Apple pushes out iOS 10.3.1 update, fixing iPhone 5 & 5c OTA update issue [u]
Apple on Monday made the surprise release of iOS 10.3.1, available for iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches as an over-the-air update or when connected to iTunes via a Mac or Windows PC. [Updated with release notes]
In an unusual twist for Apple, no release notes are available. The update is also small, potentially under 30 megabytes as an OTA download.
The release appears related to problems with iOS 10.3, launched a week ago. Shortly thereafter Apple killed the OTA update for the iPhone 5 and 5c, suggesting a hardware-specific problem. AppleInsider can confirm that those downloads have been restored.
The 5 and 5c were Apple's last iPhone models with a 32-bit processor, the A6. Since the iPhone 5s all iOS devices have turned to 64-bit technology. Apple is in the process of phasing out 32-bit support, and indeed the iOS 10.3.2 beta appears to omit it entirely.
One of the core changes in iOS 10.3 was the switch to the Apple File System, better optimized for flash storage. In some cases it restored gigabytes of storage space.
Update: Release notes are now available, and point to bugfixes and security updates. In the latter category Apple has solved a vulnerability that would let hackers run attacks through a device's Wi-Fi chip.
In an unusual twist for Apple, no release notes are available. The update is also small, potentially under 30 megabytes as an OTA download.
The release appears related to problems with iOS 10.3, launched a week ago. Shortly thereafter Apple killed the OTA update for the iPhone 5 and 5c, suggesting a hardware-specific problem. AppleInsider can confirm that those downloads have been restored.
The 5 and 5c were Apple's last iPhone models with a 32-bit processor, the A6. Since the iPhone 5s all iOS devices have turned to 64-bit technology. Apple is in the process of phasing out 32-bit support, and indeed the iOS 10.3.2 beta appears to omit it entirely.
One of the core changes in iOS 10.3 was the switch to the Apple File System, better optimized for flash storage. In some cases it restored gigabytes of storage space.
Update: Release notes are now available, and point to bugfixes and security updates. In the latter category Apple has solved a vulnerability that would let hackers run attacks through a device's Wi-Fi chip.
Comments
I wonder if this update brings anything new to other devices?
I checked the update and it says "bug fixes and improves the security of your iPhone/iPad". I guess so.....
Is there any reason to update from 10.2.1 for those of use still happily using a new-ish iPhone 5?
In my opinion, the only reason the iPhone 5, iPhone 5c and iPad 4 were missing in the first 10.3.2 beta is that it had the same bug that Apple discovered shortly after 10.3 was released, which resulted in Apple pulling 10.3 from being distributed via Software Update to the iPhone 5, iPhone 5c and iPad 4 (all the models with 32-bit processors). The 10.3.2 beta came out the same day as 10.3, and Apple didn't include images for models with a known bug.
When the second 10.3.2 beta is released (early next week or sooner), it will include the fixes from 10.3.1, therefore I expect it will include images for the iPhone 5, iPhone 5c and iPad 4.
As for reasons for updating from 10.2.1 to 10.3.1 on an iPhone 5: have a look at the big list of security fixes in 10.3 and another in 10.3.1. Apart from security, there are a fair number of new/improved features and bug fixes in 10.3, as well as other bug fixes Apple hasn't specified. One new feature I find particularly useful (for any model) is "New Settings unified view for your Apple ID account information, settings and devices".
652+MB update on an iPhone 7S Plus!!
The entire text of the King James Bible fits on a 1.44 MB floppy disk with room left over.
The Facebook app for the iPhone, which is little more than a "web browser" that connects only to Facebook is 244 MB - equivalent to the text of almost 200 bibles!
Thanks to lazy coders creating code bloat, most apps are horribly inefficient using FAR more CPU power and taking up FAR more storage space than necessary. Instead of using efficient languages and coding techniques, they just slap something together and debug it until it mostly works using patches that add even more unnecessary code. This costs customers more money in data usage, makes the apps slower, and wastes resources.