iOS 8.4 Review: Is It Worth Installing?

Source: iOS 8.4 Review: Is It Worth Installing?

Last week, Apple released its iOS 8.4 update for iPhone and iPad, bringing Apple Music and more to iOS 8 users. Over the past week we’ve spent a lot of time on the new iPhone and iPad update, and today we want to help you answer this important question: Is iOS 8.4 worth installing? Let’s take a look.

Apple has been busy in the months since the September release of iOS 8.0. The company has released several small bug fix upgrades to address iOS 8 issues. Four major iOS 8 updates have also been released, including iOS 8.1, iOS 8.2, iOS 8.3 and iOS 8.4.

It’s a bit of a departure from Apple’s usual upgrade path, which typically involved a monolithic update (iOS 8.0, iOS 7.0) and a large incremental update to act as a bridge between an update and its predecessor (iOS 7.1).

This year iOS 8.4 brought some big changes (Apple Pay, Apple Music) to iOS 8.1 and loads of bug fixes to stabilize the software. The care Apple is devoting to iOS 8, with its major releases and extensive beta testing, has been refreshing and we hope it extends to iOS 9 and beyond.

iOS 9 won’t arrive until the fall, meaning iPhone and iPad users will be stuck with iOS 8.4, Apple’s latest update and an update that should serve as the final piece of the bridge to Apple’s iOS 9 operating system.

Apple Music is a big part of iOS 8.4 update.

iOS 8.4 delivers the company’s new music platform, but it also comes with a few other notable additions, including improvements to iBooks and a slew of bug fixes that address persistent iOS 8 issues. It also, as we and others have pointed out, brings with it its own collection of problems. iOS 8.4 issues continue to appear a week after the update was released.

For the past week, we’ve been bombarded with questions about the iOS 8.4 update. Of course, the most popular question sounds something like this, “Is it worth installing iOS 8.4?” And that’s the question we want to help you answer today by sharing our iOS 8.4 reviews for top devices like iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 5 go through.

Every situation will be a little different, but our goal here is to nudge you to one side of the fence or the other. Apple never forces you to install an iOS update. So remember that you can take your time and be patient. You should never rush a new iOS update.

iOS 8.4 review

For the past week or so we’ve been digging into the iOS 8.4 update. We’re confident in our testing, we’ve been doing this for a while, but we still think it’s important to let you know that iOS 8.4 mileage will vary. We probably don’t use our devices the same way you do, and we definitely don’t have exactly the same applications on board. (Apps can impact battery life and more.)

So, consider these iOS 8.4 reviews and short iOS 8.4 reviews as a guide while trying to make the decision that is best for you and your device.

iPhone 6

After only a week or so with the iPhone 6 iOS 8.4 update, the software is still holding up and that bodes well for the future. When there are major issues aboard an iOS update, they usually appear within a week of its release. There are issues with iPhone 6 iOS 8.4, but we haven’t seen anything widespread.

The update is holding up well in our five key areas: Speed, Battery Life, Bugs/Issues, Apps, and Connectivity. We encountered none of these issues and tested the update on three different versions of the iPhone 6.

Over the weekend we shared our detailed thoughts on the iPhone 6 iOS 8.4 update and it will offer a little more depth for those of you who need it.

iPhone 6plus

The iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6 saw a lot of problems in the months after their release, although Apple has been slowly fixing most of those problems. iOS 8.3 was a huge update for both of these devices and this update passed the torch to iOS 8.4.

iPhone 6 Plus iOS 8.4 update is very similar to iPhone 6 iOS 8.4 update in that it offers a quality experience. We haven’t had any major issues with the update and the only real hiccups we’ve seen relate to in-car Bluetooth. Apple Music also needs some improvements, but these issues are not native to iPhone 6 Plus.

We recently took an in-depth look at the iPhone 6 Plus iOS 8.4 update, and it’s worth checking out if you need more details on how the update is performing.

iPhone 5s

We’ve also been using the iOS 8.4 update on the iPhone 5s since it was released last Tuesday, and have found an update that’s on par with the updates for Apple’s current iPhone 6 flagships.

We’ve been snooping around on the update for about a week now and haven’t encountered any major issues. We’ve had a few issues with select Microsoft applications, including Outlook and OneDrive, although the OneDrive issues (access to your files should now be working) have already been fixed.

The iOS 8.4 update for the iPhone 5s offers solid battery life on our version of the device, and we encountered no speed or connectivity issues. For more information on its performance, read our full review.

iPhone 5

For the past six days, we’ve been digging deep into the iPhone 5’s iOS 8.4 update. Many people are still in possession of the 2012 flagship and many are suspicious of the iOS 8.4 update. We don’t blame them. New iOS updates tend to wreak havoc on older devices.

For the most part, the iPhone 5 iOS 8.4 update treated us well. We didn’t encounter any notable bugs, connectivity is solid, battery life is excellent, and apps work flawlessly. However, we still see a small general lag when navigating the home screen.

Opening apps and folders can feel jagged and slow at times, and just doesn’t show the same kind of fluidity that we saw before iOS 8.1. We’re hoping that iOS 9 and its enhancements will restore the iPhone 5 to its former glory, but there’s really no guarantee at this point.

For more information about the iPhone 5 iOS 8.4 update, check out our full review.

iPad Air

We have been using the iOS 8.4 update on the first generation iPad Air for six days. We couldn’t test iOS 8.4 update on iPad Air 2 because we tested iOS 9 beta.

The iOS 8.4 update for the first generation iPad Air works well. We didn’t encounter any notable issues with the software and it holds up in all key areas, including battery life. iOS 8 has treated this device well, so we don’t expect any major changes to the tablet’s performance.

iPad mini 2

The same applies to the iPad mini 2, also known as the iPad mini with Retina display.

Battery life lasts, and that’s crucial because our models have LTE. Connectivity is also solid, and AT&T’s network is holding up well even after iOS 8.4. We didn’t experience any dips in Wi-Fi speeds and were able to pair it with several different Bluetooth devices, including speakers and headsets.

We haven’t encountered any notable issues, at least, and the update seems to be on par with previous updates. We’ve used every single iOS 8 update on the iPad mini 2 and none of them gave us any serious problems.

other devices

These are the iOS 8.4 updates we used, but they’re not the only iOS 8.4 updates out there. Every single iOS 8 powered device has received the iOS 8.4 update, a list that includes the iPhone 4s.

We recently compiled a summary of feedback for the iPhone 4s and are looking for feedback if your device isn’t listed here in this review summary.

There are a few places you can look for feedback on iOS 8.4 updates. Our four favorites are the Reddit forums for iOS and iPhone/iPad, the Apple discussion forums, the MacRumors forums, and Social media like Twitter and Facebook. Dig around and see what you can find before making a final decision as not all iOS 8.4 updates are created equal.

Should You Install iOS 8.4?

We’ve been using iOS 8.4 on multiple devices for a week now and all the updates have worked fine. That doesn’t happen very often.

At this point our recommendation. If you are dealing with unrecoverable issues on iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5, iPad Air or iPad mini 2, iOS 8.4 is probably worth downloading. It is extremely stable and includes a number of important bug fixes. (If you haven’t installed iOS 8.3 yet, it also includes this extensive list of bug fixes.)

The performance of these devices is solid, and we’re seeing solid feedback on the iOS 8.4 updates for other top phones and tablets, including the iPhone 4s. There are a few issues, including Apple Music bugs and the iPhone 5’s occasional sluggishness, but the positives (security updates, other bug fixes, Apple Music, improvements to iBooks) outweigh the negatives at this point.

If you are suspicious, you can hold out for a few more days. And if you’re particularly nervous, you can wait for the iOS 9 update expected in September. iOS 9 is particularly appealing to those of you with older devices as it comes with battery life and performance improvements.

iOS 8.4 is a solid update and it will be solid for most of you, but you have options if you’re unsure. Keep that in mind as we move away from the iOS 8.4 release.

10 Important iOS 9 release details

Apple Music appears for iOS 9 beta

Currently, Apple’s iOS 9 beta doesn’t support the company’s brand new Apple Music platform. That will change very soon once the company’s Eddy Cue has confirmed it forthcoming iOS 9 beta brings Apple Music support to testers. Cue says that Apple will seed a brand new iOS 9 Beta 3 next week. He didn’t confirm a specific release date for the new iOS 9 beta, only saying that the update would come out sometime “early next week.” Apple is known for releasing new updates on Mondays, so it’s possible we’ll see them after the bank holiday weekend. Apple Music is the company’s brand new platform and is available to anyone who can upgrade to iOS 8.4. iPhone and iPad users with a valid Apple ID can participate in a free three-month trial of the service before requiring a paid subscription.

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