Apple releases second beta of iOS 4.1 to developers

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Apple on Tuesday evening released to its iPhone developer community the second private beta of iOS 4.1, a much anticipated update to the company's mobile operating system aimed at remedying a number of outstanding issues with the new iPhone 4.



The software, labeled iOS 4.1 beta 2 build 8B509b, was made available in five distinct distributions, one each for the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, iPod touch 3rd generation and iPod touch 2nd generation.



Most critically, the release is expected to include a fix for proximity sensor malfunctions on the iPhone 4. From the onset, users have found that the touchscreen on their iPhone 4 will sometimes activate while on a call, resulting in accidentally pressed buttons that can place a call on hold or even end it and dial a different number almost instantaneously.



During a press conference two weeks ago, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said the company is aware of problems with the proximity sensor on the iPhone 4 and added that his team was working on a software fix that is expected to be included in the next iOS update -- presumably iOS 4.1.



The first beta of iOS 4.1, released to developers a couple of weeks ago, included a new version of the iPhone's modem firmware (02.07.01), the ability to add FaceTime numbers as phone favorites, a remodeled version of GameCenter, and cosmetic changes to the camera app that reposition the flash and camera swap buttons when handset it shifted to landscape mode.



Released in June, iOS 4.0 is already said to be powering half of all the iPhones currently in use by consumers worldwide.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 39
    About time.. the proximity issue is driving me nuts! Hopefully we will have this by friday for the non-devs!
  • Reply 2 of 39
    Between the Prox Sensor, the antenna problems and some occasional overheating, I really felt like an iPhone beta tester for Apple, that's why I returned my phone a couple of weeks ago.

    I hope they get this right so I can re-buy the thing, or I'll wait for the 4g(?).

    Also hoping they improve the performance of iOS4 on the 3g with this latest build, since this is what's holding me over until they work the bugs out of iPhone 4.

    jb
  • Reply 3 of 39
    eaieai Posts: 417member
    Does it improve performance on the 3G? Mine is almost unusable it's so slow. I frequently have safari hang on me for 20-30 seconds, apps frequently quit repeatedly when starting up (lack of memory I guess) and everything is just universally slow.
  • Reply 4 of 39
    bonklersbonklers Posts: 54member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lazyboyrocker View Post


    Between the Prox Sensor, the antenna problems and some occasional overheating, I really felt like an iPhone beta tester for Apple, that's why I returned my phone a couple of weeks ago.

    I hope they get this right so I can re-buy the thing, or I'll wait for the 4g(?).

    Also hoping they improve the performance of iOS4 on the 3g with this latest build, since this is what's holding me over until they work the bugs out of iPhone 4.

    jb



    i've read that 4.1 makes iphone 3g usable again. people also say if you restore your 3g and create a new profile then it wont be crippled to begin with. right now i have a 3g, and i'm eagerly awaiting iOS 4.1. i'm too lazy to fix it now on 4.0.1 by restore and setup as a new phone.
  • Reply 5 of 39
    cvaldes1831cvaldes1831 Posts: 1,832member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by CrizzoDesigns View Post


    About time.. the proximity issue is driving me nuts! Hopefully we will have this by friday for the non-devs!



    Are you crazy? A two-day beta feedback period?!?



    Ain't gonna happen.
  • Reply 6 of 39
    Quote:

    Most critically, the release is expected to include a fix for proximity sensor malfunctions on the iPhone 4. From the onset, users have found that the touchscreen on their iPhone 4 will sometimes activate while on a call, resulting in accidentally pressed buttons that can place a call on hold or even end it and dial a different number almost instantaneously.



    Man, I was thinking that all those hang ups were dropped calls this whole time! Ok, I am very much anticipating not calling every person I talk to back 4 times per conversation too.
  • Reply 7 of 39
    gregoriusmgregoriusm Posts: 513member
    I've had a couple of friends have to do a RESTORE two or three times with their 3G phones to get them to work acceptably fast.



    I have no idea why the first or second restore didn't work, but they are happy they tried a couple more.



    The same thing happened with my iPod touch 2G. The second restore helped a lot.



    And yes, I've read in many places where setting up the phone as a new phone helps immensely. A lot of work, but it seems to often work well.
  • Reply 8 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lazyboyrocker View Post


    Between the Prox Sensor, the antenna problems and some occasional overheating, I really felt like an iPhone beta tester for Apple, that's why I returned my phone a couple of weeks ago.



    And don't forget the Bluetooth issues. Until I know the iPhone4 will also work properly with the Motorola hands free kit in my car I won't be buying one.
  • Reply 9 of 39
    orlandoorlando Posts: 601member
    Please please please fix the iPhone 3G performance.



    Doing a restore sounds interesting - I might have to try that. However, I have found the 3G's performance with iOS4 degrades over time so what might at first seem a solution, after a little while, turns out to be a huge disappointment.
  • Reply 10 of 39
    iOS 3.1 was released during the Apple music event last year, September 9, 2009. I expect iOS 4.1 will be released during that same event in September of this year.
  • Reply 11 of 39
    orlandoorlando Posts: 601member
    After a quick Google search - creating a new profile may fix the issues on the 3G, but I would also lose all the sms text messages currently stored on my phone.
  • Reply 12 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Orlando View Post


    After a quick Google search - creating a new profile may fix the issues on the 3G, but I would also lose all the sms text messages currently stored on my phone.



    If your phone is and will be jailbroken, you can manually backup your text messages.
  • Reply 13 of 39
    I am very surprised that I am not seeing more people having issues with bluetooth connections. My Jawbone is now rendered useless by my new iPhone 4. It always worked fine with my original iPhone and my 3G. My new phone keeps dropping the connection to the bluetooth. When I get in my car my phone stays connected to the ear piece and also connects to my car.



    In one car the connection works, in the other it is so garbled it is unusable. I spoke to Apple and they acted as if they had never heard this was an issue.



    I have reset my phone and found no difference.



    I love my new phone and I feel pretty certain that software updates will fix my problem but I do not like being a beta tester for what should be a finished product. It surprises me that this went undiscovered.



    I hope that Apple is able to address this issue with 4.1
  • Reply 14 of 39
    razorpitrazorpit Posts: 1,796member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bonklers View Post


    i've read that 4.1 makes iphone 3g usable again. people also say if you restore your 3g and create a new profile then it wont be crippled to begin with. right now i have a 3g, and i'm eagerly awaiting iOS 4.1. i'm too lazy to fix it now on 4.0.1 by restore and setup as a new phone.



    That would be great. I'm with you on trying to get time to do a restore. After the 4 hours it took to go to 4.0 I am in no hurry to restart that process anytime soon. Although I may have already lost that much time waiting for pages in Safari to load...
  • Reply 15 of 39
    sevenfeetsevenfeet Posts: 465member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Green N Silver View Post


    I am very surprised that I am not seeing more people having issues with bluetooth connections. My Jawbone is now rendered useless by my new iPhone 4. It always worked fine with my original iPhone and my 3G. My new phone keeps dropping the connection to the bluetooth. When I get in my car my phone stays connected to the ear piece and also connects to my car.



    In one car the connection works, in the other it is so garbled it is unusable. I spoke to Apple and they acted as if they had never heard this was an issue.



    I have reset my phone and found no difference.



    I love my new phone and I feel pretty certain that software updates will fix my problem but I do not like being a beta tester for what should be a finished product. It surprises me that this went undiscovered.



    I hope that Apple is able to address this issue with 4.1



    Which Jawbone do you have? My Prime works perfectly.
  • Reply 16 of 39
    paulmjohnsonpaulmjohnson Posts: 1,380member
    I do find myself wondering if maybe the 3G just plain doesn't have the processing clout to really be able to run iOS4. Because I've read a bunch of reports saying iOS4 really slows down the 3G, I've held off from upgrading my wifes, but I'm wondering if Apple will maintain earlier versions of the OS from a security point of view.



    On the Mac side of things, if you've not upgraded to Snow Leopard, Apple still provide security fixes for Leopard and I think Tiger as well, at least periodically. Do you think they might do the same for iOS 3, so that if we decide it's not worth upgrading to iOS4, we won't face any security risks?
  • Reply 17 of 39
    Hopefully 4.1 FINALLY adds the ability to manually select audio output for phone use via the dock connector!!! \
  • Reply 18 of 39
    orlandoorlando Posts: 601member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hoteinstein View Post


    If your phone is and will be jailbroken, you can manually backup your text messages.



    My phone is not jail broken and I do not intend to jailbreak it.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by PaulMJohnson View Post


    I do find myself wondering if maybe the 3G just plain doesn't have the processing clout to really be able to run iOS4. Because I've read a bunch of reports saying iOS4 really slows down the 3G, I've held off from upgrading my wifes, but I'm wondering if Apple will maintain earlier versions of the OS from a security point of view.



    Then Apple should have restricted iOS4 to the 3GS and iPhone4. If they are going to make iOS4 available on the 3G they should have made certain it works well.



    My advice is do not upgrade. I wish I hadn't. iOS4 on the 3G gets very frustrating very quickly and doesn't really add much as all the best features are 3GS and better only (although I do like the unified inbox).
  • Reply 19 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Orlando View Post


    My advice is do not upgrade. I wish I hadn't. iOS4 on the 3G gets very frustrating very quickly and doesn't really add much as all the best features are 3GS and better only (although I do like the unified inbox).



    have you tried the "turn off spotlight search" trick to speed up your 3G on iOS 4?



    Settings>General>Spotlight Search - uncheck all
  • Reply 20 of 39
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by eAi View Post


    Does it improve performance on the 3G? Mine is almost unusable it's so slow. I frequently have safari hang on me for 20-30 seconds, apps frequently quit repeatedly when starting up (lack of memory I guess) and everything is just universally slow.



    Im not a beta tester so i can't say what the beta will do. However i can say that Apple needs to correct the problem real fast now, or they will loose the respect of a lot of their iPhone customers.



    I do have suggestions for you though. One would be to turn off Spotlight indexing and possibly spell check. I've done so on my 3G and i makes most of the apps very useful again.



    Safari still sucks though. At least when the twenty second delay kicks in it does. The trouble is that delay causes problems.



    It looks like the 3G is suffering in part from a lack of RAM. So it is likely that 4.0 will always be slow on the 3G. However Apple also has a number of significant bugs in 4.0 so there is no tell how much better it will be in 4.1. I suspect though that 4.1 won't come till september so we will have to stick it out a bit longer.



    As a side note im not upgrading my 3G righy now because what im really waiting for is an iPad with more RAM to drop. I learn from my lessons and the number one thing learned from the 3G is to buy devices with enough RAM.

    Actually if the beta testers see any sign of this release being iPad compatible let us know.





    Dave
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