To update, or not to update?

[comda]

Greetings MacRumors!,

I need a second opinion. Running an iPhone SE here with iOS 9.3.5 and ive had a few freezing issues, and obviously apps that refuse to update. I still have apple care yet apple refuses to check anything for me because im "running an out of date OS and therefore they no longer have the tools to remedy the issue" (BS).

So im torn if I should update to 11, how it runs etc, as I like the speed of 9, and I have a few 32bit apps remaining that I still use and can't find a suitable replacement for.

Essentially I want to know how people are finding the latest iOS on their iPhone SE's. I tried one at the apple store, but I want to hear from you guys.

Thank you.

 

[MacDawg]

I always run the latest iOS (and macOS) available and have never had any issues
But based on what others say around here, updates can cause problems

If it were me, I would update and keep updated

 

[BugeyeSTI]

I doubt your freezing problem is a hardware issue so if it’s software related, you’re kinda left with only a couple options. Since you can’t restore your phone with a fresh copy of 9.3.5, you either have to live with it or upgrade to a fresh install of 11.2.5. If the freezing occurs when you’re using one of the outdated apps, you might try to delete it and see if the phone runs normally.

 

[comda]

I doubt your freezing problem is a hardware issue so if it’s software related, you’re kinda left with only a couple options. Since you can’t restore your phone with a fresh copy of 9.3.5, you either have to live with it or upgrade to a fresh install of 11.2.5. If the freezing occurs when you’re using one of the outdated apps, you might try to delete it and see if the phone runs normally.

The Freezing occurs randomly in the lock screen, usually after I have sent a text and want to close an app or if I opened the iPhone. at times I would wake it only to have it completely not respond to me, and then once it "Catches up" it would do a bunch of screen shots as I would try to wake it with home and power button. As for apps causing the freezing, yeah there are a few that LAGG badly but those are outdated apps so I expect them to.

Side note: Bug eye STI in the rally blue, does rock!

 

[Banglazed]

It might seem your issues are more software related. Apple is phasing out the 32 bit apps started this month so moving forward they will be better optimized. However, I noticed some developers of 32 bit apps have not or will update their apps. Question is will you be able to find a substitute or live without them? Have you tried contacting those developers to inquire if they will update their apps for iOS 11 support? Also, battery seems to last longer in older iOS compared to 11 but 11 should be getting some refinement this year as they will soon start working on iOS 12. Either way, it is better to update your device since every update does fix vulnerabilities in the software. You can revisit the Apple Store to test their SE before finally deciding to update. If you do update, I recommend to use iTunes or update it at the Apple Store. Or Erase all content and settings if you want to start fresh on the current firmware. I still my 5S and it running good on 11 so it should be even better on the SE.

 

[Kantry123]

Greetings MacRumors!,

I need a second opinion. Running an iPhone SE here with iOS 9.3.5 and ive had a few freezing issues, and obviously apps that refuse to update. I still have apple care yet apple refuses to check anything for me because im "running an out of date OS and therefore they no longer have the tools to remedy the issue" (BS).

So im torn if I should update to 11, how it runs etc, as I like the speed of 9, and I have a few 32bit apps remaining that I still use and can't find a suitable replacement for.

Essentially I want to know how people are finding the latest iOS on their iPhone SE's. I tried one at the apple store, but I want to hear from you guys.

Thank you.

Well rather than updating tou can reset the iPhone and setup from scratch and don’t update to neweer version of iOS

Regards
Kantry123

 

[Paddle1]

The SE is a powerful device and should handle iOS 11 quite well. As long as the battery isn’t causing throttling.

 

[comda]

It might seem your issues are more software related. Apple is phasing out the 32 bit apps started this month so moving forward they will be better optimized. However, I noticed some developers of 32 bit apps have not or will update their apps. Question is will you be able to find a substitute or live without them? Have you tried contacting those developers to inquire if they will update their apps for iOS 11 support? Also, battery seems to last longer in older iOS compared to 11 but 11 should be getting some refinement this year as they will soon start working on iOS 12. Either way, it is better to update your device since every update does fix vulnerabilities in the software. You can revisit the Apple Store to test their SE before finally deciding to update. If you do update, I recommend to use iTunes or update it at the Apple Store. Or Erase all content and settings if you want to start fresh on the current firmware. I still my 5S and it running good on 11 so it should be even better on the SE.

The app I really am looking for is one that ive not seen on the App Store in years, its essentially a browser with a built in media player. It works great for downloading files quickly from my schools site, especially professors pod casts, as it has the built in media player. Ive had a hard time finding a replacement.

As for the battery how bad is it haha. my battery gets me a full day essentially right now, It was MUCH worse before I ran a fresh install tho.
[doublepost=1517597974][/doublepost]

The SE is a powerful device and should handle iOS 11 quite well. As long as the battery isn’t causing throttling.

Any way to check it? I went to apple in the past as the battery sucked when I transferred my stuff from my 5 over To it. Apple claims I have 90% health. I have apple care for a few more months..

 

[Banglazed]

The app I really am looking for is one that ive not seen on the App Store in years, its essentially a browser with a built in media player. It works great for downloading files quickly from my schools site, especially professors pod casts, as it has the built in media player. Ive had a hard time finding a replacement.

As for the battery how bad is it haha. my battery gets me a full day essentially right now, It was MUCH worse before I ran a fresh install tho.

I get about 4-6 hours on my 5S since I use it heavily as an iPod with games, music, various apps I don't want to put on my actual iPhone. I always carry a charger with me so charging isn't an issue at all but you got to juice it up at least once if I want it to survive a full day.

 

[Paddle1]

The app I really am looking for is one that ive not seen on the App Store in years, its essentially a browser with a built in media player. It works great for downloading files quickly from my schools site, especially professors pod casts, as it has the built in media player. Ive had a hard time finding a replacement.

As for the battery how bad is it haha. my battery gets me a full day essentially right now, It was MUCH worse before I ran a fresh install tho.
[doublepost=1517597974][/doublepost]
Any way to check it? I went to apple in the past as the battery sucked when I transferred my stuff from my 5 over To it. Apple claims I have 90% health. I have apple care for a few more months..

There are some battery health apps you can download but I don't how accurate they'd be.

 

[Apple blogger]

Update it. 11.2.5 saw battery improvements to SE and 6 also.

 

[bkaus]

update. time to move on, esp if your having problems.

 

[comda]

There are some battery health apps you can download but I don't how accurate they'd be.

Coconut battery is a great one, that I trust. its not an app on iOS but in OSX.

Update it. 11.2.5 saw battery improvements to SE and 6 also.

Ive seen mentions of both improvements, and vice versa. Im thinking the best thing to do, is to boot it into DFU mode, and do a clean install completely to ensure its a fresh slate.

update. time to move on, esp if your having problems.

Yeah I figured. Thanks for all the feedback guys.

 

[Shirasaki]

I miss iOS 9 music app and the whole optimization for local music library support, and probably a much snappier experience for my iPhone 6s Plus. But iOS 11 serves me decent enough.
My advice is, if you have no apparent reason (mission critical app not supported in iOS 11 for example), then update to iOS 11, especially to tackle meltdown and specter vulnerability. If 6s handles iOS 11 well, so does SE.

 

[zorinlynx]

iOS 11.2.5 is the first release of iOS 11 that actually feels as fast as iOS 10 did, for me. I think it's safe to upgrade your device to 11.2.5.

Just be aware that there's no going back. If you're comfortable with that, go ahead.

Frankly I don't think anyone should be staying on iOS 10 if they don't have to (due to having an iPhone 5 or 5c). There have been multiple security vulnerabilities fixed since 10 (and even more since 9!) and you may be doing yourself a serious disservice.

I think Apple is also doing a disservice by not patching these security holes for iPhone 5/5c users. There's still a lot of those out there as Apple sold the 5c for a while.

 

[IowaLynn]

Think 11.3 will drop this month and prove to be a better experience.

 

[radubraharu]

My cousin updated his SE last month from the latest ios 9 version to the latest ios 11 version. He is disappointed with the battery life. Except that, everything is ok for him. My sister (who updated her SE when ios 11 was launched - before she had ios 10.3.3) is also disappointed with the battery life - she is not good with technology, but she noticed the difference. I had an iphone 6s, and in January I decided to update from ios 10 to 11, and the battery was disappointing for me too. I decided to sell the phone, and bought 6s plus (second hand, from a reliable source), and works perfectly on ios 11 - also the battery life is great.

Ios 11 is strange. Phones with same hardware work perfectly for some people, meanwhile others have problems. So I guess that it is like a lottery, it may work flawlessly, or it may have some problems. You cannot really know, except if you try it. But there is a saying: why change something that is working well?

 

[Paddle1]

My cousin updated his SE last month from the latest ios 9 version to the latest ios 11 version. He is disappointed with the battery life. Except that, everything is ok for him. My sister (who updated her SE when ios 11 was launched - before she had ios 10.3.3) is also disappointed with the battery life - she is not good with technology, but she noticed the difference. I had an iphone 6s, and in January I decided to update from ios 10 to 11, and the battery was disappointing for me too. I decided to sell the phone, and bought 6s plus (second hand, from a reliable source), and works perfectly on ios 11 - also the battery life is great.

Ios 11 is strange. Phones with same hardware work perfectly for some people, meanwhile others have problems. So I guess that it is like a lottery, it may work flawlessly, or it may have some problems. You cannot really know, except if you try it. But there is a saying: why change something that is working well?

It doesn't sound like their phone is working well on iOS 9, and Apple won't fix it without updating.

 

[radubraharu]

It is true that it is not working perfectly, but he didn't explain exactly all of those freezes. If it is just 1 second freeze is not that bad. Although, it is not normal for that to happen. But also it is not normal for Apple not to deal with the problem just because the phone isn't using the latest firmware version.

I would suggest him to try to backup the phone, then factory reset, and then restore, but it is not a good idea, since he said that he didn't find that useful app for him in the app store. And also, if the phone would still have freezes after the firmware update, it may be a hardware issue, and Apple could deal with it.

 

[Newton’s Apple]

Don’t update! iOS 11 includes throttling feature. It may degrade your performance. Stay on iOS 9 probably best for SE

 

[barjam]

Don’t update! iOS 11 includes throttling feature. It may degrade your performance. Stay on iOS 9 probably best for SE

As opposed to crashing? The only correct answer is to update, if your battery is old that is a separate matter and you should replace it. Batteries are a consumable device.

Anything else is lunacy.

To the original poster... you currently have a buggy phone... the worst that could happen is you upgrade and have a buggy phone still. This is a no brained.

And it isn’t BS about old version not being supported, Apple can’t go around supporting ancient versions that makes no sense. If you are running an old version with bugs, the update is the fixes for those bugs. If they could magically run the diagnostics on your old version it would just say to update to a version where xyz bug was fixed anyhow.

 

[now i see it]

I have a phone running iOS 9.3.5 and it runs flawlessly. Never freezes. Never hangs. Good battery life. Rock solid. Phone is still same speed as it was when new. No throttling. A few apps I mistakenly updated no longer run on it. Was disappointed to lose Pixelmator. I don't update important apps anymore. Too risky. Developer might say that it will run on iOS 9.x, but in my experience- you can get burned & lose the app when you find out the new version actually doesn't work (and you can't go back). There was nothing intrinsically wrong w 9.3.5.

 

[slooksterPSV]

I say update . I got my se with 9.3.5 but upgraded to 10 immediately then 11 came out shortly after. My battery did decrease by an hour or two but I’m doing more on my phone than I previously did.