iOS, iPhone and iPad Hardware Catch All - WWDC Today at 10PST

jlaakso wrote:

The new Game Center may look nicer, but it slows games down to a ridiculous crawl when it pops up (4S). Slowdown in general is very bad whenever notifications come on, whereas before there was no discernible pause at all.

Strange. I have a 4s and haven't noticed that about notifications. I don't really use Game Center, so I don't know about that.

Hmm, maybe it's down to the games I play, then? Hay Day and Clash Of Clans are the worst, and they have had the occasional slowdown before, but before iOS7 I never linked it to notifications.

jlaakso wrote:

Hmm, maybe it's down to the games I play, then? Hay Day and Clash Of Clans are the worst, and they have had the occasional slowdown before, but before iOS7 I never linked it to notifications.

Yeah, it has screwed up quite a few of my Stickman Golf 2 shots in turn based multiplayer.

One definite design and performance gain, even on a 4: the PIN code number pad! Not to give away my PIN, but I'd often accidentally hit the Emergency Call button when tapping it in—now there's a wide space between those buttons and numbers. Then it would take a second or two of jabbing the Cancel button for it to register and bring the PIN pad back. Now it instantly responds, from the slide to Cancel (though no longer an issue) to punching in the PIN.

It's such an improvement actually, that I've set the PIN to be required immediately, when I used to have it be 5 or 10 minutes since it was a slight inconvenience. Maybe it's no TouchID (maybe it's better than TouchID?), but I'm finding it much quicker than it used to be.

It seems my attempt to upgrade to iOS 7 has bricked my 4S.

I updated iTunes to 11.1 yesterday. I had my phone plugged into my computer and iTunes prompted me to upgrade to iOS 7, something I had been holding off on because I didn't quite have enough free space on my phone. I cleared off some old podcasts and hit the install button.

That install failed (Error code 4201) and since then my phone's been bricked. I just get the "plug into iTunes" graphic. I tried several times yesterday to restore my phone and it always ends in an error (mostly 4013).

I've had similar problems in the past that have been related conflicting backups, so I backuped my backups and nuked them from iTunes. That didn't work either.

Any suggestions?

No suggestions, sorry. Gotta say that all the stories of upgrade problems seem to have one thing in common, to no surprise at all: iTunes. I was hoping they'd overhaul that with iOS7.

jlaakso wrote:

No suggestions, sorry. Gotta say that all the stories of upgrade problems seem to have one thing in common, to no surprise at all: iTunes. I was hoping they'd overhaul that with iOS7.

You don't need iTunes to update to iOS7. However, lots of people aren't willing to delete stuff off their phone, so they have to use the PC.

OG_slinger wrote:

It seems my attempt to upgrade to iOS 7 has bricked my 4S.

I updated iTunes to 11.1 yesterday. I had my phone plugged into my computer and iTunes prompted me to upgrade to iOS 7, something I had been holding off on because I didn't quite have enough free space on my phone. I cleared off some old podcasts and hit the install button.

That install failed (Error code 4201) and since then my phone's been bricked. I just get the "plug into iTunes" graphic. I tried several times yesterday to restore my phone and it always ends in an error (mostly 4013).

I've had similar problems in the past that have been related conflicting backups, so I backuped my backups and nuked them from iTunes. That didn't work either.

Any suggestions?

This might sound daft, but have you rebooted the PC/MAC? More than once, I have had problems with firmware updates borking, and my PC would not see the phone without a reboot.

It is probably locked into recover mode. Try TinyUmbrella first (links on the right of the blog post), as there is a chance that it may be able to recover your phone without wiping it; iTunes will force you to start from scratch.

If you do need to use iTunes (after a reboot), unplug it from USB and then hold down home as you reconnect it. iTunes should then let you restore it from your last backup.

If your host machine just can't see the phone at all, follow these instructions to get into DFU mode. It can take a few tries to get the timing right.

TheCounselor wrote:
jlaakso wrote:

No suggestions, sorry. Gotta say that all the stories of upgrade problems seem to have one thing in common, to no surprise at all: iTunes. I was hoping they'd overhaul that with iOS7.

You don't need iTunes to update to iOS7. However, lots of people aren't willing to delete stuff off their phone, so they have to use the PC.

I'm not sure I follow you here - I didn't lose anything on the upgrade, done directly on the phone. As for normal use, getting stuff off the phone without iTunes, photos are the only big thing and those are handled by FB/Dropbox/Flickr. The only situation I have't been able to resolve without iTunes is exporting voice memos... probably should get an app for that that would use Dropbox or something.

So far, my only complaint about iOS7 would be that on my iPad, Evernote now randomly shuts down while I'm using it. Out of nowhere. I did check for updates just for the app, but nope. Nothing there. Kind of frustrating when you're trying to study and lose your place in your notes, or on the recording of a lecture you were trying to listen to...

Sister wrote:

So far, my only complaint about iOS7 would be that on my iPad, Evernote now randomly shuts down while I'm using it. Out of nowhere. I did check for updates just for the app, but nope. Nothing there. Kind of frustrating when you're trying to study and lose your place in your notes, or on the recording of a lecture you were trying to listen to...

Huh, weird. I noticed similar behaviour on my gf's iPad 4 after the update too. It would randomly switch off and reboot (or at least that's what I think it was doing - I don't know iOS at all - because the screen would go blank and then the apple symbol would appear on the screen before returning to the lock screen...)

I've been kicked to the Apple logo a few times on my 5S.

I suspect EverNote isn't shutting down but rather crashing. It's not unusual for apps to need an update to work correctly with new iOS releases. Hopefully EverNote will be soon. I haven't launched it yet since upgrading my iPhone 4 yesterday

I found that resetting all settings (Settings>General>Reset) cleans up a few glitches and slowdowns. It has often been the case that restoring a backup from a previous iOS version can leave some cruft clogging up the works, and I would assume that the same is true when installing OTA over the top of the old version.

It won't wipe your data, but all of your system settings, wifi password and so on will need to be re-entered.

jlaakso wrote:
TheCounselor wrote:
jlaakso wrote:

No suggestions, sorry. Gotta say that all the stories of upgrade problems seem to have one thing in common, to no surprise at all: iTunes. I was hoping they'd overhaul that with iOS7.

You don't need iTunes to update to iOS7. However, lots of people aren't willing to delete stuff off their phone, so they have to use the PC.

I'm not sure I follow you here - I didn't lose anything on the upgrade, done directly on the phone. As for normal use, getting stuff off the phone without iTunes, photos are the only big thing and those are handled by FB/Dropbox/Flickr. The only situation I have't been able to resolve without iTunes is exporting voice memos... probably should get an app for that that would use Dropbox or something.

I'm just saying that you aren't forced to use iTunes, unless you don't have the free space to do the update directly on the phone. If you don't have enough free space and aren't willing to delete, iTunes is your only option. Of course, it would seem that updating the OS on a device with a full hard drive isn't exactly the best policy. I'm not saying that's you, but that's the most common complaint I've seen about using iTunes.

I just noticed the apple music app no longer allows you to play podcasts in it. You used to be able to revert it in iOS 6 but now it's just gone.

Forcing your users to use two different apps to play audio is SO STUPID!

Is there a good 3rd party app that does both?

iOS 7.0.2 released :)

Another week, another iOS update: Apple’s pushed out iOS 7.0.2, which it recommends for all users. The update fixes a few security vulnerabilities and a bug. (iOS 7.0.1 came out last week, but it specifically fixed issues with the iPhone 5c and 5s.)

Among the security flaws in question is one reported on last week, where a little bit of manual dexterity lets you bypass the lock code on the homescreen. Version 7.0.2 also patches another bug, which allowed a user to make phone calls to any number from the Emergency call screen. In addition, the update brings back a Greek keyboard option for passcode entry.

iOS 7.0.2 is a free download and is available by going to Settings > General > Software Update on your iOS device, or—if you prefer the old-school method—connecting your device to iTunes and clicking Check for Updates.

Foxua wrote:

Finally upgraded my 4S -- per everyone's advice, immediately turned off background refresh for all apps except for the few with GPS that I use (RunKeeper, Google Maps, etc.), and disabled parallax backgrounds -- no battery issues.

I did the same, except I left Google Maps and Waze off as well--odds are I'll only care about them when they're in the foreground.

OG_slinger wrote:

That install failed (Error code 4201) and since then my phone's been bricked. I just get the "plug into iTunes" graphic. I tried several times yesterday to restore my phone and it always ends in an error (mostly 4013).

I noticed when upgrading through iTunes, it "installed new hardware" when it rebooted the device. Try uninstalling iTunes, unplugging the phone, cable and all, rebooting the PC, reinstalling iTunes, and then plugging the phone back in.

Gaald wrote:

I just noticed the apple music app no longer allows you to play podcasts in it. You used to be able to revert it in iOS 6 but now it's just gone.

Forcing your users to use two different apps to play audio is SO STUPID!

Is there a good 3rd party app that does both?

Annoyingly, it doesn't always agree with my iPod Nano's played states. I miss being able play them without the app, too.

The lag I get in iOS 7 on the iPad 3 is annoying. I reset my device settings as a whole, and still a pain. Little things like switching the keyboard mode to numbers and then symbols, or trying to set a new background wallpaper. Task switching, says well as pinching to close an app.

Sure hope a software iteration smooths this out, but knowing Apple's history, I suspect this is the first sign they're getting ready to drop it off a cliff.

trueheart78 wrote:

Little things like switching the keyboard mode to numbers and then symbols...

I've read that disabling Settings > iCloud > Documents & Data sync will resolve keyboard lag in many cases. Might be worth trying.

Still, you shouldn't have to disable a previously available feature to resolve a new performance issue. Hopefully they'll fix it in a patch.

iOS 7 iMessage delivery issues reported

I'm having this exact problem periodically since upgrading. Rebooting the phone usually resolves it. Haven't tried to reset network settings yet -- was hoping to avoid that. Especially if it has to be done repeatedly.

Anyone else here encountered this?

Foxua wrote:

iOS 7 iMessage delivery issues reported

I'm having this exact problem periodically since upgrading. Rebooting the phone usually resolves it. Haven't tried to reset network settings yet -- was hoping to avoid that. Especially if it has to be done repeatedly.

Anyone else here encountered this?

yes.. all the time.. its basically shut down communication between my wife and I.. last night I sent her a message and then went to a dinner meeting.. she never got it and was waiting for me somewhere else.. awful.. and Apple says its an isolated issue.. bullsh*t.. seems to be everyone I know.

I'm surprised so many people actually use iMessage. I stopped using it immediately after I saw how much it screwed up group messages that included non-iPhone users.

TheGameguru wrote:
Foxua wrote:

iOS 7 iMessage delivery issues reported

I'm having this exact problem periodically since upgrading. Rebooting the phone usually resolves it. Haven't tried to reset network settings yet -- was hoping to avoid that. Especially if it has to be done repeatedly.

Anyone else here encountered this?

yes.. all the time.. its basically shut down communication between my wife and I.. last night I sent her a message and then went to a dinner meeting.. she never got it and was waiting for me somewhere else.. awful.. and Apple says its an isolated issue.. bullsh*t.. seems to be everyone I know.

Yes, it is BS that they said it's a fraction of a percent. I personally know 4 people including me that had the problem.

Almost everyone I know who upgraded is seeing the iMessage issue, so it's definitely fuzzy Apple math to get fraction of a percent.

At least they're working on a fix.

I just went from the 4S to the 5S and when setting it up realized that the new ones don't work with the gmail as an exchange server. What have others been doing about this?

Random question:
Also, this is the first time I have switched carriers in a while. ATT > Verizon. The Verizon rep told me I don't need to cancel my other account, it will happen automatically. Is this correct?

I wouldn't trust anything to automatically go correct with AT&T. Even with auto-pay on my account, the changes to when they billed me during the month when I bought my first iPhone resulted in them never running the final payment from the old schedule. They ended up hounding me through a collections agency a year later for an account where they already had permission, and were set up, to take the payment the entire time.

Kurrelgyre wrote:

I wouldn't trust anything to automatically go correct with AT&T. Even with auto-pay on my account, the changes to when they billed me during the month when I bought my first iPhone resulted in them never running the final payment from the old schedule. They ended up hounding me through a collections agency a year later for an account where they already had permission, and were set up, to take the payment the entire time.

OK, guess I'll call them tomorrow. Verizon isn't looking promising in the service department either. They managed to screw up my family plan in every way possible. I don't even know how someone would think that you want 3 shared data plans on individual phones that are all part of a family plan? "Hey, you can use one of my GB's now if I can borrow 512 MB next month?"

Gotta say that after a couple of weeks, I really like the 5S. I had a 4S previously. The form factor isn't quite as perfect and it does feel a little more fragile, but otherwise really good. I was a little hesitant about the relocated headphone jack, but it works well in practice. Also loving the convenience of the fingerprint sensor.

Even though the iOS7 animations are smooth on the new phone, I still turned them down from settings. It just takes too long for things to finish moving.

jlaakso wrote:

Even though the iOS7 animations are smooth on the new phone, I still turned them down from settings. It just takes too long for things to finish moving.

Love my 5S, but I had to turn the animations off. I was one of those people that was experiencing motion sickness from apps zooming at my face. (Unsurprisingly, I can't really play FPS games for the same reason.)

Buzzfeed calculated that the apps were moving toward you at ~20MPH. I'm much happier now with the subtle dissolve transitions that you get when you enable the Reduce Motion setting.