testing, the longest ever for an x.0 release





https://www.macrumors.com/2011/10/13/apple-continuing-to-deal-with-icloud-startup-issues/


https://www.macrumors.com/2011/10/15/sprint-iphone-users-complaining-of-slow-3g-data-speeds/


https://www.macrumors.com/2011/10/15/apple-caused-iphone-4s-activation-issues/


https://www.macrumors.com/2011/10/1...or-3g-data-and-media-as-compared-to-iphone-4/


https://www.macrumors.com/2011/10/24/sprint-and-att-working-on-issue-with-iphone-data-speeds/


https://www.macrumors.com/2011/11/0...issues-with-iphone-4s-software-update-coming/


https://www.macrumors.com/2011/11/0...ues-no-audio-on-outgoing-calls-echoes-static/


https://www.macrumors.com/2011/11/0...th-customer-testing-internal-support-notices/


https://www.macrumors.com/2011/11/10/apple-releases-ios-5-0-1-to-address-battery-life-issues/


https://www.macrumors.com/2011/11/11/apple-continuing-to-investigate-ios-5-battery-issues/


https://www.macrumors.com/2012/03/0...h-japanese-siri-camera-enhancements-and-more/


So another quite smooth launch, but still the normal activation issues, Battery issues (that took until the March 2012 5.1 update to fix, an entire five months later), and iCloud outages. Still, far from the worst.








iPhone 5 and iOS 6.0:


https://www.macrumors.com/2012/09/2...-passbook-cant-connect-to-itunes-store-error/


https://www.macrumors.com/2012/09/20/apples-new-ios-6-maps-app-drawing-significant-criticism/


https://www.macrumors.com/2012/09/2...tches-maps-team-under-lockdown-to-fix-issues/


https://www.macrumors.com/2012/09/23/reports-of-slow-and-inconsistent-wi-fi-connections-on-iphone-5/


https://www.macrumors.com/2012/09/2...5-scratching-normal-for-any-aluminum-product/


https://www.macrumors.com/2012/09/2...greatly-impacted-by-cellular-signal-strength/


https://www.macrumors.com/2012/09/28/tim-cook-publishes-open-letter-on-maps-for-ios-6/


https://www.macrumors.com/2012/10/0...ints-of-purple-lens-flare-on-iphone-5-photos/


https://www.macrumors.com/2012/11/0...d-screen-glitch-camera-flash-issues-and-more/


https://www.macrumors.com/2013/01/0...-shutting-off-automatically-on-new-years-day/


https://www.macrumors.com/2013/01/0...-bug-to-resolve-itself-on-monday-january-7th/


So again, rather smooth launch with the normal battery, signal, and Do Not Disturb? Issues. But Maps, maps was a terrible choice, and had a ripple throughout the entire company. It was bad.








iPhone 5S and iOS 7:


https://www.macrumors.com/2013/09/19/ios-7-lock-screen-vulnerability-gives-access-to-photos-email/


https://www.macrumors.com/2013/09/25/apples-maps-app-directs-alaska-drivers-onto-airport-taxiway/


https://www.macrumors.com/2013/09/2...sickness-due-to-parallax-and-zooming-effects/


https://www.macrumors.com/2013/09/2...0-2-with-fix-for-lock-screen-passcode-bypass/


https://www.macrumors.com/2013/09/3...tings-may-fix-imessages-not-working-in-ios-7/


https://www.macrumors.com/2013/10/01/apple-aware-of-ios-7-imessage-issue-working-on-a-fix/


https://www.macrumors.com/2013/10/1...g-blue-screen-of-death-error-with-iwork-apps/


https://www.macrumors.com/2013/10/1...-twice-as-often-as-on-iphone-5c-and-iphone-5/


https://www.macrumors.com/2013/10/22/apple-releases-ios-7-0-3-adds-support-for-icloud-keychain/


https://www.macrumors.com/2014/03/10/apple-releases-ios-7-1/


So again, not a terrible launch but the normal security issues and random bugs are still there, like every other year. Also, it took them a full six months to put out iOS 7.1. No idea why it took so long (1.1, 2.1, 3.1 and 4.1 were all released about 2 to 2 a 1/2 months after their x.0 updates, and both 5.1 and 6.1 took five months) but some issues lingered for quite a long time.








iPhone 6 and 6+ with iOS 8:


https://www.macrumors.com/2014/09/17/ios-8-iphone-4s/


https://www.macrumors.com/2014/09/17/apple-confirms-healthkit-bug/


https://www.macrumors.com/2014/09/18/apple-engineers-fixing-ios-8/


https://www.macrumors.com/2014/09/22/ios-8-issues-battery-drain-wifi/


https://www.macrumors.com/2014/09/23/iphone-6-plus-bending-pockets/


https://www.macrumors.com/2014/09/23/iphone-6-plus-bend-video/


https://www.macrumors.com/2014/09/24/ios-8-0-1-issues-possible-fix/


https://www.macrumors.com/2014/09/25/ios-8-0-2-in-the-works/


https://www.macrumors.com/2014/09/25/apple-responds-to-bending-issues/


https://www.macrumors.com/2014/09/25/apple-releases-ios-8-0-2/


https://www.macrumors.com/2014/09/29/reset-all-settings-icloud-drive-bug/


https://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/01/ios-8-bluetooth-connectivity-issues/


https://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/20/apple-releases-ios-8-1-apple-pay/


https://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/28/apple-vp-greg-joswiak-ios-801/


Bending, older phones having speed issues, an update that removes several hardware features… this was a rough launch, definitely the roughest since the iPhone 4. And knowing what’s to come, like the screens that stop working and the fact that the iPhone 6 got cut off at iOS 12 really shows this launch was very flawed.








iPhone 6S, 6S+ and iOS 9:


https://www.macrumors.com/2015/09/18/slide-to-upgrade-wont-slide-fix-ios-9/


https://www.macrumors.com/2015/09/23/apple-releases-ios-9-0-1/


https://www.macrumors.com/2015/09/30/apple-releases-ios-9-0-2/


https://www.macrumors.com/2015/10/01/zoom-display-bug-iphone-6s/


https://www.macrumors.com/2015/10/01/iphone-6s-random-turnoff/


https://www.macrumors.com/2015/10/07/tsmc-samsung-a9-battery-tests/


https://www.macrumors.com/2015/10/08/apple-a9-chip-2-3-percent-difference/


https://www.macrumors.com/2015/10/09/ios-9-pop-email-account-issues/


https://www.macrumors.com/2015/10/21/apple-releases-ios-9-1/


Much much better than the iPhone 6 launch, most issues fixed very quickly and no bad updates.








iPhone 7, 7+ and iOS 10:


https://www.macrumors.com/2016/09/13/ios-10-bluetooth-le-peripheral-mode-bug/


https://www.macrumors.com/2016/09/13/ios-10-update-bricking-iphones-and-ipads/


https://www.macrumors.com/2016/09/15/ios-10-carrier-update-issues-tmobile-telstra/


https://www.macrumors.com/2016/09/15/t-mobile-ios-10-update-warning/


https://www.macrumors.com/2016/09/19/iphone-7-hissing-noises/


https://www.macrumors.com/2016/09/19/iphone-7-no-service-airplane-mode-issue/


https://www.macrumors.com/2016/09/23/apple-releases-ios-10-0-2/


https://www.macrumors.com/2016/10/17/apple-releases-ios-10-0-3-for-iphone-7/


https://www.macrumors.com/2016/10/18/iphone-7-32gb-slower-data-write-speeds/


https://www.macrumors.com/2016/10/24/apple-releases-ios-10-1-with-new-portrait-mode/


Another smooth launch, with the normal x.0 bugs and issues quickly fixed. Except for the hissing noise, that never went away.








iPhone 8, 8+, X and iOS 11:


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/09/20/apple-microsoft-email-server-issue-mail-app-ios-11/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/09/25/iphone-8-plus-owners-static-sound-calls/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/09/25/ios-11-app-slowdowns-performance-issues/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/09/26/apple-releases-ios-11-0-1-update-with-bug-fixes/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/09/26/apple-iphone-8-static-noise-fix/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/10/03/apple-releases-ios-11-0-2-update/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/10/09/apple-reachability-bug-ios-11/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/10/11/apple-releases-ios-11-0-3-update/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/10/24/ios-11-calculator-animation-bug/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/11/01/ios-11-predictive-text-bug/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/11/03/iphone-x-activation-issues/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/11/07/fix-autocorrect-bug-developer-beta/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/11/09/apple-releases-ios-11-1-1-update/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/11/09/iphone-x-cold-weather-fix/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/11/10/iphone-x-green-line-on-display/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/11/16/apple-releases-ios-11-1-2/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/11/27/ios-11-autocorrect-issue-it-to-i-t/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/12/02/ios-11-1-2-date-bug-crash-loop/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/12/02/apple-releases-ios-11-2/


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/12/02/ios-11-2-update-fixes-i-t-autocorrect-bug/


A bunch of small little issues, most very quickly fixed… until December 2 when they were forced to put out an update in the middle of the night. Still, far, far from the worst launch.








iPhone XS, XS Max and XR with iOS 12:


https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/24/iphone-xs-xs-max-wifi-lte-connectivity-issues/


https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/28/iphone-xs-skin-smoothing-selfie-camera/


https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/29/iphone-xs-and-xs-max-chargegate/


https://www.macrumors.com/2018/10/03/iphone-xs-lte-connectivity-apple-investigation/


https://www.macrumors.com/2018/10/08/apple-releases-ios-12-0-1-update/


https://www.macrumors.com/2018/10/23/apple-fix-beautygate-ios-12-1/


https://www.macrumors.com/2018/10/30/ios-12-1-lte-beautygate-fixes/


Relatively smooth release, normal issues quickly resolved.








iPhone 11 and 11 Pro series with iOS 13:


https://www.macrumors.com/2019/09/27/apple-releases-ios-13-1-1/


https://www.macrumors.com/2019/09/30/apple-releases-ios-13-1-2/


https://www.macrumors.com/2019/10/15/ios-13-1-3-released/


Despite starting with four updates in a matter of two weeks, very smooth launch with bugs being fixed faster than MR could report on them.








iPhone 12 Series with iOS 14:


NOTE: first year of “Work From Home”, did it really make a difference?


https://www.macrumors.com/2020/09/16/developers-frustrated-by-ios-14-short-notice/


https://www.macrumors.com/2020/09/18/ios-14-bug-resets-default-apps-safari-mail-reboot/


https://www.macrumors.com/2020/09/24/apple-releases-ios-14-0-1/


https://www.macrumors.com/2020/09/30/apple-watch-iphone-battery-drain-gps/


https://www.macrumors.com/2020/10/20/apple-releases-ios-14-1/


https://www.macrumors.com/2020/10/25/iphone-12-exposure-notifiation-app-issue/


https://www.macrumors.com/2020/11/05/iphone-12-some-wireless-chargers-not-working/


https://www.macrumors.com/2020/11/13/iphone-12-missing-sms-text-messages/


https://www.macrumors.com/2020/11/14/iphone-12-mini-lock-screen-touch-issues/


https://www.macrumors.com/2020/11/14/apple-to-fix-iphone-12-hearing-device-sound-issues/


https://www.macrumors.com/2020/11/18/apple-investigating-iphone-12-display-issues/


https://www.macrumors.com/2020/11/19/apple-releases-ios-14-2-1/


Some issues here and there, but no better or worse than the majority of previous iPhone/iOS launches.








iPhone 13 series and iOS 15:


https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/20/ios-15-features-not-on-iphone-x-or-older/


https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/21/ios-15-do-not-disturb-feature-removed/


https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/22/ios-15-iphone-storage-almost-full-alert/


https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/23/ios-15-siri-airpods-pro-controls-bug/


https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/23/apple-music-backup-restore-bug/


https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/24/iphone-13-apple-watch-unlock-bug/


https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/24/apple-promotion-third-party-app-support/


https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/26/apple-to-fix-iphone-13-unlock-with-apple-watch/


https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/28/ios-15-1-beta-2-unlock-with-apple-watch-fixed/


https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/29/iphone-13-touch-screen-issues-ios-15/


https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/30/ios-15-iphone-13-carplay-issues/


https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/30/ios-15-adoption-and-early-bugs/


https://www.macrumors.com/2021/10/01/apple-releases-ios-15-0-1/


https://www.macrumors.com/2021/10/11/apple-releases-ios-15-0-2/


https://www.macrumors.com/2021/10/25/apple-releases-ios-15-1/


A more shaky release than the previous several years, but still far from the worst.








And finally, to answer the question, is iOS 16 and the iPhone 14 launch the worst in the history of the iPhone?


Spoiler alert: its not


https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/12/iphone-users-unable-to-update-apps-app-store-error/


https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/13/iphone-14-day-one-ios-16-update/


https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/14/ios-16-battery-drain-why-and-how-to-fix/


https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/15/apple-confirms-ios-16-device-activation-bug/


https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/17/ios-16-1-beta-breaking-gps-on-iphone-14-pro/


https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/18/apple-investigating-iphone-14-pro-bug/


https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/18/iphone-14-pro-camera-shaking-vibrating-issue/


https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/19/apple-executive-on-annoying-ios-16-prompt/


https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/19/iphone-14-pro-slow-camera-app/


https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/19/iphone-14-pro-camera-fix-next-week/


https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/19/apple-to-fix-ios-16-copy-paste-issue-next-week/


https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/20/iphone-14-pro-issues-after-release/

Some iOS 16 Users Complain About Slow Spotlight Search and Battery Drain

It's been nine days since Apple released iOS 16 to the public, bringing major changes to the Lock Screen, Messages, Maps, and more. In the days...

www.macrumors.com

It’s most definitely a more shaky launch than usual, but it’s still far from the worst, especially since Apple is promising fixes for the biggest issues less than two weeks after the phone’s release.














So what have we found…


The iPhone 14 is not the worst iPhone launch.


What is?


Well looking through all of the archives, I think it’s safe to say that, when it comes to compatibility, reliability, and amount of very bad bugs, the iPhone 6 and 6+ with iOS8 take that honor. That was truly a rocky launch that I’m sure Apple doesn’t ever want to repeat.


However, not far behind is iOS 4, an update so messy it had to have device compatibility with the iPhone 3G cut off in the middle of a software cycle, took over two months to release a fix for several major bugs, and the white iPhone 4, which was delayed by 10 months. Not to mention antenna gate.


Other more rough launches include the iPhone 3G, iPhone 13 series, and the iPhone 14 series.





What were the smoothest launches?


Well the iPhone 3GS and 6S for having very little issues and bugs right out of the gate, and the iPhone 7 and XS for having very quick response times to bugs, usually they were fixed within a week of being found.








So, what have we learned?


Updates and launches were far from perfect under Steve Jobs.


Updates and launches have not gone down in quality year over year.


The iPhone 14 is not the worst most buggiest launch ever, despite what people are saying.


There has never been a time in the iPhone’s history where it was bug free.


As has been said for decades at this point when it comes to any software, installing an X.0 release *always* has its risks. Apple doesn’t even push X.0 releases to most people anymore.


People running iOS 15 are auto-upgraded to 15.7, with 16.0 being a hidden optional install at the bottom of the upgrade page. This will probably change once 16.1 and 16.2 release, but for the time being, unless you have a new phone, you don’t need to upgrade. No one is forcing it on you.


Oh, and the last thing we’ve learned?


People love hyperbole

 

[oasis]

Based on battery life alone (13 pro max), iOS 16 is still the worst.

 

[ManuCH]

How long did it take you to put all this collection of articles together? Great job by the way. And I agree!

 

[FeliApple]

A slight correction, iOS 11 was a battery life disaster for every iPhone but the 8 and X series, a disaster from which they did not recover. To give an example, battery life-wise, it was the beginning of the end for the iPhone 6s.

Don’t quote me on this, but wasn’t performance abhorrent, too? A reversal from the previous trend since at least iOS 8. I mean, you have an article there about it, but I distinctly recall it being a lot worse than iOS 8, 9, and 10.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

How long did it take you to put all this collection of articles together? Great job by the way. And I agree!

A couple hours.
The MR archives are a great tool

 

[I7guy]

There is the reality and then there is the alternate reality that some macrumors posters inhabit. I’m impressed on the research.

 

[KoolAid-Drink]

Great job gathering all those sources!

I keep insisting as well the same thing for macOS. People complain and say that x release is the worst/buggiest ever, but I've seen plenty of complaints about each macOS/Mac OS X release. People love to vaunt Snow Leopard as the best Mac OS X release ever, but even their beloved 10.6 had its own bugs/glitches, especially at the beginning. Yes, there were some releases of macOS that were bad (I'm thinking Mavericks and Catalina, based on my own experience), but everyone's experience is different as well.

The same applies for iOS/iPadOS/watchOS and any other OSes Apple creates.

 

[antiprotest]

It's bad, but probably not the worst. But it doesn't have to be the worst to be fairly called out as bad.

And to argue back and forth as to whether it's the worst is a distraction from the fact that it's bad, that it's bad every time, and that Apple needs to get better.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Based on battery life alone (13 pro max), iOS 16 is still the worst.

Highly doubt that.
I have the 12 Mini.
My battery was terrible on 14, 15 and 16.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

A slight correction, iOS 11 was a battery life disaster for every iPhone but the 8 and X series, a disaster from which they did not recover. To give an example, battery life-wise, it was the beginning of the end for the iPhone 6s.

Don’t quote me on this, but wasn’t performance abhorrent, too? A reversal from the previous trend since at least iOS 8. I mean, you have an article there about it, but I distinctly recall it being a lot worse than iOS 8, 9, and 10.

I guess it wasn’t wide spread enough to have many articles written about it.
Personally I don’t recall iOS 11 being particularly offensive against my battery, but it was quite a while ago.
I do remember iOS 12 being rock-solid though

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Great job gathering all those sources!

I keep insisting as well the same thing for macOS. People complain and say that x release is the worst/buggiest ever, but I've seen plenty of complaints about each macOS/Mac OS X release. People love to vaunt Snow Leopard as the best Mac OS X release ever, but even their beloved 10.6 had its own bugs/glitches, especially at the beginning. Yes, there were some releases of macOS that were bad (I'm thinking Mavericks and Catalina, based on my own experience), but everyone's experience is different as well.

The same applies for iOS/iPadOS/watchOS and any other OSes Apple creates.

Yep, 10.6.0 literally had a bug that would erase people’s entire home folder.
Was not 100% perfect out of the gate.

 

[russell_314]

I think everyone has their own experiences. For some it may be the worst for others it may be the best. I can say for me it’s significantly better than the iPhone 13 launch with iOS 15.

I think you have a lot of people in the forums that have strong feelings about Apple so at any chance they get there going to express their feelings and thoughts. That’s the best way I can word this. 😂

 

[Tara Luvs Apple]

I think we also have to take into account the number of users. From iPhone 3 to iPhone 14, the number of people that have iPhones in general is vastly different. When you have more in the pool, you will of course encounter more issues.

 

[thadoggfather]

Based on battery life alone (13 pro max), iOS 16 is still the worst.

I think technically the consideration is latest os and latest device

Plenty of major os upgrade battery life degradation swan dive sagas.

—

iOS 7 / iPhone 5S strikes me as a bit of a catastrophic launch, hampered much more by iOS 7 than new hardware but

 

[DeepIn2U]

Great research.

M.R. this should not only be a sticky post but a wiki post in your all about iphone section.

Yet ... "iPhone 6 got cut off at iOS 12 really shows this launch was very flawed"

iPhone 6 released September 19, 2014.
iOS 12 released September 17, 2018.
mathematically yes an early retirement of a product this late in the series, yet the iOS restriction was hardware related to the SoC.

 

[tranceking26]

Thank you for taking the time to research and share. I can only hope future iOS versions go a bit more smoothly.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Great research.

M.R. this should not only be a sticky post but a wiki post in your all about iphone section.

Yet ... "iPhone 6 got cut off at iOS 12 really shows this launch was very flawed"

iPhone 6 released September 19, 2014.
iOS 12 released September 17, 2018.
mathematically yes an early retirement of a product this late in the series, yet the iOS restriction was hardware related to the SoC.

I think it was the single gigabyte of RAM that killed it…

 

[ghostface147]

Based on battery life alone (13 pro max), iOS 16 is still the worst.

Idk, I have a 13 PM and I watched a full episode of She-Hulk, was using social media, emails and browsing and am now down to 99%. Seems good to me, but clearly YMMV.

 

[Mr47]

IOS16 and the iPhone are fine, every .0 releases have those issues as beta testing can’t get all the bugs fine tuned and so on. If that is an issue for you then wait for the .1 or even better .2 releases. This is not something new so?
Tbh I find IOS16 much better than IOS15.5, smoother, nice new functions yes at the cost of a bit more battery life and small bugs. It is definitely not unstable. Anyways I fail to see the point of this topic.

 

[FeliApple]

I think technically the consideration is latest os and latest device

Plenty of major os upgrade battery life degradation swan dive sagas.

—

iOS 7 / iPhone 5S strikes me as a bit of a catastrophic launch, hampered much more by iOS 7 than new hardware but

Agreed. If you start taking into account every device, then every single major iOS update has been catastrophic for at least a couple of devices. How catastrophic they were varies depending on the device and the iOS version, of course.

 

[FeliApple]

IOS16 and the iPhone are fine, every .0 releases have those issues as beta testing can’t get all the bugs fine tuned and so on. If that is an issue for you then wait for the .1 or even better .2 releases. This is not something new so?
Tbh I find IOS16 much better than IOS15.5, smoother, nice new functions yes at the cost of a bit more battery life and small bugs. It is definitely not unstable. Anyways I fail to see the point of this topic.

”Nice new functions at the cost of battery life”... and you just described every single iOS update, ever. That’s the point of this topic.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Idk, I have a 13 PM and I watched a full episode of She-Hulk, was using social media, emails and browsing and am now down to 99%. Seems good to me, but clearly YMMV.

well since Marvel took so long to get movie rights for Hulk and finished their first universe wave of movies, they already watered down the Hulk so if She-Hulk is more mildly mannered She-Hulk isn't going to take up much cpu and battery power.



/s

 

[ian87w]

So... it sounds like Apple is not learning anything from over a decade in doing iOS?
And... people are not learning either by rushing to update their phones on .0 releases?


Wiser ones will never buy a 1st gen/rev new design of an Apple product, and never install a .0 releases of Apple software. Always wait for the 2nd or 3rd rev, and at least a .2 release of software.

 

[I7guy]

So... it sounds like Apple is not learning anything from over a decade in doing iOS?
And... people are not learning either by rushing to update their phones on .0 releases?


Wiser ones will never buy a 1st gen/rev new design of an Apple product, and never install a .0 releases of Apple software. Always wait for the 2nd or 3rd rev, and at least a .2 release of software.

Nope. Took the plunge for the purple pro max.

 

[madrigal77]

So in other words, it’s just about the worst since ios2.