When to stop updating iPhone 5S

[dmj102]

On iOS 8.3, my iPhone 5S is speedy and I have no issues. I have some concerns with iOS 8.4 because the music app is being overhauled and that could create issues somewhere else.

Sometimes when you update, it takes more than a month before slow downs are apparent and then Apple's signing window is closed and you're SOL. I was wondering when to stop updating my iPhone 5S.

 

[I7guy]

On iOS 8.3, my iPhone 5S is speedy and I have no issues. I have some concerns with iOS 8.4 because the music app is being overhauled and that could create issues somewhere else.

Sometimes when you update, it takes more than a month before slow downs are apparent and then Apple's signing window is closed and you're SOL. I was wondering when to stop updating my iPhone 5S.

I stop updating at the last release Apple will offer.

 

[GreyOS]

stop updating when you stop using the phone or when the last update for it is available, whichever is sooner.

 

[sanke1]

iPhone 5S a tough nut to crack. It's GPU is 2X faster than 5/5c.

Apple is actually brainstroming in Sir Ive's mom's basement on how to bring the mighty A7 down. But their problem is they will end up degrading performance of 6 and 6+ as well as those two phones have almost same CPU/GPU specs as 5S. I will upgrade my 5S straight away to iOS 9 upon release. So I have a week to test it thoroughly and downgrade back to 8.4

But this topic is worth grabbing popcorn and enjoying the show.

 

[CB1234]

iPhone 5S a tough nut to crack. It's GPU is 2X faster than 5/5c.

Apple is actually brainstroming in Sir Ive's mom's basement on how to bring the mighty A7 down. But their problem is they will end up degrading performance of 6 and 6+ as well as those two phones have almost same CPU/GPU specs as 5S. I will upgrade my 5S straight away to iOS 9 upon release. So I have a week to test it thoroughly and downgrade back to 8.4

But this topic is worth grabbing popcorn and enjoying the show.

I take it that your comment was posted live from Sir Ive's mom's basement?

 

[Shelbyz]

Is there a limit or something ? As long as you can upgrade it means the phone it's up for it.

 

[sanke1]

I take it that your comment was posted live from Sir Ive's mom's basement?

No internet there but posting once I got GPRS connectivity on my 5S.

Or your sarcasm detector malfunctioned.

 

[LordQ]

Is there a limit or something ? As long as you can upgrade it means the phone it's up for it.

lol yeah right, tell that to the iPhone 4 and iOS 7.

 

[I7guy]

lol yeah right, tell that to the iPhone 4 and iOS 7.

I'm rocking an iPhone 4 and iOS 7 as a glorified iPod, now what's the issue with it?

 

[oneshotpro]

I won't be upgrading my 5s past iOS8.

 

[C DM]

I won't be upgrading my 5s past iOS8.

Based on how updates have been working out for previous hardware, it seems like it should still be fairly safe on iOS 9, especially if iOS 9 is more of a stability/performance/bugfix release as has been rumored.

 

[ZebraDude]

I won't be upgrading my 5s past iOS8.

it is easy to say that now but when your favorite developer puts out an iOS 9 only update then it becomes gut check time...

 

[dmj102]

Based on how updates have been working out for previous hardware, it seems like it should still be fairly safe on iOS 9, especially if iOS 9 is more of a stability/performance/bugfix release as has been rumored.

I remember when I updated my iPhone 4 in iOS 7.** and it was a stability and bug fix release. My iPhone 4 became so sluggish I couldn't take it anymore. By the time I really noticed, it was too late to downgrade. I ended up getting an iPhone 5S because I didn't want a larger screen as iPhone 5S is just perfect for me. I don't want that to happen again.

 

[C DM]

I remember when I updated my iPhone 4 in iOS 7.** and it was a stability and bug fix release. My iPhone 4 became so sluggish I couldn't take it anymore. By the time I really noticed, it was too late to downgrade. I ended up getting an iPhone 5S because I didn't want a larger screen as iPhone 5S is just perfect for me. I don't want that to happen again.

But iOS 7 was not a stability and bug fix version update, it was a rather large redesign of iOS and probably is one of the version with some of the more prevalent and obvious changes.

 

[Infrared]

When to stop updating iPhone 5S

This is killing my respect for Apple bit by bit. There is an enormous amount of anxiety associated with an update beyond signing expiry because it becomes a $n00 gamble. If you update and the performance is poor, it feels as though you have thrown your money away.

And I will say this: even on a 5S iOS 8.3 feels a bit unresponsive compared to iOS 7.1..2. Instead of being the blissful carefree experience one would hope for, it feels as though everything you do has had a bit of lag added in. The OS simply can't keep up at times with what the user is doing. It's a bit like trying to interact with someone who is, frankly, a bit dim and slow to understand. So, as much as I appreciate the new features in iOS 8, and its refinement, I am led to wonder whether I myself was an idiot and a sucker for upgrading.

And it really grates that Apple will not allow you to reverse updates. That they use compulsion to force you to stay on the latest release, rather than convince you by the superiority of that release, says a lot in my opinion. And ultimately it is a recipe for mediocrity. If it's a great release then people would not want to go back and coercion would be unnecessary.

 

[KALLT]

I'm rocking an iPhone 4 and iOS 7 as a glorified iPod, now what's the issue with it?

I downgraded my iPhone 4 to iOS 6.1.X before I switched to my iPhone 6 and the difference in responsiveness and load times is noticeable. Admittedly, iOS 7 has improved quite a bit and the performance is acceptable, but when you get the chance to compare it on an iPhone 4, you will definitely notice it.

 

[I7guy]

This is killing my respect for Apple bit by bit. There is an enormous amount of anxiety associated with an update beyond signing expiry because it becomes a $n00 gamble. If you update and the performance is poor, it feels as though you have thrown your money away.

And I will say this: even on a 5S iOS 8.3 feels a bit unresponsive compared to iOS 7.1..2. Instead of being the blissful carefree experience one would hope for, it feels as though everything you do has had a bit of lag added in. The OS simply can't keep up at times with what the user is doing. It's a bit like trying to interact with someone who is, frankly, a bit dim and slow to understand. So, as much as I appreciate the new features in iOS 8, and its refinement, I am led to wonder whether I myself was an idiot and a sucker for upgrading.

And it really grates that Apple will not allow you to reverse updates. That they use compulsion to force you to stay on the latest release, rather than convince you by the superiority of that release, says a lot in my opinion. And ultimately it is a recipe for mediocrity. If it's a great release then people would not want to go back and coercion would be unnecessary.

The way you use the phone is different than me, because I see no lag in 8.3; which I consider to be better than 7.1.2. It seems Apple changed the way the Ui works preventing one, so to speak, from putting the car into drive while the car is still moving in reverse.

I just upgrade and don't worry about it, never had an insurmountable issue. As far as apples draconian policies yep; I'd it is what it is and that what it is.

----------

I downgraded my iPhone 4 to iOS 6.1.X before I switched to my iPhone 6 and the difference in responsiveness and load times is noticeable. Admittedly, iOS 7 has improved quite a bit and the performance is acceptable, but when you get the chance to compare it on an iPhone 4, you will definitely notice it.

When I run the same version of windows on my oldish laptop that I have in my high performance desktop it runs like a pig compared to my desktop.

iPhone 4 although beautiful in design is ancient hardware wise and I can't even look at iOS 6 so ugly. But it may be slightly faster from a Ui perspective.

 

[KALLT]

When I run the same version of windows on my oldish laptop that I have in my high performance desktop it runs like a pig compared to my desktop.

iPhone 4 although beautiful in design is ancient hardware wise and I can't even look at iOS 6 so ugly. But it may be slightly faster from a Ui perspective.

At least that old Windows machine gives you lots of options. You can go back to your previous system, you can install a Linux distribution, you can often upgrade the hardware as well. An iPhone gives you neither of these things. Running iOS feels like you’re running a borrowed piece of software that you can’t get back once you part with it. It makes you reevaluate your satisfaction and balance it with your desire to install an update with new features. Ideally, you should be thrilled to install the update and don’t regret it.

I personally found iOS 1–6 quite beautiful. It has aged of course and it didn’t get any kind of visual refresh, not even when the iPhone went Retina. I’ve said it before, but I think iOS 6 would appeal to lots of people if they simply removed the glossy look, tacky textures and the clumsy font sizes. That alone makes a huge difference (there are many mockups of this on the web). Alas, it’s a personal thing.

This is killing my respect for Apple bit by bit. There is an enormous amount of anxiety associated with an update beyond signing expiry because it becomes a $n00 gamble. If you update and the performance is poor, it feels as though you have thrown your money away.

And I will say this: even on a 5S iOS 8.3 feels a bit unresponsive compared to iOS 7.1..2. Instead of being the blissful carefree experience one would hope for, it feels as though everything you do has had a bit of lag added in. The OS simply can't keep up at times with what the user is doing. It's a bit like trying to interact with someone who is, frankly, a bit dim and slow to understand. So, as much as I appreciate the new features in iOS 8, and its refinement, I am led to wonder whether I myself was an idiot and a sucker for upgrading.

And it really grates that Apple will not allow you to reverse updates. That they use compulsion to force you to stay on the latest release, rather than convince you by the superiority of that release, says a lot in my opinion. And ultimately it is a recipe for mediocrity. If it's a great release then people would not want to go back and coercion would be unnecessary.

I could not have expressed it better. I think it deserves to be mentioned that buying an iPhone is not a purchase by impulse for many consumers as it is among the most expensive phones you can buy with wee tangible improvements over competing hardware and software. At some point you may legitimately ask yourself whether you are not fooling yourself.

I do notice occasional glitches and stutters on my iPhone 6 as well. It cannot be the hardware, it really is due to a poor performance of the software. There used to be the argument that Apple could get the most out of the hardware by running their own software on it, but I don’t think that is generally true anymore, unless you happen to run the latest or former flagship device.

 

[I7guy]

At least that old Windows machine gives you lots of options. You can go back to your previous system, you can install a Linux distribution, you can often upgrade the hardware as well. An iPhone gives you neither of these things. Running iOS feels like you’re running a borrowed piece of software that you can’t get back once you part with it. It makes you reevaluate your satisfaction and balance it with your desire to install an update with new features. Ideally, you should be thrilled to install the update and don’t regret it.

I personally found iOS 1–6 quite beautiful. It has aged of course and it didn’t get any kind of visual refresh, not even when the iPhone went Retina. I’ve said it before, but I think iOS 6 would appeal to lots of people if they simply removed the glossy look, tacky textures and the clumsy font sizes. That alone makes a huge difference (there are many mockups of this on the web). Alas, it’s a personal thing.



I could not have expressed it better. I think it deserves to be mentioned that buying an iPhone is not a purchase by impulse for many consumers as it is among the most expensive phones you can buy with wee tangible improvements over competing hardware and software. At some point you may legitimately ask yourself whether you are not fooling yourself.

I do notice occasional glitches and stutters on my iPhone 6 as well. It cannot be the hardware, it really is due to a poor performance of the software. There used to be the argument that Apple could get the most out of the hardware by running their own software on it, but I don’t think that is generally true anymore, unless you happen to run the latest or former flagship device.

Seems that some of the past flubs of various past releases are always ignored in threads such as this.

I also disagree about the wee tangible improvements. The benefits are very tangible: Apple support, Apple Store support, ecosystem. Those to me are more than "wee tangible".

Of course with that comes other Apple policies people often gripe about here; such as one way upgrades and inability to delete core apps.

 

[saudor]

Actually the UI (especially in ios6) did change - not as big as ios7 but it did take advantage of the retina display. (remember all those textures, numbers on the clock, etc)

personally, i think ios7/8 "wasted" the retina display other than the thin typopgraphy. The UI of iOS 7/8 is pretty much the same as android 5.x which is somewhat similar to the flat design of Windows. There isnt alot of personality left between the different OS anymore

 

[H3rman]

lol yeah right, tell that to the iPhone 4 and iOS 7.

My old iPhone 4 is currently running iOS 7.1.2 with no issue. My mum was using it for a while with no issues. Now she has my iPhone 5 on iOS 8.3 with no issues and the iPhone 4 is still going strong on iOS 7.1.2

 

[e93to]

I will keep running iOS 8 on my 5S even though newer iOS comes out. My phone's operation is stable, smooth, and glitch-free with iOS 8.

I kept running iOS 4 on my iPhone 4 until 2014, and I had no issue with running very outdated os on my phone except for missing out on security. I finally updated to iOS 7 after iPhone 6 came out. Then the phone became slow and choppy... I couldn't even view this forum because it randomly quit.

 

[KALLT]

Actually the UI (especially in ios6) did change - not as big as ios7 but it did take advantage of the retina display. (remember all those textures, numbers on the clock, etc)

But the style and the design didn’t change. It was pretty much an exact replica, but in much higher resolution. iPhone 3G and 3GS had the same visual style.

Seems that some of the past flubs of various past releases are always ignored in threads such as this.

I also disagree about the wee tangible improvements. The benefits are very tangible: Apple support, Apple Store support, ecosystem. Those to me are more than "wee tangible".

Of course with that comes other Apple policies people often gripe about here; such as one way upgrades and inability to delete core apps.

In case you read over it: I still have my iPhone 4. This is not about me talking about misguided memories. I’ve reverted it to iOS 6, I was fortunate enough to have saved my SHSH blobs. The responsiveness of iOS 6 is unmatched. Of course, the software isn’t as advanced and quite a few good additions are missing by now. I wouldn’t want it back in it’s current state, but for iPhone 4 users it is definitely a more pleasant experience if you’re not interested in the new features of iOS 7. iOS 7 also brought many new animations and transitions that make the system appear slower as well.

As with Apple support, it was never a factor for my decision, maybe it’s different in the US. We have generous warranty laws in the EU and suffice it to say, Apple is to my knowledge one of the very few big companies that were reprimanded multiple times for their poor warranty in several countries. It didn’t help me one bit when my home button broke and I would have to pay for the repair, six months after purchase, essentially the point where consumer-unfriendly companies will insist of the shifted burden of proof. No sympathies here. I had to deal with it through my insurance. App Store and ecosystem are not clear benefits iOS has over Android either. In fact, we are reaching a point were Android is becoming a more popular target for European companies, due to the much larger market share of Android. We mostly benefit from American apps around here. You pay for a good user experience, but it comes with caveats.

 

[I7guy]

But the style and the design didn’t change. It was pretty much an exact replica, but in much higher resolution. iPhone 3G and 3GS had the same visual style.



In case you read over it: I still have my iPhone 4. This is not about me talking about misguided memories. I’ve reverted it to iOS 6, I was fortunate enough to have saved my SHSH blobs. The responsiveness of iOS 6 is unmatched. Of course, the software isn’t as advanced and quite a few good additions are missing by now. I wouldn’t want it back in it’s current state, but for iPhone 4 users it is definitely a more pleasant experience if you’re not interested in the new features of iOS 7. iOS 7 also brought many new animations and transitions that make the system appear slower as well.

As with Apple support, it was never a factor for my decision, maybe it’s different in the US. We have generous warranty laws in the EU and suffice it to say, Apple is to my knowledge one of the very few big companies that were reprimanded multiple times for their poor warranty in several countries. It didn’t help me one bit when my home button broke and I would have to pay for the repair, six months after purchase, essentially the point where consumer-unfriendly companies will insist of the shifted burden of proof. No sympathies here. I had to deal with it through my insurance. App Store and ecosystem are not clear benefits iOS has over Android either. In fact, we are reaching a point were Android is becoming a more popular target for European companies, due to the much larger market share of Android. We mostly benefit from American apps around here. You pay for a good user experience, but it comes with caveats.

I think unmatched is a bit over the top; considering iOS 6 has some huge security holes. I'm anti animation and never turn those things on, which is why I may not notice these types of things. Also iOS 6 is so cartoonish compares to the later releases. iOS 7 is perfectly usable even though iOS 6 may be a smidge faster on the iPhone 4.

Things do work differently here in the U.S; and lucky for us there are choices. To me on a theoretical level if I lose/break my phone it's backed up and I can go to an Apple Store and be up and running very quickly. I understand android is popular but they are not flagship phones and if you don't care you can get a screaming bargain.

You do pay for a good user experience with caveats; nothing in life is perfect.

 

[KALLT]

I think unmatched is a bit over the top; considering iOS 6 has some huge security holes. I'm anti animation and never turn those things on, which is why I may not notice these types of things. Also iOS 6 is so cartoonish compares to the later releases. iOS 7 is perfectly usable even though iOS 6 may be a smidge faster on the iPhone 4.

Things do work differently here in the U.S; and lucky for us there are choices. To me on a theoretical level if I lose/break my phone it's backed up and I can go to an Apple Store and be up and running very quickly. I understand android is popular but they are not flagship phones and if you don't care you can get a screaming bargain.

You do pay for a good user experience with caveats; nothing in life is perfect.

I don’t think anyone questioned the security. With complexity come vulnerabilities, that isn’t all that different in iOS 8. We have so many reports on MacRumors’ frontpage like never before. I meant unmatched in terms of fluidity and responsiveness of the UI. Scrolling, transitions from page to page. The iPhone 4(!) was capable of running smoothly, now you see occasional stutters even on the iPhone 6. You can think what you like of the visual style and the animations, but I think there is merit when people say that iOS used to run better. It doesn’t mean that the iPhone has become unusable, but it’s not the quality you would expect from Apple, especially since many Apple fans are quick to point at the choppy scrolling on high-end Android devices when that is no longer universally true.

I just want Apple to kick more ass again, make products that are worth every cent. There really was a certain pride in owning an iPhone. Simple phones with powerful features that really deliver.

I don’t think you would get a replacement phone here, unless it’s part of a supplemental scheme or insurance. There is no Apple Store nearby, so a trip to the store isn’t straightforward. Again, the experience may differ significantly but here I certainly don’t buy the phone because of Apple’s service.