Performance enhancements not available on 32-bit devices?

[viperGTS]

According to the Apple website:

"The apps in iOS 9 now take advantage of Metal, making more efficient use of the CPU and GPU to deliver faster scrolling, smoother animation, and better overall performance. Email, messages, web pages, and PDFs render faster. And multitasking features on iPad feel fluid and natural."

Since Metal is only supported on 64-bit devices, wouldn't this mean that users of 32-bit devices (myself included) should NOT expect performance improvements going from 8.x to 9.x?

I'm currently on iOS 6 on my iPhone 4S and have been heavily itching to update to iOS 9.1, but I'm hoping I can take advantage of some sort of performance improvement.

Before you try to tell me to stay on iOS 6, let me say that it's not a screamer of an OS like people like to make it seem. It's outdated both visually and functionally, and I can't even update to the latest versions of apps that I like to use. I much prefer the interface of iOS 7+ compared to 6 and before as well.

If someone could clarify, that would be great. Thank you.

 

[philipyoungg]

Don't upgrade 4s to 9.1 because it's super slow compared to 6. I believe you can upgrade it to 8.4.1 right? There's still big performance hit, but at least not as extreme as 9.1 is.

p.s. You can even downgrade to 6.1.3 from 8.1.4 if you want it.

 

[lagwagon]

Don't upgrade 4s to 9.1 because it's super slow compared to 6. I believe you can upgrade it to 8.4.1 right? There's still big performance hit, but at least not as extreme as 9.1 is.

p.s. You can even downgrade to 6.1.3 from 8.1.4 if you want it.

Being able to get the latest security updates plus use the latest versions of apps he uses (like he said he wanted.) There are far more benefits to moving to 9.1 than staying on 6. He even said he didn't think iOS 6 is as fast as people seem to remember it being. So really if there was any loss, it would be minimal vs many more improvements elsewhere. Gotta weigh the pros and cons. Pros win, especially when leaping up 3 iOS versions. Numerous pros > 1 possible con.

As to your claims of being able to upgrade to 8.4.1 or downgrade to 6.1.3 from 8.1.4. 100% impossible. Nothing is being signed by Apple except for 9.0.2 and 9.1. And 9.0.2 won't be signed for much longer.

 

[Radon87000]

Being able to get the latest security updates plus use the latest versions of apps he uses (like he said he wanted.) There are far more benefits to moving to 9.1 than staying on 6. He even said he didn't think iOS 6 is as fast as people seem to remember it being. So really if there was any loss, it would be minimal vs many more improvements elsewhere. Gotta weigh the pros and cons. Pros win, especially when leaping up 3 iOS versions. Numerous pros > 1 possible con.

As to your claims of being able to upgrade to 8.4.1 or downgrade to 6.1.3 from 8.1.4. 100% impossible. Nothing is being signed by Apple except for 9.0.2 and 9.1. And 9.0.2 won't be signed for much longer.

Lol what's the point of security fixes when the updates (as in the case of 4S) slow the device down to the extent of me not even wanting to use the device.4S runs like molasses down a hill on 8.4.1 and 9 is just a nail in the coffin


He is talking about the OdysseusOtA which allows 4S users to downgrade to 6

 

[lagwagon]

Lol what's the point of security fixes when the updates (as in the case of 4S) slow the device down to the extent of me not even wanting to use the device.4S runs like molasses down a hill on 8.4.1 and 9 is just a nail in the coffin


He is talking about the OdysseusOtA which allows 4S users to downgrade to 6

Lol here you go again, your inability to see the bigger picture is astounding. Did you just see the word "performance" and decide to chime in with your constant spew of how bad you think it is? "Slow as molasses" is your opinion, not fact.

The OP doesn't experience a fast iOS 6. So there won't be much a loss for him there really.

He likes and preferres iOS 7-9 design over the design of iOS 6 and below. He would like some of the newer features from 7-9. He would like to use latest versions of apps that require iOS 7-9. Security is a big plus to add on top of the things he wants. That's a lot of pros vs 1 possible con that may or may not bother him the slightest. Again, bigger picture. And quite frankly only the OP can decide if it's worth it to him.

 

[philipyoungg]

Being able to get the latest security updates plus use the latest versions of apps he uses (like he said he wanted.) There are far more benefits to moving to 9.1 than staying on 6. He even said he didn't think iOS 6 is as fast as people seem to remember it being. So really if there was any loss, it would be minimal vs many more improvements elsewhere. Gotta weigh the pros and cons. Pros win, especially when leaping up 3 iOS versions. Numerous pros > 1 possible con.

As to your claims of being able to upgrade to 8.4.1 or downgrade to 6.1.3 from 8.1.4. 100% impossible. Nothing is being signed by Apple except for 9.0.2 and 9.1. And 9.0.2 won't be signed for much longer.

8.4.1 isn't that obsolete in term of security, and its the sweet spot between performance, security, and app compability. There's so little apps that need iOS 9 to run. At least for now.

Regarding OP feel iOS 6 is slow, iOS 9 is on another level of slowness. It's barely useable.

I have 4s myself, downgraded to iOS 6 last week, and it's super fast.

So, if OP have apps that need iOS 8, you can safely upgrade to that OS, and if you don't like it, you can downgrade to iOS 6 again.

 

[Radon87000]

Lol here you go again, your inability to see the bigger picture is astounding. Did you just see the word "performance" and decide to chime in with your constant spew of how bad you think it is? "Slow as molasses" is your opinion, not fact.

The OP doesn't experience a fast iOS 6. So there won't be much a loss for him there really.

He likes and preferres iOS 7-9 design over the design of iOS 6 and below. He would like some of the newer features from 7-9. He would like to use latest versions of apps that require iOS 7-9. Security is a big plus to add on top of the things he wants. That's a lot of pros vs 1 possible con that may or may not bother him the slightest. Again, bigger picture. And quite frankly only the OP can decide if it's worth it to him.

Opinion?I have a iPad Mini 1 and that thing can't even do web browsing right.It can't open more than two tabs without flushing out of memory.There is a very very very Horrible notification bar lag if you don't turn reduce motions and transparency on.It runs at 20 fos even then

Quite frankly the devices with A5 chipsets cannot run the latest OS without turning the visual effects down and at that point it might as well be running iOS 6.
iOS 6 may be slow but iOS 9 and 8 run like trash on A5.

I am just warning the OP as to the horrible performance he is gonna get when he updates as a trade off for. The new apps

 

[viperGTS]

please don't argue! I'll try to get my device to 8.4.1 and let you know how it works.

 

[Paddle1]

Being able to get the latest security updates plus use the latest versions of apps he uses (like he said he wanted.) There are far more benefits to moving to 9.1 than staying on 6. He even said he didn't think iOS 6 is as fast as people seem to remember it being. So really if there was any loss, it would be minimal vs many more improvements elsewhere. Gotta weigh the pros and cons. Pros win, especially when leaping up 3 iOS versions. Numerous pros > 1 possible con.

As to your claims of being able to upgrade to 8.4.1 or downgrade to 6.1.3 from 8.1.4. 100% impossible. Nothing is being signed by Apple except for 9.0.2 and 9.1. And 9.0.2 won't be signed for much longer.

100% impossible? That is incorrect. iOS 6 still OTA updates to 8.4.1. (You can also downgrade with a jailbreak.)

Give iOS 8 a try.

 

[techguy9]

100% impossible? That is incorrect. iOS 6 still OTA updates to 8.4.1. (You can also downgrade with a jailbreak.)

Give iOS 8 a try.

It doesn't. It will only go to 9.1 since that is the latest firmware. Although you are correct about downgrading.

 

[philipyoungg]

It doesn't. It will only go to 9.1 since that is the latest firmware. Although you are correct about downgrading.

OdysseusOTA just updated their tools so 9, 9.0.1, and 9.0.2 users can downgrade back to 8.4.1. Not all device eligible though.

 

[AleXXXa]

I still have a 4s and i've played with different versions of iOS. Here's my experience:
- iOS 6 - it's by far the smoothest and most stable OS. It's pretty fast too.
- iOS 7 - not as fast as iOS6, but it's good, perfectly usable in my opinion (i'm talking about 7.1.2, 7.0 was a dog)
- iOS 8 - barely usable. It's glitchy and slow and the animations stutter. You can make it a little bit faster if you turn off background app refresh, transparency and spotlight, but it's still quite slow compared iOS7.1.2
- iOS9 - nope. Stay away from it. Here you can see what i'm talking about (skip to 3:45):

I'd say stick to iOS6 or if you want the newer interface 7.1.2 is your best option (don't know if you can get it anymore).

 

[I7guy]

I still have a 4s and i've played with different versions of iOS. Here's my experience:
- iOS 6 - it's by far the smoothest and most stable OS. It's pretty fast too.
- iOS 7 - not as fast as iOS6, but it's good, perfectly usable in my opinion (i'm talking about 7.1.2, 7.0 was a dog)
- iOS 8 - barely usable. It's glitchy and slow and the animations stutter. You can make it a little bit faster if you turn off background app refresh, transparency and spotlight, but it's still quite slow compared iOS7.1.2
- iOS9 - nope. Stay away from it. Here you can see what i'm talking about (skip to 3:45):

I'd say stick to iOS6 or if you want the newer interface 7.1.2 is your best option (don't know if you can get it anymore).

Nothing in that entire video is so out of bounds the device is unusable. Many people want the functionality and care less about 0 to 60.

 

[Paddle1]

It doesn't. It will only go to 9.1 since that is the latest firmware. Although you are correct about downgrading.

Nope, I do know what I'm talking about. I just went from iOS 9.0.2 to 6.1.3 to 8.4.1 the other day on my 4s. iOS 6 uses 8 as a stepping stone because OTA updates are not full installs. iOS 8.4.1 is being signed OTA from 6, but only for devices that can run both iOS 6 and 8/9.

 

[Radon87000]

Nothing in that entire video is so out of bounds the device is unusable. Many people want the functionality and care less about 0 to 60.

Lol.I cant open more than two tabs on my iPad Mini without flushing out of memory and that's just basic web browsing.If that's not unusable ai don't know what is

 

[I7guy]

Lol.I cant open more than two tabs on my iPad Mini without flushing out of memory and that's just basic web browsing.If that's not unusable ai don't know what is

Those things (ipad 2 and ipad mini) do not have a lot of internal ram, they have 512K and that is limiting in today's websites no matter what. The flushing you are referring to has been happening at least what I can remember from IOS 6, but websites of 4 years ago did not have some of the same complexities as today's advanced websites and thus 4 years ago it's entirely possible some of the issues may have been lessened. Some people cared about it, some people didn't and as you know extensive internet bandwidth was used up in the forums debating this issue.

 

[uhaas]

I'm using iOS 9.1 on an iPad 3, which is pretty similar to a 4S. It runs fast.

Many of the performance issues that people complain about are barely perceptible. Most 32-but devices are very fast on 9.x, some 64-bit ones are slower (compared to 8.4.1) because of Metal adoption. Metal is still being tuned. You 4S is a 32-bit device and can't use Metal.

There are bugs in every iOS release. iOS 7 was prone to reboots, iOS 8 had tons of Bluetooth and Wifi issues. iOS 9 seems to resolve almost all of my older 32-bit device issues. (iOS 6 has issues too, but that's too cobwebby for me to remember.).

I'd go to iOS 9.1. The only other option is 9.0.2, but 9.1 seems great to me.

MacRumors is full of people complaining about lag, frame rates and stutter, but for most casual users, you won't notice a thing. There's always room for improvement in performance, but as I type this on an iPad 3 running iOS 9.1, my complaints are limited.

 

[XTheLancerX]

Funny thing is, these performance enhancements aren't even seen on 64-bit devices. Control center is smoother on iPhone 5 than iPhone 6, for example. My iPhone 6 is worse in every way compared to 8.4.1. If you do decide to jump to iOS 9, don't do it for awhile.

 

[philipyoungg]

I'm using iOS 9.1 on an iPad 3, which is pretty similar to a 4S. It runs fast.

Many of the performance issues that people complain about are barely perceptible. Most 32-but devices are very fast on 9.x, some 64-bit ones are slower (compared to 8.4.1) because of Metal adoption. Metal is still being tuned. You 4S is a 32-bit device and can't use Metal.

There are bugs in every iOS release. iOS 7 was prone to reboots, iOS 8 had tons of Bluetooth and Wifi issues. iOS 9 seems to resolve almost all of my older 32-bit device issues. (iOS 6 has issues too, but that's too cobwebby for me to remember.).

I'd go to iOS 9.1. The only other option is 9.0.2, but 9.1 seems great to me.

MacRumors is full of people complaining about lag, frame rates and stutter, but for most casual users, you won't notice a thing. There's always room for improvement in performance, but as I type this on an iPad 3 running iOS 9.1, my complaints are limited.

I agree with you. Have both 4s and iPad 3, but it's slower than 8 counterpart. Also agree that iOS 9 fixes issue that I experienced on 8.4.1. What I don't agree is iPad 3 runs fast, but that's a debate between perception: no exact answer.

Basically, issue fix exchanged with slower performance (which is to be expected). Safari run faster on iOS 9, which is great. Casual user (like my dad and mom) who never touched PC / laptop didnt notice a thing. Because they didn't use their device like macrumors user do.

 

[viperGTS]

Wow. I just updated my 4S to 9.0.2 (since that's jail breakable and thus downgrade able with odysseusOTA) and it was pretty awful. Back to iOS 6 for now. I'm hoping future releases of iOS 9 improve it it's terrible performance. I could barely get the App Store app to work.

 

[Radon87000]

Wow. I just updated my 4S to 9.0.2 (since that's jail breakable and thus downgrade able with odysseusOTA) and it was pretty awful. Back to iOS 6 for now. I'm hoping future releases of iOS 9 improve it it's terrible performance. I could barely get the App Store app to work.

Chances of 9 being good are slim as even my iPhone 6 and Air 2 tablet lags on it.ios 8.4.1 performs slightly better on iPad Mini 1 so you might wanna try that out

The best release for 4S which is usable is 7.1.2

 

[stulaw11]

I'm not sure what you expect. You're using a 4 freakin year old device. Try going to use a 2011 Android device like a Galaxy S2 now all let alone with anything more than 2.3 Gingerbread.

4 years old is a dinosaur now in terms of tech.

Just because you CAN run newer OS on it doesn't mean it's close to ideal. Upgrade your phone if it's an issue- OS makers arent in the business to support devices forever, nor can you because the hardware becomes too polarizing at the high and low end of the spectrum to make everyone happy.

 

[Radon87000]

I'm not sure what you expect. You're using a 4 freakin year old device. Try going to use a 2011 Android device like a Galaxy S2 now all let alone with anything more than 2.3 Gingerbread.

4 years old is a dinosaur now in terms of tech.

Just because you CAN run newer OS on it doesn't mean it's close to ideal. Upgrade your phone if it's an issue- OS makers arent in the business to support devices forever, nor can you because the hardware becomes too polarizing at the high and low end of the spectrum to make everyone happy.

My Lumia 820 from 2012 runs Windows 10 Mobile perfectly

 

[philipyoungg]

Wow. I just updated my 4S to 9.0.2 (since that's jail breakable and thus downgrade able with odysseusOTA) and it was pretty awful. Back to iOS 6 for now. I'm hoping future releases of iOS 9 improve it it's terrible performance. I could barely get the App Store app to work.

So how is iOS 8?

I'm not sure what you expect. You're using a 4 freakin year old device. Try going to use a 2011 Android device like a Galaxy S2 now all let alone with anything more than 2.3 Gingerbread.

4 years old is a dinosaur now in terms of tech.

Just because you CAN run newer OS on it doesn't mean it's close to ideal. Upgrade your phone if it's an issue- OS makers arent in the business to support devices forever, nor can you because the hardware becomes too polarizing at the high and low end of the spectrum to make everyone happy.

...hence what he is asking about this thread, right?

 

[pika2000]

I'm currently on iOS 6 on my iPhone 4S and have been heavily itching to update to iOS 9.1

If you have been staying on iOS6 for so long without feeling a need to update, then why now?

Although I agree with the concerns of security updates, I can understand people's annoyance on slowness if it is still your daily driver. Then again, the 4S was released in 2011. I think the A5 SoC is done. It had a good run, but I think from now on, Apple is going to optimise iOS for 64bit only, now that all their lineup are 64bit. My iPhone5 is still running iOS9 smoothly, but I think its days are numbered. I would start saving for a new iPhone.