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Updating from iOS 9 to 12 worth it?

breezyf808

breezyf808

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 12, 2012
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we have an iPhone 6s Plus that is still on iOS 9, it is basically limited because most apps won't work or update.
Only use other than the cellular part is jailbroken with free Spotify.
Will updating iOS hurt the iPhone usability or will it bring more great experience?
 
I am currently pondering updating my iPhone 6S to iOS 12. If you have a battery that is in poor health I would not update.
 
My iPhone SE is flying on iOS 12. Same A9 chip with 2 GB of RAM. You shouldn’t have any performance issues whatsoever with the 6s+.
 
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Thanks for the replies, only issue is that owner don't know how to save photos since there is no computer access. I'm thinking that since its jailbroken, phone needs to by completely restored because it won't let us update via the settings.
Any insights on how to have photos saved other than subscribing to iCloud?
 
breezyf808 said:
Thanks for the replies, only issue is that owner don't know how to save photos since there is no computer access. I'm thinking that since its jailbroken, phone needs to by completely restored because it won't let us update via the settings.
Any insights on how to have photos saved other than subscribing to iCloud?
Click to expand...
subscribing to iCloud? It's a free service.
 
retta283 said:
you might be right. I only have a little bit on mine so I haven't seen a cap. Perhaps Google Drive/Dropbox? Distribute them if needed
Click to expand...
Yes thanks for the input. Will try to figure out what we can do to preserve the photos.
Might be able to have family member save photos on their computer to be transferred to a external hard drive.
Still on the fence tho, weighing in the pros and cons.
 
breezyf808 said:
Thanks for the replies, only issue is that owner don't know how to save photos since there is no computer access. I'm thinking that since its jailbroken, phone needs to by completely restored because it won't let us update via the settings.
Any insights on how to have photos saved other than subscribing to iCloud?
Click to expand...

Yes, if it's jailbroken, you'll have to erase and restore the phone to update, and will lose the jailbreak (with no path to jailbreak again for the most recent release).

To save the photos, you could install Google Photos (Google accounts are free), and set it to auto-backup over WiFi. It'll take a bit but then all of the photos will be stored there. Yes, there are privacy concerns with this approach (Goolge and all that), but it'll get the job done.
 
breezyf808 said:
we have an iPhone 6s Plus that is still on iOS 9, it is basically limited because most apps won't work or update.
Only use other than the cellular part is jailbroken with free Spotify.
Will updating iOS hurt the iPhone usability or will it bring more great experience?
Click to expand...

FWIW - I would not call iOS 12 a "great experience" - every new iteration of Mac software brings new restrictions and limitations. There may be apps that will not transfer and if they are valued apps - you may want to check that out before you make a step forward that cannot be reversed.

Each new iOS has more code and needs more drive space, file retrievel and new apps may need more RAM. Not to mention the battery issues - throttle and restriction of the battery on later versions
 
mikzn said:
Each new iOS has more code and needs more drive space, file retrievel and new apps may need more RAM. Not to mention the battery issues - throttle and restriction of the battery on later versions
Click to expand...

You are correct on this. iOS 9 to iOS 12 on the iPhone 6 is a big difference, all around. 6s, nothing to complain about.

There are pros and cons to both sides. App support is important to many so iOS 9 would not be the best choice while others want the battery life and original performance.
 
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I would say do not upgrade at all given iOS 12 ditches 32bit app support entirely and iOS 9 is the original iOS this iPhone shipped with, especially you have the jailbreak. I am on iOS 12 and I don’t complain much, but given the deteriorating quality of software development overall, stay away from newer software whenever you can, seriously.
 
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thadoggfather said:
I would think 9 to 12 is gonna bring serious battery life dips
Click to expand...
Yes I have decided to stay on iOS 9.
I have an iPad Air which I will use to update the apps that I need to use regularly. Amazingly I have not noticed a battery difference with my iPad from iOS 10 and 11, but I do notice how much faster safari loads on iOS 12 than 10/11.
 
breezyf808 said:
Yes I have decided to stay on iOS 9.
I have an iPad Air which I will use to update the apps that I need to use regularly. Amazingly I have not noticed a battery difference with my iPad from iOS 10 and 11, but I do notice how much faster safari loads on iOS 12 than 10/11.
Click to expand...

iPads also have a lot more battery packed in to offset any potential battery dips from completely ruining the experience generally if there is a big battery dip. I think iPads just perform better battery wise from one major iOS version to another too.

iPhones, not always.
 
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A friend's iPhone 7 had the same battery life my 6s had when both were new. He updated, he has half my battery life (mine is working like new, on iOS 9, and he has updated to iOS 12). It will decrease to around 4-5 hours of on-screen time with moderate usage. I'm getting 8-9. Maybe add a little bit more for the plus, but you must be getting, what? 10-11 hours? You'll see around 6. Don't do it.
 
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FeliApple said:
A friend's iPhone 7 had the same battery life my 6s had when both were new. He updated, he has half my battery life (mine is working like new, on iOS 9, and he has updated to iOS 12). It will decrease to around 4-5 hours of on-screen time with moderate usage. I'm getting 8-9. Maybe add a little bit more for the plus, but you must be getting, what? 10-11 hours? You'll see around 6. Don't do it.
Click to expand...

That's enough to consider the device 'destroyed' with a software update, and grounds for needing an upgrade. Unless you wanna carry around a battery pack just to return to the amount of usage you previously had. Case in point.
 
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I've been considering updating my 6S to iOS 12 still, but since the battery is degraded it will wreck the performance most likely. Probably will stay on 10.1.1 forever.
 
iOS 12.2 bricked Siri on my 6s, was working perfectly before it.
I managed to get it to work by doing a total restore and then had to download apps again.
So far it's working but Siri's voice has changed and actually sounds robotic and annoyed
 
Can't imagine all the security holes you have on your iPhone 6S running years old system. iOS 12 is fine and fast. Just upgrade to it.
 
At this point I'd update just for security fixes. Using a 4 years old OS without any update is beyond me and personally, I wouldn't feel safe with it.
 
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