ios 9 on oldest devices (iPhone 4s and iPad2)

[kissmo]

How is your experience with ios 9 GM on iPhone 4s and iPad 2?
Apple said that they will make the iOS run smoother on older HW too but I do not see that.


On the contrary on iPad 2 it's literally a nightmare. Sluggish and slow. It's much slower than on iOS 8 for me.

On the iPhone 4s - it's running a little bit better - I get more battery life - like half day more compared to the last Beta. Compared to iOS 8 it's much slower.

I do know these are old HW - I was just expecting a fix on these devices.... until I will afford to buy newer iPhone and newer iPad...

Can you share your experience with any of these 2?

 

[thekayman]

iPad 2 here. It's as bad as iOS 8. I wouldn't say worse, but definitely not good. Both motion and transparency are enabled. I tried disabling them but honestly did not see any notable improvement in performance.

 

[mikzn]

How is your experience with ios 9 GM on iPhone 4s and iPad 2?
Apple said that they will make the iOS run smoother on older HW too but I do not see that.
Can you share your experience with any of these 2?

I have both iPad 2 and iphone 4S -both on beta 9.1 and am happy with the update on both devices.

iPad 2 seems much better on 9.1 vs 8.4 especially safari - does not seem to reload constantly like it did on 8.4

iPhone 4S - working well but a few bugs - Have to swipe several times to answer a call, and battery does not last very long and phone heats up.
Still it is better than 8.4 IMHO and I like the notes update, icloud update and "Low Power Mode" for the battery.

 

[kissmo]

I have both iPad 2 and iphone 4S -both on beta 9.1 and am happy with the update on both devices.

iPad 2 seems much better on 9.1 vs 8.4 especially safari - does not seem to reload constantly like it did on 8.4

iPhone 4S - working well but a few bugs - Have to swipe several times to answer a call, and battery does not last very long and phone heats up.
Still it is better than 8.4 IMHO and I like the notes update, icloud update and "Low Power Mode" for the battery.

Did you try ios 9 on it? or you went straight to 9.1?

 

[MRrainer]

How about the iPad Mini?
My mother has an iPad Mini (and I've got a 4S). I don't know how quick she's with updating - but I'll certainly wait with my 4S. I don't have any other phone and actually use it to make phone calls - one of the things it still does quite well, after all ;-)
If 9.1 is better, I've no problem waiting out that release.

 

[mikzn]

Did you try ios 9 on it? or you went straight to 9.1?

Been marching my way along 1 beta at a time until 9.1 - had some ups and downs along the way

am happy with 9.1 - things are pretty good and did not try GM

Edit - For out of date hardware not bad

Yes did try each beta briefly - no major issues that I can remember in particular - the battery issues were worse for the phone on earlier betas

 

[I7guy]

I have both iPad 2 and iphone 4S -both on beta 9.1 and am happy with the update on both devices.

iPad 2 seems much better on 9.1 vs 8.4 especially safari - does not seem to reload constantly like it did on 8.4

iPhone 4S - working well but a few bugs - Have to swipe several times to answer a call, and battery does not last very long and phone heats up.
Still it is better than 8.4 IMHO and I like the notes update, icloud update and "Low Power Mode" for the battery.

I noticed this also. On my iPad 2 iOS 9 is quite a bit better than iOS 8.

 

[witherwings]

iPad mini 1 here. iOS 9 GM is terrible, feels laggy, specially when typing and has a lot of delays on opening apps. iOS 8 was also terrible (except iOS 8.4), but not as bad as iOS 9. But disabling transparency improves a lot though. Should be similar to iPad 2 and iPhone 4s, due to the similar specs, maybe?

 

[KUguardgrl13]

iPad mini 1 here. iOS 9 GM is terrible, feels laggy, specially when typing and has a lot of delays on opening apps. iOS 8 was also terrible (except iOS 8.4), but not as bad as iOS 9. But disabling transparency improves a lot though. Should be similar to iPad 2 and iPhone 4s, due to the similar specs, maybe?

That's disappointing :/ Perhaps it's time to save up for a refurb Mini 2.

 

[Ungibbed]

Frankly, I'm quite surprised that iOS 9 runs on the old iPad 2 and similar vintage hardware. While my 64GB iPad 2 battery has worn out to the point that its no longer portable, that has been the longest lasting investment second to my Mac.

 

[oldmacs]

I noticed this also. On my iPad 2 iOS 9 is quite a bit better than iOS 8.

I wish this was the case for me.

I tested iOS 8.4.1 and iOS 9 on clean installs, and iOS 9 was slower in almost every example. The same with iOS 8.4.1 and iOS 9 when I restored from a backup :/


http://www.mactalk.com.au/content/ipad-still-won-t-die-ios-9-ipad-2-3759/

 

[witherwings]

Frankly, I'm quite surprised that iOS 9 runs on the old iPad 2 and similar vintage hardware. While my 64GB iPad 2 battery has worn out to the point that its no longer portable, that has been the longest lasting investment second to my Mac.

True that. iPad 2 and iPhone 4s surprisingly still support. We can count by hands how many devices have that long software support.

But quite frankly, it Apple wants to keep them so laggy, rather not update and finish support with iOS 8.4.1. It is like my old iPhone 4, better stay on iOS 6.1.5 than kill it with iOS 7.1.2. At least is still usable even though the iOS pre-7's interfaces are awful nowadays (but doesn't improve as much on iOS 7 - no motion and no transparency anyway)

 

[I7guy]

I wish this was the case for me.

I tested iOS 8.4.1 and iOS 9 on clean installs, and iOS 9 was slower in almost every example. The same with iOS 8.4.1 and iOS 9 when I restored from a backup :/


http://www.mactalk.com.au/content/ipad-still-won-t-die-ios-9-ipad-2-3759/

I disagree with their overall method. iOS 9 on the iPad 2 is light years ahead of 8.4.1, especially safari. Everything is smoother, less lag etc. but as with all things Apple ymmv.

 

[oldmacs]

I disagree with their overall method. iOS 9 on the iPad 2 is light years ahead of 8.4.1, especially safari. Everything is smoother, less lag etc. but as with all things Apple ymmv.

I did the testing - how do you disagree?

I tried both a clean install and a restore from update. I let them sit for a while both times, then I tested, I averaged the speed and took my own personal experiences, and iOS 9 was consistently laggier and slower, especially compared with a clean install of iOS 8.

 

[I7guy]

I did the testing - how do you disagree?

I tried both a clean install and a restore from update. I let them sit for a while both times, then I tested, I averaged the speed and took my own personal experiences, and iOS 9 was consistently laggier and slower, especially compared with a clean install of iOS 8.

I don't open up an app three times and average it. Not meaning to say any methodology is invalid, but I just use the thing. If an app takes a few milliseconds more or less to open than in a previous o/s I don't care. All i noticed is the entire iPad seemed to run better with safari running much smoother. Virtually no lag.

 

[oldmacs]

I don't open up an app three times and average it. Not meaning to say any methodology is invalid, but I just use the thing. If an app takes a few milliseconds more or less to open than in a previous o/s I don't care. All i noticed is the entire iPad seemed to run better with safari running much smoother. Virtually no lag.

I also included the 3 app opening times to show what performance was like across the board, as that mimics how low apps will take to load in real world circumstances, and iOS 9 in some cases took a lot longer, and also based on perception (I also just used my iPad for a couple of hours, doing some normal tasks such as web browsing, emailing, calendar etc) and especially the lag when you open an app did my head in. I'm never one to downgrade, even with iOS 8 which was slower I upgraded on day one, and same with iOS 7 on the iPhone 4, but I truly had to downgrade my iPad 2 for my own sanity

Its unfortunate as well, as I really wanted to not have to downgade lol.

 

[oldmacs]

I'm actually quite interested now... Is it just me who found that Apps take longer to load on iOS 9 across the board?

 

[I7guy]

I also included the 3 app opening times to show what performance was like across the board, as that mimics how low apps will take to load in real world circumstances, and iOS 9 in some cases took a lot longer, and also based on perception (I also just used my iPad for a couple of hours, doing some normal tasks such as web browsing, emailing, calendar etc) and especially the lag when you open an app did my head in. I'm never one to downgrade, even with iOS 8 which was slower I upgraded on day one, and same with iOS 7 on the iPhone 4, but I truly had to downgrade my iPad 2 for my own sanity

Its unfortunate as well, as I really wanted to not have to downgade lol.

I tested with two iPads; one on iOS 8 and the other on iOS 9. IOS 9 was virtually lag free as compared to iOS 8. I did not go through the effort of seeing how long an app took to open; I used my impatience meter for that, and could not tell the difference..which is the way it should be.

 

[oldmacs]

I tested with two iPads; one on iOS 8 and the other on iOS 9. IOS 9 was virtually lag free as compared to iOS 8. I did not go through the effort of seeing how long an app took to open; I used my impatience meter for that, and could not tell the difference..which is the way it should be.

I'd suspect your iOS 8 iPad 2 had some sort of software issue for it to be less laggy than iOS 9... In fact i shudder to think how slow it is. I did a similar res, and even with my spare iPad 2, iOS 8 on a restored iPad was slower than iOS 9 setup from blank, in terms of lag when opening apps and a number of other factors.

But each to their own I guess

 

[I7guy]

I'd suspect your iOS 8 iPad 2 had some sort of software issue for it to be less laggy than iOS 9... In fact i shudder to think how slow it is. I did a similar res, and even with my spare iPad 2, iOS 8 on a restored iPad was slower than iOS 9 setup from blank, in terms of lag when opening apps and a number of other factors.

But each to their own I guess

I was on the beta, in the process of uploading all devices to iOS 9. iOS 9 runs better overall than iOS 7.1.2.

But your right, to each their own.

 

[kissmo]

The update from yesterday improved my iPhone 4s drastically (I was running iOS 9GM and downloaded like 24 MB).
On the iPad 2 I have similar experience - however iOS 9 doesn't run as smooth as on the iphone.

I know these devices are not Apple's priority but I do have the feeling that the next updates will be improving a little.

Damn - I love the iPad and the iPhone but keeping up with a yearly upgrade is a nightmare for me. I will pray that I will gather financial resources for next year for iPhone 7 and an iPad.

 

[MRrainer]

It's not that I don't have the financial resources. It's more that the current "large" iPhones aren't exactly what I want.
And given the prices of new iPhones, I want to buy one where I can say 100% "I want it, every aspect of it".
Buying a two year old 5S for "just" half the price (more or less) doesn't look too appealing either.

 

[Ungibbed]

True that. iPad 2 and iPhone 4s surprisingly still support. We can count by hands how many devices have that long software support.

But quite frankly, it Apple wants to keep them so laggy, rather not update and finish support with iOS 8.4.1. It is like my old iPhone 4, better stay on iOS 6.1.5 than kill it with iOS 7.1.2. At least is still usable even though the iOS pre-7's interfaces are awful nowadays (but doesn't improve as much on iOS 7 - no motion and no transparency anyway)

That was the end of the road for my old iPod Touch which was based off the original iPhone 4, it's perfectly fine with 6.1.5.

It also reminds me of just how far things have evolved when sitting next to my iPhone 6 Plus (of which I decided on not going for the "S" upgrade), I can't believe that was considered useful by it's size and design closely matching the iPhone standard issue. Until the first size bump with the iPhone 5 and then dwarved by the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus which feels natural to me now. Holding my iPod Touch and trying to type seems nearly impossible now...

It doesn't need much else since it's a music server for my stereo that has a dock connector. I'd like to trade it for a 16 GB iPod Nano or other classic iPod if I could (someone jacked my 5th Gen 30GB classic). I just want the older iPod for the sake of being able to control the menu system from my stereo's remote.

While it was designed for the iPhone 4/4s and earlier and iPod touch of the same vintage, The remote is designed around the click wheel making it second nature to operate.

As far as the topic at hand, I'm still using the 9.1 beta and it may still have some potential for the 4S and iPad 2 but most likely the end of the line for both.

 

[Aftermath747]

Frankly, I'm quite surprised that iOS 9 runs on the old iPad 2 and similar vintage hardware. While my 64GB iPad 2 battery has worn out to the point that its no longer portable, that has been the longest lasting investment second to my Mac.

Doesn't Apple replace devices for free once the battery capacity is sufficiently diminished?

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Doesn't Apple replace devices for free once the battery capacity is sufficiently diminished?

What world do you live in where stuff is free?