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iPhone OTA vs iTunes OS updates....which one to do?

dictoresno

dictoresno

macrumors 601
Original poster
Apr 30, 2012
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NJ
ive read alot of people talk about doing iTunes OS updates vs OTA. people keep saying that OTA isnt as good as doing it via computer, and OTA leads to issues and battery problems. has anyone confirmed that one is truly better than the other? my iphone 5 battery is ok, not crazy awesome, but i can get 9-11 hours of use and just over 1 day of standby. just wondering if i should restore and do it via computer for the heck of it or just live with my OTA updates.
 
OTA is ok; the only time I have a cable on my iDevices is for charging or developing. The rest of the time OTA. Of course while OTA make sure you have a full battery or better just connected to a charger. You don't want to run into issues with no energy while writing an OS update.
 
I did the latest update OTA on my IP5...No issues, it had completed the download and performed the update in about 3 minutes with no problems...I doubt that Apple would release an OTA capable update if there was a chance that drop-out would brick the device....Major IOS upgrades will still be lightning cable based I think.
 
i think im focusing my question more regarding battery life when you do an OTA update vs computer.
 
While doing the OTA or afterwards in daily operation ?

While OTA as mentioned before; later in daily operation there is no difference. It's finally the same firmware.
 
I can't say I've ever had an issue with OTA....surely OTA makes way more sense, it's quicker and more convenient! :)

I haven't actually plugged an iPhone into iTunes since OTA updates.

Spotify for music (and also iTunes match..)
PhotoSync and Dropbox for photos
iCloud for everything else!
 
OTA would be more convenient if you have a fast wifi connection.

Then again, I download through iTunes for any major software updates as well as x.1 updates, to avoid any potential problems most of the time. Only x.x.1 updates I download OTA because they're normally bug fixes.
 
I use OTA. Been using it on Android and it's nice it's finally on iOS. No issues I've noticed. I hate plugging into itunes and avoid it when possible.
 
Also you can always do it again via iTunes if you have issues with OTA. I have not had issues OTA either( iOS 5.0 to 5.0.1 to 5.1 to 5.1.1 to 6 to 6.0.1). You need a stable WIFI connection and plenty of battery. Or just plug in would be best option.

Also if you are not having any issues (wifi or battery) you may want to consider skipping updating until 6.1 is released. Some have created wifi issues after the 6.0.2 update as well as battery issues that they did not previously have.
 
If you want to save your SHSH blobs and use Redsn0w's re-restore feature, you NEED to update via iTunes. Just a consideration.
 
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