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are there any benefits updating via itunes vs OTA?
Probably not but it just feels better to update through iTunes for me as it downloads the whole os and overwrites the entire old one whereas the ota just downloads the new bits and patches them into the old install.

Also it updates way faster for me on I tunes vs ota once the process gets started. I’m on an “old” iPhone 7 too so I want to make sure I get a good install. But in all reality it’s probably fine either way!! 🤷‍♂️
 
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Realistically, the only real difference between the two methods is that an OTA update is incremental and will only download what your device needs(assuming you are not going between a beta and a production build.) With the IPSW and iTunes/finder, you are always installing the complete OS.

Bottom line though is that most likely the upgrade process between the two methods are probably similar to not warrant a decision. It’s going to primarily come down to user preference and beliefs.
 
I’ve hear mixed opinions about this. Last couple of releases I did via ota and this time I wanted to do via iTunes
You're fine with OTA since that's the most convenient for most users. But if you happen to encounter any bugs or glitches after the update you could try iTunes update.

Personally I've had the opposite experience to the general consensus here about the iTunes update. Since 15.4 betas I've started to encounter more issues after an iTunes update on top of OTA. This happened 3-4 times with OTA giving me no issues but as soon as my itchy fingers went for iTunes update I've experienced a couple issues.
So sticking to OTA unless I'm actually having issues in which case I'd give the whole IPSW update a shot.

Again, this has been my personal experience the last couple iterations while a lot of users claim they experience less bugs with iTunes update.
 
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Don't forget to post your thoughts on battery life (and phone model)!
I've been running this build for a few days. Battery life on my 12 Pro Max is very good, nearly 10 hours between charges. Not bad considering the phone is nearly two years old with just 91% battery health.
 
Don't forget to post your thoughts on battery life (and phone model)!
I'm on a iPhone 13 mini and iPad mini 6 and both devices are seeing great battery life since 15.6 Beta 3 and no issues when I installed RC2. On the iPhone 13 mini, I easily get 5-6 hours screen on time, no gaming on the phone.
 
You will get both opinions on here. Everyone will say the way they do it is the best.
Before OTA was possible it was always done by iTunes, only a couple times was there an issue, minor but I did wipe and restore once. Since OTA became available I’ve only done it that way with never an issue. My feeling is whatever is fastest and easiest for you is what’s best. For me that’s OTA, for others it may not be. I only keep my computer around these days to keep a backup to the iCloud backup and if a restore may possibly become necessary due to a beta. But currently I don’t install betas until late in the game (don’t have a spare device to risk) so even if there are problems I can wait them out. Quite soon I may not even bother having a computer so OTA will be my only method which is all I’m doing anyway.
 
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You're fine with OTA since that's the most convenient for most users. But if you happen to encounter any bugs or glitches after the update you could try iTunes update.

Personally I've had the opposite experience to the general consensus here about the iTunes update. Since 15.4 betas I've started to encounter more issues after an iTunes update on top of OTA. This happened 3-4 times with OTA giving me no issues but as soon as my itchy fingers went for iTunes update I've experienced a couple issues.
So sticking to OTA unless I'm actually having issues in which case I'd give the whole IPSW update a shot.

Again, this has been my personal experience the last couple iterations while a lot of users claim they experience less bugs with iTunes update.
I've had the same experience. Always used to do itunes as I thought it logically made more sense to be safer, but I always ran into issues later on... Been doing OTAs and it "seems" to be giving less issues but of course it's all anecdotal
 
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Is it me or since OTA update was introduced even on WiFi, during the update progress bars + Apple logo shows 3-4 times?
 
Control Center used to show my top 3 scene presets for my smart lamp. Now it just shows a single basic smart lamp control and I have to tap into “favorites” to get to the presets.

Bug, or another intentional downgrade of a something that used to be good?
 
Bluetooth audio in my car when using Apple Music isn't working since I updated :(

iOS does feel MEGA fast though since the update.
 
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I had to reset the CarPlay interface on my phone because audio wasn't working after the update. Deleting my car from the settings and re-adding it fixed it. Weird.
 
Any battery draining update from Apple
I'm seeing overnight battery drain with Zero app usage.

Note that I'm running RC2 since Fri which is exactly the same as this release
 
Any battery draining update from Apple
I'm seeing overnight battery drain with Zero app usage.

Note that I'm running RC2 since Fri which is exactly the same as this release
One of my devices was doing that on 15.5, the other wasn't. I'm keeping an eye on it to see if there was a fix in 15.6.
 
I can't believe after 15 years of iPhones, people still stress over the battery life IMMEDIATELY AFTER UPDATING. You cannot judge the battery life of a new iOS version for the entire first day after an update!!! Maybe even more! Any time you update it's doing a lot of stuff in the background that will give you an inaccurate impression of the battery life!

Furthermore, people fret about this so much that the reason it SEEMS like the battery life is worse is because you've been conditioned to focus on it after every update. Stop focusing on it!

My iPhone 13 Pro is 10 months old, still at 100% battery health, and I almost never reach below 50% charge on any given day. What more do you need?

are there any benefits updating via itunes vs OTA?

All I know is that by using iTunes/Finder, I basically never encounter all these random glitches that people seem to frequently report. It could be luck or the placebo effect, but it only takes a little more effort and my results have always been good. I think at the very least, it's worth it to use iTunes/Finder for XX.0 and XX.X updates, while OTA is probably fine for XX.X.X updates.
 
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I just upgraded my iPad to 15.6 – I wish I hadn’t. The dreaded buggy Safari tab management is back! Deleted tabs get resurrected, background tabs open to blank pages. What a mess :mad:

Is there going to be another release before 16? Do I have to live with this till September?

What are the 16 betas like? Perhaps I should just take the plunge…
 
I just upgraded my iPad to 15.6 – I wish I hadn’t. The dreaded buggy Safari tab management is back! Deleted tabs get resurrected, background tabs open to blank pages. What a mess :mad:

Is there going to be another release before 16? Do I have to live with this till September?

What are the 16 betas like? Perhaps I should just take the plunge…
Downgrade back to 15.5 while you still can. Bam problem solved.
 
Horrible cell signal with this update. Places I had full bars are now only 2 bars and data is slow as hell. 13 Pro Max (DFU restored and set up as new)
 
The dreaded buggy Safari tab management is back! Deleted tabs get resurrected, background tabs open to blank pages.
I’m getting old Frequently Visited sites appearing on the Start Page. I delete them but they just come back. :(

Edit: Turned Safari Suggestions off then back on, seems to have fixed it.
 
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Battery is draining at a crazy rate after the update to 15.6!

I fully charged my phone last night, haven’t used it more than an average day, and I’m already at 19% at only 6:30 pm. I usually can go to bed at midnight and still have 30-40% left! I hope this gets better in a few days. I don’t even know how to go backwards (roll back) to an iOS. I may have to figure out a way if this keeps up.
 
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