iOS 16.0.3 & watchOS 9.0.2 updates arrive with bug & security fixes

AppleInsider

Apple has released iOS 16.0.3 and watchOS 9.0.2 to address known bugs that affect CarPlay, Mail, and Spotify streaming.

iOS 16.0.3 is available to download

The release cycle for Apple's latest operating system has been more buggy than previous releases. Owners of the iPhone 14 had to update right after purchase to address activation bugs, then another update was released days later to fix iPhone 14 Pro camera problems.

This third iOS 16 update addresses a few specific bugs. One bug prevented call and app notifications from appearing in a timely fashion, if at all. Another bug caused low microphone volume during CarPlay calls.

Apple also fixed a bug that could cause the camera app to be slow at launch or when switching camera modes. Finally, a bug that crashed the Mail app on launch due to a malformed email has been fixed.

watchOS 9.0.2 addresses a Spotify streaming bug

The watchOS 9.0.2 update was also released with a handful of bug fixes. Spotify users haven't been able to stream audio with the Apple Watch app in watchOS 9, and that has been fixed.

The update also addresses issues with snoozing alarm notifications for AssistiveTouch users. A bug that causes incomplete syncing of Wallet and Fitness data for new Apple Watches has been addressed. Also, a fix for microphone audio, which could be interrupted for some Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra users.

Users should see a notification for the update, and it will install automatically overnight for most. However, if you'd like the update to install right away, it will need to be initiated manually.

How to update iPhone

1. Open the Settings app


2. Scroll down and tap "General"


3. Tap "Software update"


4. Select the software update option when it appears

The iOS 16.0.3 update once the iPhone is charged above 50%. This update should be installed as soon as is reasonable.

Read on AppleInsider

elijahg

iOS 16 has some pretty glaring bugs still.

AirPlay to my Homepods often fails, or takes so long to start that iOS times out and resumes playing locally; only for the Homepod to start playing a few seconds later. Then it's a case of stopping the local playback, clicking the Airplay icon again and then choosing "control other devices" then touch the HP. A proper mess.

The new home screen's notifications show up with square edges sometimes only for them to pop to round ones when you interact. The Music widget sometimes shows half sized so the controls are chopped off. It's more like a late stage beta than a final 3 versions in.

Battery drain is still *much* higher on iOS16 too. Used to get to the end of the day with 80% battery remaining on my 13 Pro, I was stunned. Now it's more like 65% left.

Not a bug but the new video controls are idiotic. Why put the play/pause/skip controls in the middle of the screen overlaying and therefore obscuring the video?! Oh and they sometimes show up squashed too. They moved for the sake of moving.

As an aside, the HPs have lost the ability to play news by saying "What's the news" too, replying with "I found some web results". But Homepod Siri is broken most of the time so it's actually surprising when it works. Asking to play my favourites mix stopped working the other day, it starts playing "Favourites Mix" by some artist I've never played before. Seems to be fixed now. Do they do no regression testing at all at Apple?

pslice

Does this Watch update fix the “stop double pinch” glitch.  

mike1

Could be wrong, but it seems like the Watch alarm, when in nightstand mode, is much louder than it previously was. Do not remember it being as jarring as it is now.

Anilu_777

I’d like to see my focus modes be stable

mpantone

elijahg said:

iOS 16 has some pretty glaring bugs still.
...

Do they do no regression testing at all at Apple?

 This is why for the past 3-4 years I wait until Q2 the following year to upgrade to the latest macOS and iOS. It makes for a less hair-pulling transition and user experience.

I'm on iOS/iPad OS 15 and macOS Monterey and I won't transition to iOS/iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura until April 2023.

Apple's software QA has really gone down over the past five years. Not worth it to be a beta tester which is basically what you are through the x.3 release these days.

It got significantly worse with macOS Crapalina which I never ran as the primary operating system. I tested it multiple times on a practice drive but ultimately spent 1.5 years on Mojave before upgrading directly to Big Sur (somewhere in early 2021) bypassing Crapalina completely.

gomichalego

Can anyone else verify a workout using your watch (I was using an AWU if it matters) after downloading 9.0.2 and comparing a similar workout in the activity app before the update?? I recorded a strength training workout after the update and it recorded about 1/4 the active calories of similar timed workouts, which is a large variance and unexpected. I will do a walking workout in my neighborhood to compare and see if it's the same results.

JFC_PA

Done and done. 14 pro max and Watch Ultra. 

verne arase

I think we should be a tad more patient ... don't know how many millions of lines of code are presently in iOS.

As feature sets widen and the number of supported models and hardware configurations expand, there's sure to be glitches along the way. The important thing is that problems are addressed and iterative fix levels are rapidly rolled out.

As someone who spent his entire career in information technologies, I can authoritatively state that with new code comes new problems - it's unavoidable (though you can try like heck to squash them before the software goes golden).

If you have mission critical workflows, hold back a bit until early adopters find the initial bout of bugs.

michelb76

verne arase said:

I think we should be a tad more patient ... don't know how many millions of lines of code are presently in iOS.

As feature sets widen and the number of supported models and hardware configurations expand, there's sure to be glitches along the way. The important thing is that problems are addressed and iterative fix levels are rapidly rolled out.

As someone who spent his entire career in information technologies, I can authoritatively state that with new code comes new problems - it's unavoidable (though you can try like heck to squash them before the software goes golden).

If you have mission critical workflows, hold back a bit until early adopters find the initial bout of bugs.

Sure, but this is a trillion dollar company rolling out premium products, we can expect a much, much higher standard.

lkrupp

michelb76 said:

verne arase said:

I think we should be a tad more patient ... don't know how many millions of lines of code are presently in iOS.

As feature sets widen and the number of supported models and hardware configurations expand, there's sure to be glitches along the way. The important thing is that problems are addressed and iterative fix levels are rapidly rolled out.

As someone who spent his entire career in information technologies, I can authoritatively state that with new code comes new problems - it's unavoidable (though you can try like heck to squash them before the software goes golden).

If you have mission critical workflows, hold back a bit until early adopters find the initial bout of bugs.

Sure, but this is a trillion dollar company rolling out premium products, we can expect a much, much higher standard.

So do you want to just bitch about a trillion dollar company or go ahead and update to fix things? Or would you rather just wait and leave the bugs for one giant update six months later? Your choice. The trope about Apple’s QA is a myth. It never was any better than it is right now. I know because I’ve been using their products since 1982. Software was infinitely less complicated back then but viruses and hacking were rampant too.

rotateleftbyte

lkrupp said:

So do you want to just bitch about a trillion dollar company or go ahead and update to fix things? Or would you rather just wait and leave the bugs for one giant update six months later? Your choice. The trope about Apple’s QA is a myth. It never was any better than it is right now. I know because I’ve been using their products since 1982. Software was infinitely less complicated back then but viruses and hacking were rampant too.

IMOH, the only positive thing that can be said these days about Apple's Software Quality is that is a whole lot better than Microsoft's which gets visibly worse with every release.

tht

mpantone said:

elijahg said:

iOS 16 has some pretty glaring bugs still.
...

Do they do no regression testing at all at Apple?

 This is why for the past 3-4 years I wait until Q2 the following year to upgrade to the latest macOS and iOS. It makes for a less hair-pulling transition and user experience.

I'm on iOS/iPad OS 15 and macOS Monterey and I won't transition to iOS/iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura until April 2023.

Apple's software QA has really gone down over the past five years. Not worth it to be a beta tester which is basically what you are through the x.3 release these days.

It got significantly worse with macOS Crapalina which I never ran as the primary operating system. I tested it multiple times on a practice drive but ultimately spent 1.5 years on Mojave before upgrading directly to Big Sur (somewhere in early 2021) bypassing Crapalina completely.

I don't wait as long. Well, what I do is wait for Apple to push out the update, and that's typically less than 4 or 5 months. If you have the automatic software update switch on, Apple doesn't actually push major point updates until it is several bug fix updates in. It's basically when they feel the software has gotten to a true public release point and then they will push it out.

I think the software quality is about the same. Prior to 2001, they had two platforms: classic MacOS and Mac OS X. Prior to 2007, they had two major platforms: the iPodOS and Mac OS X (on both Intel and PPC by then). Now, arguably they have 4: iOS, iPadOS, macOS and watchOS. And, tvOS, the AirPods OS, HomePodOS and rOS aren't walks in the park either. And, they are in the midst of switching from Obj-C to Swift, and Intel to ARM.

Software is one of those exponentially scaling things. More lines of code takes exponentially increasing time and resources to do. It's a miracle they are doing as well as they are. It also necessitates not doing anything with certain platforms for a while.

But yes, my practice is bit like yours. Just wait. People should take more time to enjoy the OS starting from the April releases or so when they've finally reached the .4 or .5 level and are stable.