iPhone 4S to upgrade OS or not?

lisa701

Is it worth upgrading my iPhone 4S to the latest operating system? Its still on ios 5.1.1.

I've heard so many poor reviews for ios 6, and again for ios 7 that I decided against upgrading. However, I'm finding that more and more apps require ios 6 or above I'm thinking maybe I should consider upgrading.

I'd heard that upgrading to ios 6 wrecks the battery life, which is pretty poor to begin with and getting worse with the age of the phone. Not sure if that issue has been resolved with subsequent ios releases or if its still the same.

Any thoughts?

Should I just go for it or stay as I am until my phone contract expires in 6 months time?

If I do upgrade, is there anything I need to do first so it all goes smoothly?

Many thanks

prowla

I'm running IOS7 on an iPhone 4 (not even 4S), and it is fine.

It works fine, and I think the look and feel is quite refreshing.

I'm not having battery problems.

DigForVictory

On app I notice *requires* the new iOS is FindiPhone.

Given that's a basic security app, I'd consider the upgrade just to hang onto the functionality. Then Dropbox, Evernote & other handy tools are also getting picky.

It does take getting used to (as a user) & I wouldn't start without fully charging the battery first, but on the whole it's straightforward.

danthemoneysavingman

you should expect teething problems with every OS release. iOS6 is now very stable, and I'm sure iOS 7 is pretty much there by now.


So you could start with iOS 6 or do some research and see if you believe iOS7 is now stable enough for you. Research.

paddyrg

Just make sure you install another maps app - where I am right now Apple Maps still shows a massive lagoon as desert.

lisa701

Thanks everyone. If I look on my phone it only gives me the option to upgrade to latest version (7. something) so not sure if I can still opt for version 6, but I will have a good look when I'm back home and on wifi.

prowla

paddyrg wrote: »

Just make sure you install another maps app - where I am right now Apple Maps still shows a massive lagoon as desert.

I tried using navfree for a while as a sat-nav, but it took me down a muddy track to a fence once, so I decided I couldn't trust it, and I bought TomTom instead (cheaper than a dedicated sat-nav and has updates).

InsideInsurance

Apple is exceptional in how it gets its users to upgrade their OS so much more than any other provider (though this is in part to do with the model).

By Oct last year iOS7 was already at almost 75% of all iOS devices, iOS5 is on less than 3% now.

I've always updated a few days after the initial rush and to date never had a single problem. Just do the norm of a full backup before installing and then let it do its thing.

pollypenny

I use iOS 7 on my iPhone 4 with no problem. I did prefer the 3-d effect that apps had on 6, though, especially the iBooks shelf. Childish, I know.

worriedindebt

I've got a 4s and ios7 runs absolutely fine.. Few glitches when I first downloaded it on release day (have learnt now to wait before updating) but it's really good.
The only thing I miss is street view

I_have_spoken

Been on iOS7 on my 4S since it came out, works fine (although I did reduce the motion effects out of preference).

TBH with a phone that old, the battery may be wilting anyway; I replaced mine it's a 10 minute job on the 4S