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Apple’s new mobile operating system promised performance and stability. Unfortunately, the new release has plagued users with problems. This article examines iOS 9, how to install it, and whether it’s worth upgrading.
iOS 9 Has a New Look
iOS 9 has a new and more refined look. The fonts look cleaner, even on my old iPad 2, with a standard, non-Retina display. The changes aren’t as sweeping as with iOS 7. iOS 9 maintains the same flat look, with subtle changes. Spotlight has a smaller input field and more complete results, presented in a cleaner interface.
The new keyboard offers keys that dynamically switch between upper and lower case. This feature has been present on Android for years. This was distracting at first, but provides convenient information. It has already prevented me from typing in the wrong case. The toolbar enables easier selection, formatting and attachments. I find myself tapping the attachment or other toolbar buttons all too often, which disrupts my typing. On a smaller iPhone screen, this could be a bit of a nuisance.
The new App Switcher is a step backward for me. It resembles an offset stack of “pages”. While the views are bigger, they are obscured by other apps. I can no longer use the App Switcher to preview documents, as they are partially obscured. I now have to open the app, look at the document, and go back to the previous app.
At best, I can try to slide one of the apps up without closing it. Even then, I can’t see a large portion of the app, making previews impossible.
As companies grow in size and hire more people, new employees need to make their mark. I see more superfluous and unnecessary changes in Apple products. Some of these modifications are detrimental.
For more information about what iOS 9 has to offer, please read “iOS 9 Features“.
Browsers are Buggy on iOS 9
I had high hopes for iOS 9, after iOS 8 rendered my iPad 2 virtually unusable. After a lengthy installation, I was delighted by improved performance. Even the GeekBench 3 score showed a significant improvement in processing speed.
After a few more hours of use, the defects became more obvious. Safari and any browser using WebKit (which is every iOS browser) is hopelessly buggy. Websites I use every day are caught in an endless loop of “A problem occurred with this webpage so it was reloaded”.
I updated Chrome to the new version supporting iOS 9. It also had similar problems. This seems to indicate an issue with WebKit and not Chrome.
Apps Crash After Upgrading
Users are reporting an increase in app crashes after upgrading to iOS 9. I have experienced several crashes, where the app closes unexpectedly. Apps that I have updated and claim to be iOS 9 compatible are crashing. This is to be expected with a “.0” release.
Users Experiencing Crashes During Update Process
According to Reuters, a significant number of users are experiencing crashes during the update process. I thought my iPad crashed, but it just took a long time to update. The progress bar seemed frozen for a while. Unfortunately, some users experience a real crash and need to fully restore their devices. Apple is aware of the problem and a solution is imminent. It seems to affect older devices, but I had no problems with my iPad 2.
This is a real problem, acknowledged by Apple, and not another “Applegate”. The Apple support website offers a fix for this issue. This will be fixed in the next release of iOS 9 — iOS 9.0.1. If you haven’t installed iOS 9 yet, I recommend waiting for 9.0.1.
There is rage and indignation on social media. These people probably shouldn’t be upgrading to a “.0” operating system the day it is released. If your device is mission critical, wait. (continue…)