Is it safe?

[Tdude96]

Reading a forum will give a false impression of “issues” as people only Post about issues.

This!

Reading forums could also convince one they have to do a full device reset and set up as new for updates - a lot of very methodical and sometimes paranoid people who have much more time for device management than most users.

I've rarely had issues with updates, and then it's only nagging issues, not giant bugs. For major versions (say 14 to 15) I might give it awhile for bugs to be worked out, especially if they seem relevant to me. For minor versions I'm just paranoid enough to wait a day and see if any major bugs crop up. If there's a huge issue like a lot of devices getting bricked or the phone sending out your entire photo library to all your contacts or whatever, the update should either be pulled back or revised within that time.

There are over a billion active iPhones. Tens of millions (or more) of those will have updated within the first day of an update being released. Apple is also one of the most-watched companies in the world. If there's a major breaking issue with an update, it's going to make headlines, and you're going to know beyond a doubt whether or not you should update or hold off within the first day. There's always a chance something could go wrong, but it's statistically improbable.

 

[Reggaenald]

All the updates are “safe”. Always make a backup first in case something dumb happens during the update process.

I digress. Over the last few years it has happened on macOS and iOS that updates bricked devices, just last year there was another one for macOS wasn’t there. Apple has also revoked updates in the past so not more devices would be affected. People had to go to Apple Stores or ACSP‘s to get their devices working again.
So, no. If it can make the device stop working and may corrupt the saved data it is not safe.

 

[Bandaman]

I digress. Over the last few years it has happened on macOS and iOS that updates bricked devices, just last year there was another one for macOS wasn’t there. Apple has also revoked updates in the past so not more devices would be affected. People had to go to Apple Stores or ACSP‘s to get their devices working again.
So, no. If it can make the device stop working and may corrupt the saved data it is not safe.

This can happen with literally any update ever. Nothing is going to stop your device from being bricked by any type of update, whether it's a point release or a brand new version of iOS or macOS. And by this line of thinking, no update is safe and you should never update for any reason ever if your phone is currently working. The point is, have a back up, in case anything goes wrong.

 

[w5jck]

So in 15.3.1, the X represents the 15, the Y represents the 3, and the Z represents the 1?

Yes, that is correct.

 

[Populus]

The question really isn’t whether 15.3.1 is “safe”, (of course it is vs 15.3) the real question that holdouts on iOS 14 are wondering is … is iOS 15 safe to upgrade from iOS 14?

I’ll answer that question based on my experience:
While 15.3.1 is “safe” in the fact that it won’t brick your phone or cause loss of data, it is (in my experience) a HUGE downgrade from iOS 14. There’s nothing better about it and it’s still loaded with lots of problems (that didn’t exist on 14).

My advice to those holding out on iOS 14: Stay, if you care about the performance of your iPhone.

Eventually you’ll have to upgrade to this OS which arguably is the worst upgrade since iOS 9, but to ease the pain just a little — wait until August to do it before you have wreck your phone.

I disagree.

iOS 11 and 13 were much worse overall, especially on the first months. iOS 13 was a dumpster fire in the beginning. iOS 15 was maybe a bit more buggy than iOS 14 but not catastrophic, and I think at the moment is not bad. I have the hunch that by 15.4 it will be as stable as iOS 14, and a good moment to update from iOS 14 if you haven’t done it yet.

 

[macar00n]

Dear Apple,

Thanks for shipping software that is so buggy that users fear upgrading and have to discuss whether each point update breaks something that a middle schooler could've noticed but somehow slipped past your world-class software teams. What the hell is going on over there?

Love,
Your captive audience (because every alternative is worse)

 

[sparksd]

Dear Apple,

Thanks for shipping software that is so buggy that users fear upgrading and have to discuss whether each point update breaks something that a middle schooler could've noticed but somehow slipped past your world-class software teams. What the hell is going on over there?

Love,
Your captive audience (because every alternative is worse)

Welcome to the world of complex s/w development.

 

[macar00n]

Welcome to the world of complex s/w development.

Apple can and has done much, much better than the software they're releasing now. More like welcome to the world of short attention spans, where advertised features matter more than stability of the software

 

[sparksd]

Apple can and has done much, much better than the software they're releasing now. More like welcome to the world of short attention spans, where advertised features matter more than stability of the software

My guess is that the current pandemic working conditions also play a role. I'm retired now, but on my last program where I worked as the system architect, we developed tens of millions of lines of code for a very complex system. Talking to people still there, the current working conditions are playing havoc with new development and on-going maintenance. That work is difficult enough under the best of conditions, conditions which are currently impossible to maintain. Attention spans are the least of their problems.

 

[Populus]

My guess is that the current pandemic working conditions also play a role. I'm retired now, but on my last program where I worked as the system architect, we developed tens of millions of lines of code for a very complex system. Talking to people still there, the current working conditions are playing havoc with new development and on-going maintenance. That work is difficult enough under the best of conditions, conditions which are currently impossible to maintain. Attention spans are the least of their problems.

I agree with both of you, and actually I think iOS 14 and 15 are basically iOS 13 with some new features because 1) they were too much to be implemented before, and 2) the pandemic has impacted their productivity. As you said, working on a complex operating system from the office is hard enough, let alone from remote.

However, I think @macar00n wasn’t referring to a short attention span of the workers. What I think he meant was that the company has chosen to focus on features that are appealing in the short term, for people with “short attention span” who are hungry for new features, colors, icons and if it was for them, we would have a new redesigned UI every other year. It seems like Apple chooses to please this people, with bells and whistles, to fuel device sells, instead of focusing on stability and creating an operating system that, maybe it’s not as exciting and beautiful, but it just works and it’s secure.

A good example of this is the Messages app. We know from what we’ve heard that many of the vulnerabilities in the new releases, such as iOS 15, come from the iMessages app. Vulnerabilities that aren’t there on versions like iOS 13 or maybe even 14. The more “fun” features they introduce on the Messages app (for those with short attention span, they need to look at attractive things to get that dopamine), the more vulnerabilities we get. And bugs, yeah.

So I think both of you have pointed something worth noting, the poor work conditions for software development due to the pandemic, and the focus of Apple on “attractive” features instead of building a functional, quick and safe, but maybe a bit more restrained operating system.

 

[sparksd]

I agree with both of you, and actually I think iOS 14 and 15 are basically iOS 13 with some new features because 1) they were too much to be implemented before, and 2) the pandemic has impacted their productivity. As you said, working on a complex operating system from the office is hard enough, let alone from remote.

However, I think @macar00n wasn’t referring to a short attention span of the workers. What I think he meant was that the company has chosen to focus on features that are appealing in the short term, for people with “short attention span” who are hungry for new features, colors, icons and if it was for them, we would have a new redesigned UI every other year. It seems like Apple chooses to please this people, with bells and whistles, to fuel device sells, instead of focusing on stability and creating an operating system that, maybe it’s not as exciting and beautiful, but it just works and it’s secure.

A good example of this is the Messages app. We know from what we’ve heard that many of the vulnerabilities in the new releases, such as iOS 15, come from the iMessages app. Vulnerabilities that aren’t there on versions like iOS 13 or maybe even 14. The more “fun” features they introduce on the Messages app (for those with short attention span, they need to look at attractive things to get that dopamine), the more vulnerabilities we get. And bugs, yeah.

So I think both of you have pointed something worth noting, the poor work conditions for software development due to the pandemic, and the focus of Apple on “attractive” features instead of building a functional, quick and safe, but maybe a bit more restrained operating system.

Well said and I agree on the interpretation of attention span.

 

[macar00n]

My guess is that the current pandemic working conditions also play a role. I'm retired now, but on my last program where I worked as the system architect, we developed tens of millions of lines of code for a very complex system. Talking to people still there, the current working conditions are playing havoc with new development and on-going maintenance. That work is difficult enough under the best of conditions, conditions which are currently impossible to maintain. Attention spans are the least of their problems.

Valid point, and gives me hope that as the pandemic settles the software will improve. I'd still argue that short attention spans of the average user play a role, as Apple is bending over backwards to launch all of these flashy new features while failing to satisfy basic stability.

 

[macar00n]

I agree with both of you, and actually I think iOS 14 and 15 are basically iOS 13 with some new features because 1) they were too much to be implemented before, and 2) the pandemic has impacted their productivity. As you said, working on a complex operating system from the office is hard enough, let alone from remote.

However, I think @macar00n wasn’t referring to a short attention span of the workers. What I think he meant was that the company has chosen to focus on features that are appealing in the short term, for people with “short attention span” who are hungry for new features, colors, icons and if it was for them, we would have a new redesigned UI every other year. It seems like Apple chooses to please this people, with bells and whistles, to fuel device sells, instead of focusing on stability and creating an operating system that, maybe it’s not as exciting and beautiful, but it just works and it’s secure.

A good example of this is the Messages app. We know from what we’ve heard that many of the vulnerabilities in the new releases, such as iOS 15, come from the iMessages app. Vulnerabilities that aren’t there on versions like iOS 13 or maybe even 14. The more “fun” features they introduce on the Messages app (for those with short attention span, they need to look at attractive things to get that dopamine), the more vulnerabilities we get. And bugs, yeah.

So I think both of you have pointed something worth noting, the poor work conditions for software development due to the pandemic, and the focus of Apple on “attractive” features instead of building a functional, quick and safe, but maybe a bit more restrained operating system.

Thanks for the clarification, you articulated what I was getting at much better than I did. I don't think Apple devs have short attention spans, and @sparksd made a great point I hadn't considered which is that they're working under unprecedented, unusual, unstable conditions. I was lamenting the average user needing to see new features constantly to be excited, even at the expense of the fundamental functionality and stability of the OS. I'm also quite disappointed at the decision makers at Apple responsible for pandering to these basically NPCs that don't even know what it is they need unless it swipes past their eyes a thousand times on Tik Tok - surely if Apple has finite dev resources particularly in such difficult circumstances, they should be directed towards core functionality first? Not flashy Messages and notifications-related features that we keep getting?

 

[ian87w]

I think it's quite simple.
For major upgrades, eg. 14 to 15, I would wait, especially for a .0 release (15.0). I would wait until 15.1 or 15.2 I updated my iPhone from iOS14 to 15 when 15.2 is out. Why? Because a major upgrade will involve a lot of things being changed, and that where bugs can creep in. Unless you're a developer, there's really no real benefit being on the bleeding edge in terms of software.

For a .1 update, eg. 15.2 to 15.3, I would just wait for a few days until Apple's servers are less bombarded while browsing forums like this to gauge the bugginess. Then I'll update.

For a ..1 release (eg. like this, 15.3 to 15.3.1), I would update right away. For a minor update like this, it's usually just a bug/security fix, with no major things being changed. So likelihood of bugs creeping in is really slim to none.

 

[TracerAnalog]

I'm new to all of this, and unsure about the software updates.
I read a lot of comments about things going bad after updating, and a lot of comments about waiting to do the update until it can be shown that there are no "bugs" in the updates themselves.
Currently, to the best of my limited knowledge and experience, my phone doesn't exhibit any problems.
The phone is a 13 Pro, currently on 15.3 and 15.3.1 is downloaded, awaiting installation, but not installed yet.

Except for one occasion (updating and bricking a Samsung Note outside my guarantee period) I have never had any major issue with updating any iDevice. Some bugs yes, but nothing to worry about. I believe that Apple had two or so ‘recalled’ updates after major problems, so the advice already given by others is good. Wait for your iDevice to indicate you should update, don’t update on day one. By then any major issues should be detected (and resolved).

 

[leifp]

To each their own, but I typically wait for a X.2 or X.3 update before upgrading to the “new” OS and any of the “point” updates are installed a week after release or so (I do a quick search for update issues to see if there’s a general reason to avoid it, but after a week it has historically been safe: Apple removes it after a day or two if it’s bricking phones) excepting security updates, which I tend to do pretty quickly.

 

[bransoj]

I've not read everything but from a personal point of view i've always just updated once available or fairly soon once i get the chance to do them and for ages now just always done them over the air including major releases and never had an issue. As mentioned reading forums to get a overall feel will always point towards there being issues and people dont normally go out of their way to say all is fine.

 

[Splitrail]

Thanks, all, for your input!