iPhone 6 iOS 9 Review: Is It Worth Installing?

Last week, Apple released the highly anticipated iPhone 6 iOS 9 update. We’ve researched its features and performance over the past week, and today we want to share our full iPhone 6 iOS 9 review and answer the all-important question: “Is it worth installing?” Let’s have a look.

The iPhone 6 iOS 9 update was first confirmed at WWDC 2015 in June. The confirmation came as no surprise, given that the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 reigns as the company’s flagship iPhone model.

The days of the iPhone 6 as Apple’s flagship smartphone are over, but thanks to its cheaper price, solid hardware, and iOS 9 update, the iPhone 6 will remain a solid option for those willing to pay less than the top dollar for a new device.

Last week, Apple finally released the iPhone 6 iOS 9 update. Like many iPhone 6 users, I downloaded the update just as Apple released it at 10:01 a.m. PT. The installation process gave me a headache but these went away after a few hours with the software.

iPhone 6 is my daily driver. I use it all day every day. I’ve installed every single iOS update on my iPhone 6, from the failed iOS 8.0.1 update to Apple’s iOS 9.0 upgrade. I’ve used them all.

As the iPhone 6 iOS 9 update is out and iOS 9.1 is approaching, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the performance of the iOS 9 update on the iPhone 6. Some people want to know if I am facing the same issues. they see it, others want to know if it’s worth installing.

That’s why I’m back with some new feedback after a week with the iPhone 6’s first major iOS upgrade.

iPhone 6 iOS 9 Review

Before I move on to my thoughts on the update, I want to clear up a few things.

First, this iPhone 6 iOS 9 review will focus on the update’s performance. It did not focus on the features of the update. We’ve already taken two comprehensive looks at the features of the iOS 9 update, and if you’re interested in those, you’ll want to go there.

The other is that I am a person with a version of the AT&T iPhone 6 and mileage changes all the time when it comes to iOS updates. I probably don’t have the same apps and probably don’t use my phone the way you do.

I brought this up because I want you to use it as a general guide to the performance of the iPhone 6 iOS 9 update. I recommend looking for other resources and collecting as much feedback as possible on performance and issues.

I will do my best to point you in the right direction, but you may not want to end your research here. Remember, iOS 9 isn’t going anywhere, so take your time.

Apps

I’m hammering a lot of things into the brains of iOS users. One of them is how important app updates are to overall performance after a major release like iOS 9.

Before the iOS 9 release, many developers released updates that provided support for the iOS 9 update. As we move away from the release of the update, I continue to see developers rolling out support updates.

I downloaded all these updates in hopes of keeping my app performance stable with the built-in iOS 9, and for the most part they didn’t disappoint.

Although the apps I use the most are Asana, Slack, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Gmail, Chrome, Hangouts, Dark Sky, Amazon, SoundCloud, Spotify, and Xbox One Smartglass, I have over 100 tons of apps on my iPhone 6. Of the apps on my iPhone 6, only Google Chrome is giving me problems after iOS 9.

Google released an iOS 9 support update close to the iOS 9 release date, but my performance has been deteriorating. This is problematic because Chrome is my main browser on my iPhone, iPad and Macs.

Last week alone, I counted 54 accidents. 54. It would be understandable if there were 10-20 tabs open, but on CNN or ESPN, I was locked out with only one tab open. This is frustrating and I hope Google makes a fix in the near future because Safari has become much more stable with built-in iOS 9. Imagine this.

I saw a few more crashes, but these were sporadic. Twitter, Facebook, and The Weather Channel app have been shut down a few times, but that’s normal, especially after a major update.

iPhone 6 iOS 9 Battery Life

Apple’s iOS 9 update promised up to an hour of extra battery life on the iPhone 6. I’ve definitely noticed an improvement, but I wouldn’t say I consistently get an extra hour every day of the week.

The difference between iOS 9 and iOS 8 battery is not day and night, at least not for me. I was able to extend my battery life a bit more, but most of the credit goes to the new Low Power Mode Apple added in the iOS 9 update.

Every time my phone drops to 20%, I get an alert asking me to turn on the function. When Low Power Mode is on it kills Background Refresh, automatic downloads, and mail fetching if any are on. It was very helpful and in a critical situation it has already come in handy.

Even though I didn’t get an extra hour every day, I didn’t experience anything negative. There is no abnormal battery drain and the iPhone 6 holds an excellent charge while in standby mode. This is very important during the working day.

FaceTime Audio and FaceTime Video calls can still take a big chunk of battery life, but this is nothing new. They did the same thing in iOS 8.

I’ve heard and seen complaints about poor iOS 9 battery life, but the problems weren’t as high as in past years. It seems that iOS 9 lives up to its promises.

connection

iOS updates can destroy Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular data. I’ve seen iOS 9 users complain about these issues post-release, but I haven’t encountered any of them during my week with the update.

I tested the Bluetooth on several different speakers (Bose, HP) and a few different headphones. I didn’t have any issues pairing the device with my go-to devices or the various devices owned by my friends and family. I was also able to successfully pair the phone on a Toyota Prius.

I’ve also tested the iPhone 6 iOS 9 update on multiple routers, including Verizon’s stock FiOS router, Belkin AC1200, and TP-Link Archer C9. I had no problems with speed and range.

AT&T’s LTE and 4G networks continue to operate as usual. This is a good thing. I’ve never had a problem in the Los Angeles area.

iOS 9 Issues

iOS 9 is a big update and it has many nooks and crannies. I’ve been researching iOS 9 issues, but so far I haven’t discovered anything that directly affects my daily use.

Got iOS 9 bugs and issues? It seems so. But I didn’t notice anything that totally killed my performance or made me want to smash the phone into a million pieces. I ran into both of these issues with iOS 8 on board.

There’s a good chance I’ll run into something down the road. Big problems are easy to spot, but smaller problems and mistakes will sometimes show their ugly face days, weeks, or even months later. If they do, I’ll be ready.

Speed

Although I noticed some sluggishness initially for the first few days, this random lag has since gone away. This is typical of a major iOS update. You experience some lag and lethargy in the beginning before everything works out.

iPhone 6 is a year old but that’s nothing. iPhones are now updated for four years or more before being thrown to the curb. Your iPhone 6 should be able to handle the iOS 9 update and many upcoming iOS updates.

If you start seeing freezing or random slowdowns, check out our list of fixes for iOS 9 issues and see if that helps.

Should You Install the iOS 9 Update?

The iOS 9 update comes with many great features. These include features designed to help you conserve valuable battery life on your iPhone 6.

On top of that, I found the iPhone 6 iOS 9 update to have outstanding performance. It’s fast and fluid and doesn’t seem to have any major issues on board. There are iOS 9 issues, yes, but they seem to be isolated.

To me, the positive aspects of the iOS 9 release outweigh the negative potential, and I think iOS 9 is an update worth installing for most iPhone 6 users.

With the iOS 9 release in hindsight, it’s time for Apple to focus on the next big iOS 9 update: iOS 9.1.