Here we go again. Since Apple released its latest software update iOS 11.01 less than a month ago, many iPhone users have experienced massive technical issues, with some saying it’s Apple’s buggiest update yet.
If you’ve recently updated your iPhone’s software and are now experiencing technical issues, you’re not alone. Message boards on the discussion website Reddit have been bombarded by users complaining about the sudden glitches to hit their iPhones.
Some of the most common and major complaints include heavily degraded battery life, being unable to hear people on phone calls, the erratic behaviour of the music control widget on the home screen, periodic crashing of apps and the handset freezing for minutes at a time. The only way around these issues is to switch off the device and turn it on again.
One demonstrative comment posted by a Reddit user said:
I’m seeing all sorts of issues as well on my SE. Third party iMessage apps will just re-populate out of nowhere, forcing me to go back into the edit menu and disable them at least once every few days. The media player widget problem – if I’m playing something in a number of apps (HBO Now, TED, Netflix, Podcasts, Spotify), especially if I’m casting something, that media won’t show up in the CC widget or the lock screen which forces me to return to the app itself to control playback.
Where iOS 10 was juggling an impressive amount of apps in RAM, I’m getting half that performance in iOS 11, re-loading apps I had open 10 minutes ago.
I’m not sure I’ve ever actually seen the volume slider. I press the buttons, nothing happens on-screen (I have “buttons control volume” turned on). If I have Control Center open and I drag it down from a little too high it’ll pull the notification shade / lock screen over the Control Center … not to mention that the lock screen shade has its own identity crisis. What are you, exactly? Can I pull you down and wait a few seconds for the phone to lock? Are you just for notifications?
The whole thing is very, very sloppy.
After iOS 11.0.1, Apple rushed out two more software releases
(iOS 11.0.2 and iOS 11.0.3) in just three weeks in an attempt to rectify the problems. For some, these updates only made things worse.
To make matters more complicated, Apple has just stopped allowing software downgrades – the one sure way to fix software problems in the past. This means if you didn’t downgrade your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch back to iOS 10.3.3 before last week, it’s now too late to do so.
It’s not all doom and gloom, however. There’s nothing to say iOS 11.0.4 won’t finally be the cure we’re all waiting for. Until then, here are a few things you can do to fix your device:
If iOS is draining your battery life
Background App Refresh allows apps on your phone to constantly grab new content, even when you are not using them. This is a massive drain on both data and battery life, and for some reason, Apple made this a default setting of iOS 11.
Turn off Background App Refresh by going to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn off the function for all apps you use infrequently.
Another thing you can do to save a dying phone is to turn on Low Power Mode, which suspends some background features until you can get to a charger. You can do this by going to Settings > Battery > and turning on Low Power Mode.
If the device is overheating
If your phone is working too hard to keep up with the new software, it may begin to overheat. Simple solutions include keeping it out of direct sunlight, removing the cover when charging and letting it rest when it overheats.
If you can’t connect to wifi
Some users have complained that iOS 11 prevents them from joining their wifi networks. One option is to reset both your phone and the router (turn them both off and on again).
A second option is to reset the network settings on your phone by going to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Don’t worry, this fix shouldn’t erase anything on your phone.
If apps are crashing or the handset freezes
Power hungry apps such as Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube are most likely to crash, freeze and slow down your phone. Temporarily deleting them until Apple fixes all the bugs is annoying, but it might help speed up your device. You can do this by half-pressing the app you want to delete until all apps begin to wiggle and a cross appears in their corners. Tap the crosses to delete the apps. This will not delete your content in the app, and you can easily re-add it later.
If you can’t make and receive phone calls
There is only one real solution to this: patience. You will have to wait until Apple fixes all the bugs in iOS 11. Until then, you’ll have to make do with turning the device off and on again.
Are you experiencing problems with iOS 11, or have you come up with any novel solutions?
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