iOS 12 Beta 6 ― Bug Fixes, Changes, and Improvements

[cbreze]

So, five betas in and iOS 12 is still slow as **** on the iPhone 5s. I do not understand why Apple engineers do not consider this to be a serious problem... customers are not going to buy a new iPhone in the future if Apple don't make an effort to optimise newer versions of iOS for older hardware.

I'd quite frankly much rather not have newer versions of iOS if it's going to slow the bloody thing down.

This is my first iPhone, and it will have to be my last if the GM doesn't improve this ****.

If I were you I'd quit the beta, go back to 11.x if that worked better for ya. Don't upgrade to it when the GM is released. Or alternately upgrade your device to a newer model. Or move to Android, the Pixel2's are running smooth and fast as all heck on "P".
I doubt the GM will help much if any. Iphone 5's are to outdated. However maybe a completely fresh install would help, maybe try that when the GM drops.

 

[294307]

If I were you I'd quit the beta, go back to 11.x if that worked better for ya. Don't upgrade to it when the GM is released. Or alternately upgrade your device to a newer model. Or move to Android, the Pixel2's are running smooth and fast as all heck on "P".
I doubt the GM will help much if any. Iphone 5's are to outdated.

I had the battery checked by Apple – it doesn't require service, so that can't be causing the performance issues. They were somewhat convinced it was something else that required hardware service. I don't think so. It's only one of two things: either Apple have not optimised iOS 11/12 for the iPhone 5s, or they are purposely slowing it down.

It looks like I'll have to consider an Android phone for my next upgrade . I'll restore iOS 11 in the meantime.

 

[cbreze]

I had the battery checked by Apple – it doesn't require service, so that can't be causing the performance issues. They were somewhat convinced it was something else that required hardware service. I don't think so. It's only one of two things: either Apple have not optimised iOS 11/12 for the iPhone 5s, or they are purposely slowing it down.

It looks like I'll have to consider an Android phone for my next upgrade . I'll restore iOS 11 in the meantime.

Good luck with it. Sounds frustrating. Seriously tho there are good deals on Pixel 2's right now. That is my other phone as I swap back and forth. really running sweet on Android P.
If your 5s was running poorly on 11.x as well then maybe something else going on. Alot of people were complaining about 11.x but my iphone7 ran very smooth. Problem I think with older than 6s iphones is the lower RAM.

 

[ram130]

The hardware is old and has limited RAM to run the OS smoothly. It’s not Apple’s fault, they have to move forward, I get you got the phone cause it’s supported. But that does not mean the best experience, think the same on older Android devices. 5 years is too far back in technology era. I got a 8 Plus and this beta is the smoothest I have. Granted my hard is more than double the specs and supports newer more efficient processes yours doesn’t.

 

[294307]

The hardware is old and has limited RAM to run the OS smoothly. It’s not Apple’s fault, they have to move forward, I get you got the phone cause it’s supported. But that does not mean the best experience, think the same on older Android devices. 5 years is too far back in technology era. I got a 8 Plus and this beta is the smoothest I have. Granted my hard is more than double the specs and supports newer more efficient processes yours doesn’t.

I understand that but in this situation Apple should have chosen not to offer the newer iOS release on the 5s if it doesn't provide a good user experience, which it doesn't.

 

[gwhizkids]

An iPhone 5s is an old phone and going to be a subpar experience on today's software. However, it may not be as bad as you’re experiencing on final release. During the beta, there’s a lot going on in the background that may be pushing your experience into the unfavorable zone. Come public release, however, some of that logging and diagnostic overhead will not be there and your experience *might* improve. I’d at least wait it out (while reverting to 11.4 until then).

 

[294307]

Sorry but this is laughable. Go get yourself a five year old Android phone and install the latest software and let us know how it runs for ya.

Oh wait...

Apple should not offer a newer version of iOS on hardware that it runs slowly on.

 

[Jimpilot]

Apple should not offer a newer version of iOS on hardware that it runs slowly on.

You’re right. Just consider your 5S as not supported.

 

[Mr$tone]

Apple should not offer a newer version of iOS on hardware that it runs slowly on.

On the contrary it should be considered a good thing that Apple offers updates for old phones as it keeps them secure.

 

[GreyOS]

Yes.

What about erasing content and settings and then restoring from backup? (I guess the question is: do the logs get backed up?)
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Why isn’t Apple focusing their resources on a device that’s 5 years old? Can’t possibly think of why.

But they broke from the normal pattern of dropping a generation, so if it's true it performs badly, that seems kind of wrong? They could have just dropped it?

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

Apple should not offer a newer version of iOS on hardware that it runs slowly on.

Personally, I prefer security over performance. But the point is moot in my case as I never go longer than two years on a phone.

 

[GreyOS]

You’re right. Just consider your 5S as not supported.

Apple went out of their way not to drop support for any devices. Seems wrong to claim Apple has no responsibility in this.

edit: To be clear, I haven't used the 5S on iOS 12, so I can't speak about its performance from personal experience. And I think it's possible the final version (or 12.3 etc.) may improve things a lot. I'm just saying the arguments that don't even make those points but instead say "what do you expect for an old device?!"... they don't really work in this case imo.

 

[gwhizkids]

Apple went out of their way not to drop support for any devices. Seems wrong to claim Apple has no responsibility in this.

I'd agree (and may still) if this proves true on the released version of iOS 12. Its pretty unfair to level this charge against Apple, though, based on pre-release versions of the software.

 

[GreyOS]

I'd agree (and may still) if this proves true on the released version of iOS 12. Its pretty unfair to level this charge against Apple, though, based on pre-release versions of the software.

agreed, see my edit too which clarifies my position a bit

 

[294307]

You’re right. Just consider your 5S as not supported.

Great. How do I downgrade to a version of iOS that runs smoothly?

Oh, of course. Apple doesn't provide that option. So, no, I won't consider it unsupported.

Is the solution with you people just to buy a new iPhone? To reward Apple with more money for misleading you into upgrading to newer versions of iOS that suddenly slowed down your phone?

The reality is that there is no solution but to accept Apple slows down older phones. The management team say they don't do that, but of course they would say that. This is the same company that tells us they "aren't in it for the money" when it comes to Apple Music, but then we see they need to charge an extra $30 for a Magic Mouse in a different colour for some reason. And charge an extra $200 for an extra 8 GB of memory in a computer that already costs $2,000. It's all crap. It's obvious why they slow down older phones, in the same way it's obvious why they introduced Apple Music: they knew it would offset the potential decline in iTunes Music revenue, and the services segment is Apple's way to sustain its currently large quarterly revenue growths on a long-term basis as they are very much aware they are reaching a potential revenue peak with the iPhone and Mac line. Nothing to do with the crap Tim Cook likes to say.

I am very well aware my iPhone 5s is five year old technology and is far slower than even the iPhone SE (although I hope you didn't conveniently forget that Apple continued selling the 5s until Septeber 2016). However, it should not be slower than it was on the last day it was sold. And that's what Apple has rewarded us with by offering software updates that slow the device down.

I'd agree (and may still) if this proves true on the released version of iOS 12. Its pretty unfair to level this charge against Apple, though, based on pre-release versions of the software.

I should have been clear that I upgraded to iOS 12 Beta to see if Apple had addressed the performance issues in iOS 11 on the 5s, othewise I would have certainly waited until the GM before posting.

Personally, I prefer security over performance. But the point is moot in my case as I never go longer than two years on a phone.

I appreciate that, but why can't Apple offer separate security updates instead? This would address the problem entirely. They do this with older releases of macOS, no? They wouldn't need to offer newer versions of iOS on older phones that would run poorly on it. But they won't do that because then they can't brag about how unfragmented iOS is compared to Android, and yes I realise it's also to help developers target as few versions of iOS as possible.

 

[GreyOS]

Great. How do I downgrade to a version of iOS that runs smoothly?

Oh, of course. Apple doesn't provide that option. So, no, I won't consider it unsupported.

You're getting a bit ahead of yourself. If you're not happy with the beta, you can still downgrade to iOS 11.4.1 by putting it into DFU/recovery mode.

Then you can wait for the final release and read reports and reviews of its performance on 5S, and choose whether or not to upgrade.

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

I am very well aware my iPhone 5s is five year old technology and is far slower than even the iPhone SE (although I hope you didn't conveniently forget that Apple continued selling the 5s until Septeber 2016). However, it should not be slower than it was on the last day it was sold. And that's what Apple has rewarded us with by offering software updates that slow the device down.

No, Apple offers software updates that improve the experience and security of it's users with added features. Should they hinder the progress of their flagship devices so that older hardware can perform to everyone's expectations?

 

[GreyOS]

No, Apple offers software updates that improve the experience of it's users with added features. Should they hinder the progress in their flagship devices so that older hardware can perform to everyone's expectations?

This argument is really, really bad.
The first feature Apple list on their iOS 12 Preview page is improved performance on older devices including the 5s. They literally say this:

https://www.apple.com/uk/ios/ios-12-preview/

 

[294307]

No, Apple offers software updates that improve the experience and security of it's users with added features. Should they hinder the progress of their flagship devices so that older hardware can perform to everyone's expectations?

I'm really disappointed you didn't bother to read my post.

But I like how iOS 11 and iOS 12 has made scrolling and animates lag like crap on my 5s. I take it that's the improved experience you speak of?

 

[AZhappyjack]

An iPhone 5s is an old phone and going to be a subpar experience on today's software. However, it may not be as bad as you’re experiencing on final release. During the beta, there’s a lot going on in the background that may be pushing your experience into the unfavorable zone. Come public release, however, some of that logging and diagnostic overhead will not be there and your experience *might* improve. I’d at least wait it out (while reverting to 11.4 until then).

I installed iOS 12 beta on my 5S... it's not lightning fast, but it is more than adequate for a device that old... it is certainly usable... and I've since installed the betas on my 8 Plus...

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

This argument is really, really bad.
The first feature Apple list on their iOS 12 Preview page is improved performance on older devices including the 5s. They literally say this:

View attachment 775071
https://www.apple.com/uk/ios/ios-12-preview/

There's no argument until iOS 12 is released. If iOS 11.4.1 outperforms 12.0 on the 5s, everybody can get their pitchforks and head to Apple HQ. Until then, don't use beta software and condemn Apple because your device isn't performing up to your standards.

 

[GreyOS]

There's no argument until iOS 12 is released. If iOS 11.4.1 outperforms 12.0 on the 5s, everybody can get their pitchforks and head to Apple HQ. Until then, don't use beta software condemn Apple because your device isn't performing up to your standards.

You see, what you say here is reasonable, but it’s not the argument you were making in the post I quoted! You were implying it’s fine to slow down older devices so as not to hinder flagship devices, which is contrary to apple’s own claim. The goalposts keep moving so I’m done with you

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

I'm really disappointed you didn't bother to read my post.

But I like how iOS 11 and iOS 12 has made scrolling and animates lag like crap on my 5s. I take it that's the improved experience you speak of?

I read it. And to address your appended sarcasm, I guess I'll parrot the beta thing again. Come back when the final version is released and your 5s is still a mess. Til then, these arguments are pretty much pointless.
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You see, what you say here is reasonable, but it’s not the argument you were making in the post I quoted! You were implying it’s fine to slow down older devices so as not to hinder flagship devices, which is contrary to apple’s own claim. The goalposts keep moving so I’m done with you

Bye.

 

[294307]

I read it. And to address your appended sarcasm, I guess I'll parrot the beta thing again. Come back when the final version is released and your 5s is still a mess. Til then, these arguments are pretty much pointless.

My problem with you is that I made a point about Apple offering newer versions of iOS on older phones that can't handle them, and that it would be much more preferable if Apple just provided security updates for these older phones instead. What I don't like about your response is that you completely disregarded that when you said this:

No, Apple offers software updates that improve the experience and security of it's users with added features. Should they hinder the progress of their flagship devices so that older hardware can perform to everyone's expectations?

I have already acknowledged that I need to wait until iOS 12 GM, but my frustration comes from the fact the performance issues are just as present in iOS 12 Beta 6 – given how close we are to the GM – as they are in iOS 11. And this is the first time I have posted about it, so forgive me for expressing my genuine, and quite justified, frustration with Apple on a public forum.

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

My problem with you is that I made a point about Apple offering newer versions of iOS on older phones that can't handle them, and that it would be much more preferable if Apple just provided security updates for these older phones instead. What I don't like about your response is that you completely disregarded that when you said this:



I have already acknowledged that I need to wait until iOS 12 GM, but my frustration comes from the fact the performance issues are just as present in iOS 12 Beta 6 – given how close we are to the GM – as they are in iOS 11. And this is the first time I have posted about it, so forgive me for expressing my genuine, and quite justified, frustration with Apple on a public forum.

I apologize if I'm coming off as the usual "ITS A BETA" parroter. I'm not trying to sound like an Apple apologist either. It's just that I've been using iPhones since their inception and I've learned how Apple software works. The problem with the latest iterations is that they're not good enough to be called release software until there's been a significant amount of updates and bug fixes. That said, you probably can't expect to see the performance improvements they're talking about on their website until well into next year, let alone in beta software for the X.0 version.

I think we can let this argument lie since it's derailing the thread. Believe it or not, we agree on what you're saying. It's been a long busy day and I'm just blowing off steam.