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Apple has been frantically releasing updates to patch serious problems with iOS 9. This article takes a look at whether it’s worth upgrading to iOS 9.0.2.
Installing iOS 9.0.2
At about 31 to 75 MB, iOS 9.0.2 is a very small release. It was only 31.2 MB on my iPad 2, and I skipped iOS 9.0.1. The updates have been released so quickly, it has been difficult for me to find an opportunity to upgrade. This iOS update won’t take up much free space on your device, even if you neglected to upgrade to iOS 9.0.1.
Backup any critical information, using iCloud or iTunes, before you install iOS 9.0.2. For more information on best practices for upgrading iOS, please read “How to Upgrade iOS”.
Start the iOS 9.0.2 upgrade process by tapping Settings > General > Software Update. The legal agreements will appear. Read and accept the legal agreements to continue.
Installation of iOS 9.0.2 will start.
You can leave your device unattended for installation. Make sure it is either plugged into a charger or has more than 50% battery life for unattended installation.
Apple has a new upgrade option for iOS 9 users. If you upgraded to iOS 9, you may have been nagged about upgrading to 9.0.1 or 9.0.2 by an alert. If you choose to install the update later, you can run this process in the early morning. Simply select this option and leave your iOS device plugged in to the charger. The upgrade process will run between 2 – 4 am. This is a great convenience, as iOS updates are taking longer — a consequence of taking up less space on your device. Even the tiny iOS 9.0.2 upgrade process took about an hour on my iPad 2.
Make sure to check whether Bluetooth is on after the upgrade process. Apple often turns on Bluetooth after the installation. I believe this is why so many people complain of diminished battery life after upgrading iOS. The easiest way to check this is by sliding your finger up from the bottom of any screen, to reveal Control Center. Turn Bluetooth off if you are not using it.
iOS 9.0.2 Fixes iOS 9 Problems
iOS 9.0.2 is part of a series of quickly released updates intended to remedy serious defects. The new version of iOS fixes problems with app-specific cellular data issues, iMessage activation, iCloud backup, screen rotation and Podcasts. It also fixes a lock-screen vulnerability that could allow anyone to get into Contacts or send iMessages. The malicious user needs physical access to your device to exploit the security flaw.
GeekBench
iOS 9.0.2 is quite a bit faster than iOS 9. Keep in mind that iOS 9 also offered better performance than iOS 8. We can only hope Apple keeps performance in mind with future updates. My old iPad 2 does feel faster, for the most part. Sometimes it takes several seconds for Spotlight or the App Switcher to respond, but this has improved with iOS 9.0.2. Hopefully, Apple will address these performance bottlenecks in upcoming releases.
Safari Still Buggy
After installing iOS 9.0, I noticed that some sites stopped working on Safari. These are major sites, some developed and operated by Google. The sites are not the problem. They work on every other device, including my iPhone 6, which is still on iOS 8.4.1. iOS 9.0.2 doesn’t fix this issue. Safari is will still display “A problem occurred with this webpage so it was reloaded”. It will often put Safari in a loop, where the webpage is reloaded and the error is displayed, ad infinitum.
I’ve given up on using Safari or iOS for doing any serious work. It is what it is — a mobile operating system. Those who are expecting to do real work on an iOS device, such as an iPad, are in for a few unpleasant surprises. I don’t even work on this website using my iPad anymore. Even something as simple as moderating comments has unexpected results. When I tap on an area of the admin tool, the tap is registered elsewhere, which can be a disaster. Even for the simplest tasks, iOS is just not up to snuff. (continue…)
- Forbes is reporting that iOS 9.0.2 has three very severe defects. Several iOS users are having problems with broken Notifications, hanging email and iMessage failures. I personally have not experienced any of these issues and feel that iOS 9.0.2 is an improvement over iOS 9.0. Nonetheless, I caution anyone who relies on these features to postpone upgrading until iOS 9.1 is released. 9.1 is currently in beta, but there is no clear indictation of when the update will be released.
- Forbes is reporting even more defects with iOS 9.0.2, including misinterpreted touchscreen input, Game Center outages and broken app installs. This is all the more reason to wait for iOS 9.1 (and iOS 9.1 reviews) before upgrading.
- The Facebook app for iOS is causing major problems for iOS 9 users. Even if you have background content refresh turned off, the app will continue to run background processes even when it is closed. When you are done using Facebook, close the app and hold down the home and sleep/wake buttons until you see the Apple logo. This seems to fix the poor performance and battery drainage caused by the app. They’re working on an update to fix the problems.