iOS 9.0.2 on iPad: First Impressions and Performance

Apple’s third iOS 9 update is here in the form of iOS 9.0.2 for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. We were taking a look at its performance on the iPhone, and now we want to shift gears and take a look at the iPad iOS 9.0.2 update and performance.

Last week, Apple released the second iOS 9 update. iOS 9.0.1 followed the iOS 9.0 upgrade and provided a number of fixes for iOS 9 issues. This week, Apple released a brand new iOS 9 update that replaces iOS 9.0.

This update is iOS 9.0.2, a new bug fixer that comes with several major fixes, including a stability update for the popular Podcasts app. This is a minor update, but an important one and one that you need to watch out for.

Yesterday, I installed the iOS 9.0.2 update on all the iPads I own. This includes iPad Air 2, iPad Air and iPad mini 2. All three are popular iPad variants.

I’ve spent most of the last 24 hours using the iOS 9.0.2 update on these three devices to provide feedback to iPad users about the update’s performance. Here’s what I found.

iOS 9.0.2 Installation

Installing iOS 9.0.2 on this triple iPad was quick and easy. As a result, each update took about 12 minutes to download and install. This is pretty standard for the size update of iOS 9.0.2. Less than 100 MB.

There’s a good chance you’ll come out of iOS 9.0.2 unscathed, but I’ll leave this list of fixes here in case you run into problems.

iOS 9.0.2 on iPad: Performance

I’ll take a quick look at how the iOS 9.0.2 update performed on these three iPads. If you’re looking for details on iOS 9 features, take a look at our walkthrough. If you’re using another iPad, you’ll have to look for feedback elsewhere. I recommend you to look at YouTube.. There’s a ton of video feedback out there.

As usual, a disclaimer. I am a person who owns iPad Air 2, iPad Air and iPad mini 2. Mileage changes all the time, so use my impressions as a general guide. I’ll do my best to steer you in the right direction, but you may want to get more feedback before uploading. Again, YouTube is a great place to start.

Apps

I use the same set of core apps on these three devices. For the record, my core suite of apps currently includes you, Slack, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Gmail, Hangouts, Chrome, Dark Sky, Amazon, SoundCloud, Spotify, and Xbox One Smartglass.

I can’t speak for every app in the App Store but I can say that these apps and other secondary apps on my iPads are doing pretty well after downloading and installing the iOS 9.0.2 update. I haven’t seen any crashes and they seem stable.

App issues can arise at any time, so I will continue to watch for them (Chrome specifically) and install new bugfix updates.

If you’re having issues with iOS 9.0.2, check out our list of fixes.

iOS 9.0.2 Battery Life

I’ve been using these iPads as humanly as possible for the past day. So far, its batteries have held up in use and in standby mode. I did not notice any abnormal battery drain, an issue that some iOS 9.0.2 users have seen after the upgrade.

If you’re seeing problems, my advice is to wait one more day before going crazy. It can take a few days for battery life to sync, so you’ll want to take a wait-and-see approach after installing iOS 9.0.2.

If your battery life hasn’t improved after two days, check out our list of fixes and tips for restoring your iPad’s quality iOS 9 battery life.

Wi-Fi, Cellular Data and Bluetooth

I’ve successfully paired the iPad mini 2, iPad Air, and iPad Air 2 with various Bluetooth devices, including headphones and speakers. Bluetooth issues are pretty common after iOS updates, but on my part I haven’t noticed anything.

I also did not detect any problems with the Wi-Fi. I was able to connect to my routers and download speeds on all my models were excellent.

The iPad mini 2 is the only LTE compatible iPad I own, and so far AT&T’s LTE network continues. I don’t expect this to change.

iOS 9.0.2 Issues on iPad

Nothing, at least not yet. While I had some issues with the iPhone version of the iOS 9.0.2 update, I didn’t see anything major in these updates. This goes for iOS 9.0 and iOS 9.0.1 updates as well. All three were extremely determined.

I’m having a solid experience but others are struggling. iOS 9.0.2 issues seem to be isolated to only a few people, but are plaguing some iPad users. At least for now.

Bigger issues are usually easy to spot, so I’m pretty sure iOS 9.0.2 doesn’t introduce debilitating bugs on all iPad models. Smaller issues are hard to track down, so I’ll keep searching to see what I can find.

If you run into an issue, please see our list of fixes for iOS 9 issues.

Speed

iOS 9.0.2 updates for iPad Air 2, iPad Air, and iPad mini 2 are fast. The UI is fluid and I didn’t notice any lag or slowdown. iOS 9.0.2 squeaked on some older devices (i.e. iPad 2), but these three updates lived up to my expectations.

Should You Install iOS 9.0.2 Now?

If any of the problems that iOS 9.0.2 fixes bother you and you own one of these three iPads, it’s fine. I haven’t noticed any major issues and the only iOS 9.0.2 issues I’ve seen have been isolated to a small fraction of users.

If in doubt, wait a few days for the smoke to subside. Gather feedback and then make your decision. With an iOS 9.1 release on the horizon, there’s no need to rush into anything.