iPhone 4S Crashing....Ggggrrrr!

[u1stafterme]

I've been experiencing a lot of crashing on my iP4S running iOS 6.1.2. These crashes are occurring at most inopportune times, of course. I'm pretty diligent about minimizing the number of background apps that are open (I've been forced to play that hand), but that doesn't seem to prevent crashing. A lot of the more savvy posters on these forums say not to obsess over the free memory because the iOS manages it by itself, but I've found that not to be the case. I've been closely monitoring free memory (via IntelliScreenX).

A typical scenario....
1. Will have 4-5 non-memory-intensive background apps open.
2. The most free memory I've ever seen is 250 MB, and that is with a relatively light app/tweak load.
3. Free memory falls of and lingers around 6-10 MB.
4. Upon trying to do use any other function of the phone, like taking a picture, or making a call, the phone will crash.

This has become very aggravating to the point where I'm debating upgrading to an iP5 or giving up on jailbreaking altogether and going back to Android (which I really don't want to do).

I just installed "FreeMemeory" v1.0, which seems to work as advertised. But I'm still not happy with the robustness of my phone and the fact that it has become so high maintenance.

 

[cymolia]

Y u mad tho?

 

[dhlizard]

Backup/Sync in iTunes
Do a clean restore to 6.1.2, choose set up as new
Do not restore to backup
As soon as the phone activates, immediately use evasi0n 1.5 to jailbreak
Use tabs in iTunes to restore content - contacts, bookmarks, music, movies, books, apps etc (not settings)

 

[fisherking]

i'd restore the phone, and start over with the JB...and install a tweak at a time, see how the phone runs.

my 4S has had ONE major crash, couldn't get past the apple logo...then i did.

but overall, with a lot of tweaks, is running great.

try a clean start; if it's a tweak (or a combination of tweaks) that are causing problems, you may find yourself in the same place with an iphone5...

 

[dhlizard]

I agree ^^

Check compatibility here --> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AsxLituOoyr9dGRaMk1YSWxYMk9RWmU3UHBwVWFVYkE&toomany=true

Read the change log in Cydia, make sure it is iOS6 compatible

No piracy apps, no piracy repos, or apps to sync cracked apps

This jailbreak is very solid, none of my phones (including an 4S) or iPads are crashing or even going into safe mode and I have 113 Cydia packages on my iPhone 5

 

[u1stafterme]

Good suggestions dhlizard and fisherking. Wasn't aware of evasion 1.5 (used 1.4 to JB) I'll check the compatibility matrix and give it a shot. Thank you.

 

[u1stafterme]

Backup/Sync in iTunes
Do a clean restore to 6.1.2, choose set up as new

DFU restore?

 

[T5BRICK]

DFU restore?

Thats the best way to do it, as far as I know.

For what its worth, I monitor my memory usage as well, and I've usually got less than 100MB free(currently at 57MB) and often get down below 10MB. It isn't much of a problem; I'm not getting crashes.

 

[BumpyFlatline]

I also have a 4S on 6.1.2 and my phone runs as solid as ever. I never get crashes. I always dfu restore as new, activate, jailbreak, then resync my content. As an added measure, I use AppBackup to backup all my App Store apps, specifically game saves. My phone never goes to safe mode and is as "snappy" as ever.

 

[LordQ]

Do you have Auxo installed? It was crashing my 4S horribly and had to uninstall it. It hasn't crashed since.

 

[labman]

Do you have Auxo installed? It was crashing my 4S horribly and had to uninstall it. It hasn't crashed since.

Auxo working fine on my device I haven't had a single crash in weeks and I have Auxo and Winterboard two programs people like to point fingers at. I did have a crash issue before somebody said uninstall then run Icleaner and then reinstall after that I never got another crash.

 

[jav6454]

What else does the 4S do?

 

[u1stafterme]

Update

Apologies for not updating my post sooner.....

Alright, went through with the DFU restore, jailbreak (update to 1.5), restore select apple content, re-download Cydia apps.

I'd say overall, it's crashing less, although I have been paying extra attention to the free memory. When I see free memory starting to hover around 10 MB, I go ahead and kill all apps. It still drops to ~ 10 MB any time I have more than 4 or 5 apps going in the background. I'm not a believer in the iOS's innate ability at managing free memory

Separately, it seems like my battery life has improved a little as well, but again, its nothing like the stock 4S was.

I'm thinking about upgrading to an iP5 in hopes that the A5 processor might give my load out some more robustness. But I'd be majorly bummed if this MO carried over to the upgraded phone.

By the way, this is a fantastic forum. I've learned a lot just lurking around and I have to say that for the most part, the more adept contributors are patient and generous in their suggestions. Thank you!

 

[BumpyFlatline]

Apologies for not updating my post sooner.....

Alright, went through with the DFU restore, jailbreak (update to 1.5), restore select apple content, re-download Cydia apps.

I'd say overall, it's crashing less, although I have been paying extra attention to the free memory. When I see free memory starting to hover around 10 MB, I go ahead and kill all apps. It still drops to ~ 10 MB any time I have more than 4 or 5 apps going in the background. I'm not a believer in the iOS's innate ability at managing free memory

Separately, it seems like my battery life has improved a little as well, but again, its nothing like the stock 4S was.

I'm thinking about upgrading to an iP5 in hopes that the A5 processor might give my load out some more robustness. But I'd be majorly bummed if this MO carried over to the upgraded phone.

By the way, this is a fantastic forum. I've learned a lot just lurking around and I have to say that for the most part, the more adept contributors are patient and generous in their suggestions. Thank you!

Very strange how you have to be so careful with your iPhone. I have a 4S on 6.1.2 and I don't pay attention to any free ram, I have a million apps opened, and my phone rarely gets hot. It only gets hot when I'm charging it via wall charger and I'm also simultaneously using it like a mad man. My apps never crash. Once in a blue moon they'll crash but its the same consistency as a completely stock phone. Once or twice a month unless a particular Cydia package has a known bug. But the problem goes away after an update. My battery sucked on 6.1 and 6.1.1 but ever since I updated to 6.1.2 it's been as good as ever. I just left work and I'm at 51%. I have 3 hours and 18 mins usage and 11 hours and 4 mins standby. I have a good number if tweaks installed too. I'm very happy with my setup and this jailbreak in particular. Extremely stable for me.

And thanks for the kind words about the forum. It is by far the best jailbreak forum. The regulars are extremely patient and helpful. I know they enjoy helping others, myself included. I only signed up so I could give back after a couple years of just visiting, reading, and searching. Eventually I felt confident enough to give advice publicly and know that I'm not misleading someone. I've seen it time and time again where someone wants to help out, but instead gives bad advice. Usually this is only regarding re-restores, downgrades, SHSH Blobs, etc.

Anyways enjoy the forum!

 

[iRetired]

As I xposted to another thread, Auxo (and ProTube) were just updated tonight. Check your changes badge in Cydia.

 

[u1stafterme]

BumpyFlatline, take a look at the pictures. I'm using "Omnistat" to monitor free memory. 17+ MB Free memory with only three apps open. I've uninstalled Intelliscreen 6, Zephyr, Auxo and Activator. So I'm down to having zero tweaks and a very light Cydia app load. I've already crashed once this morning but that's before I did the deletions mentioned above. .

 

[Jman13]

Do you have Winterboard installed? I know that your icons aren't themed now, but is it installed? There's currently something either with Winterboard or mobile substrate's interaction with Winterboard that will cause apps to crash after a little while. A reboot fixes it for a few hours, then it starts again...it also prevents multitasking for the most part, as it kills background processes very quickly.

Saurik is working on it, but the only cure is to uninstall Winterboard right now....waiting for an update myself.

 

[BumpyFlatline]

BumpyFlatline, take a look at the pictures. I'm using "Omnistat" to monitor free memory. 17+ MB Free memory with only three apps open. I've uninstalled Intelliscreen 6, Zephyr, Auxo and Activator. So I'm down to having zero tweaks and a very light Cydia app load. I've already crashed once this morning but that's before I did the deletions mentioned above.View attachment 399622. View attachment 399623

Very strange. Have you already tried a DFU Restore as New and then manually syncing your content back on opposed to restoring a backup? Something doesn't seem right in your current setup. You might have to DFU restore as new. Either way, you'll definitely want to get this figured out before Apple releases the next firmware. Ill go back and re-read this thread when I have a chance to get a better understanding of your setup. I'm on the train and about to be at work.

 

[u1stafterme]

Do you have Winterboard installed?

Winterboard is not installed.

 

[u1stafterme]

Very strange. Have you already tried a DFU Restore as New and then manually syncing your content back on opposed to restoring a backup?

Hey Bumpy, meant to mention that the Bruins are RULING! Been a loyal fan since the days of Bourque and Cam Neely. Love hockey.

After the DFU restore, I have been restoring the backup I make prior to DFU'ing (as opposed to synching content). Correct me if I'm wrong, but after I do the DFU/restore as new, I don't remember any other option to move forward other than restoring my backup. So you're saying I should try syncing individual content (contacts, mail, calendar, pix, music, apps, etc) instead of restoring from backup?

Thanks for hanging in there with me.

 

[BumpyFlatline]

Hey Bumpy, meant to mention that the Bruins are RULING! Been a loyal fan since the days of Bourque and Cam Neely. Love hockey.

After the DFU restore, I have been restoring the backup I make prior to DFU'ing (as opposed to synching content). Correct me if I'm wrong, but after I do the DFU/restore as new, I don't remember any other option to move forward other than restoring my backup. So you're saying I should try syncing individual content (contacts, mail, calendar, pix, music, apps, etc) instead of restoring from backup?

Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Haha Neely was the man! I was born in 82 and I fell in love with hockey and the Bruins in 1989 when I was only a kid. I watched and followed them religiously. I loved Neely, Oates, and Juneau on a line! They were so much fun to watch. Boutique is an icon. 21 years with the Bruins. Simply Remarkable.

Yes exactly. I'm suggesting that instead of restoring from backup, use the individual tabs in iTunes to sync your content back onto the device. I believe you'll lose app data like game saves and possibly old text messages. I use iCloud to backup and its been a long time since I used iTunes to backup. If you're afraid of losing data, let me know what you absolutely can not lose as that'll help determine the best course of action. For example, if game saves are an absolute must not to lose, then there are ways to back up the specific apps data.

But to answer your question, yes DFU restore and set up as new. Use the individual tabs in iTunes to sync your content back to your device opposed to choosing restore backup.

Edit: quick question. Why do you chose iTunes over iCloud to backup your device? Just curious.

 

[u1stafterme]

Edit: quick question. Why do you chose iTunes over iCloud to backup your device? Just curious.

In the past, I've always used iCloud for regular backups. The only reason I've been using iTunes is because that's what seems to be agreed as "best practice" on this forum when it comes to DFU restoring.

Update: Since uninstalling Zephyr, IntelliScreen 6, Auxo, and Activator, my phone hasn't crashed once. I've even tried maxing it out by simultaneously using memory intense apps; for example, I successfully ran a navigation route in Maps, listening to Pandora, using "Tapatalk", Cydia, and some other non-intense apps. Free memory dropped to ~12MB, but it never crashed.

So maybe I've isolated, or at least narrowed the list of suspects to 4 apps. I guess the next thing to do would be to re-install each of them individually and monitor performance.

Again, your suggestions have been excelent and well-informed. Your karma score is off the charts and will carry you far! Thanks!

 

[BumpyFlatline]

In the past, I've always used iCloud for regular backups. The only reason I've been using iTunes is because that's what seems to be agreed as "best practice" on this forum when it comes to DFU restoring.

Update: Since uninstalling Zephyr, IntelliScreen 6, Auxo, and Activator, my phone hasn't crashed once. I've even tried maxing it out by simultaneously using memory intense apps; for example, I successfully ran a navigation route in Maps, listening to Pandora, using "Tapatalk", Cydia, and some other non-intense apps. Free memory dropped to ~12MB, but it never crashed.

So maybe I've isolated, or at least narrowed the list of suspects to 4 apps. I guess the next thing to do would be to re-install each of them individually and monitor performance.

Again, your suggestions have been excelent and well-informed. Your karma score is off the charts and will carry you far! Thanks!

Haha karma score! That's hilarious. Well I'm glad I could help. And more importantly, glad you are getting to the bottom of your problem. Keep us posted. Hopefully it'll be smooth sailing from here on out! (Well at least for a little while...)