5 Reasons We Need the iOS 11.4.2 Update

There’s a good chance that iOS 11.4.1 will be the final version of iOS 11, but we and many others expect a surprise release of iOS 11.4.2 before iOS 12 arrives this fall.

In July, Apple released iOS 11.4.1, a point update that fixes persistent bugs and brings new security features to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users.

iOS 11.4.1 fixed some issues, but it’s also causing issues for many iOS 11 users. Some of these issues were ported from previous versions of iOS 11, and some are brand new.

We did not encounter any catastrophic issues on our devices, but we did encounter some annoying bugs during our time of updating.

Apple shut down iOS 11.4 downgrade; This means that those of you dealing with iOS 11.4.1 issues are on your own until Apple releases a new iOS version. Unfortunately, it may take weeks before we see a new version of iOS appear.

Nothing has been confirmed, but iOS 11.4.1 may be the final version of iOS 11. With the update of iOS 12 in the beta version and a version approaching, Apple primarily focused on the new operating system. And this is an issue for those struggling on iOS 11.4. The iOS 12 release date will likely land in mid-September after Apple’s annual iPhone launch event.

Like many of you, we hope that Apple releases an iOS 11.4.2 update in August to fix some issues with earlier versions of iOS 11.4.1 and iOS 11.

There’s no guarantee we’ll see Apple release an iOS 11.4.2 update, especially if the iOS 11.4.2 beta is missing while it’s running.

Stuck in Landscape Mode

One of the issues plaguing us in iOS 11.3.1 is back in iOS 11.4.1. And while not as often as it used to be, it’s just as annoying.

While running iOS 11.3.1, most of our devices were getting stuck in landscape mode when trying to switch to portrait mode. This is an issue that we and many other iOS users are dealing with and is not specific to iOS 11.4.1 or iOS 11.

If you’re not familiar with the problem, here’s how it works. After putting the phone in landscape mode and turning it back to portrait position, the screen stays stuck in landscape mode. We’ve also seen it occur when using various first and third parties, including Chrome and YouTube.

To fix the problem, we had to pull up from the right side of the iPhone X’s screen, not from the bottom. Sometimes we had to reset the phone to turn it in the right direction.

Delays and Deadlocks

We, others, continue to notice UI lag on older iPhone models. It’s an issue that has plagued devices since the release of iOS 11 last September.

We noticed lag on iPhone 6s, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, iPad Air and iPad mini 2. The lag is more noticeable on the iPhone 5s and iPad mini 2 and is noticeable across the OS.

Most of the lags we encountered on the iPhone 5s and iPad mini 2 are in the form of keyboard lag, stuttering and slowdown and interruptions when pulling up Control Center and Notification Center.

There is also a noticeable slowdown when opening folders and apps and when dragging app icons from one folder or home screen to another.

Lag issues can be difficult to fix and often require a factory reset. If you don’t want to do a factory reset and can’t wait for iOS 12’s speed improvements, take a look at our guide to fixing bad iOS 11 performance.

We’ve also seen an increase in the number of crashes, especially on older devices like the iPhone 6. Random reboots are extremely common iOS problems, and there are a few things you can do to limit them on your device.

iMessage Issues

We keep seeing the frustrating issue of iMessages not showing as read on iPhone after reading on Mac. Even our own messages that we send to friends and family on Mac sometimes open as new messages on iPhone and iPad.

We have Messages enabled in iCloud and are running the latest version of macOS High Sierra on a 2016 MacBook Pro, and so far we haven’t been able to fix the issue on our own.

Sometimes, Messages sent on a Mac show as “Undelivered” even if they were sent. This is a daily occurrence in our notebooks.

Battery Discharge and Connection

These are the most annoying bugs and performance issues we’ve seen. Here are a few prominent issues from other iOS 11.4.1 users.

We’ve noticed an increase in complaints about Wi-Fi connectivity and cellular data issues.

Some iOS 11.4.1 users are seeing slow Wi-Fi speeds and disconnected connections. Others are having trouble connecting to their cellular networks. We haven’t seen any of these issues with our iPhone or iPad models, at least not yet.

These can be pretty tough to fix, but there are a few fixes you should try while you wait for Apple’s next iOS release.

App Update Issues

iOS 11.4.1 is also reportedly causing issues in the App Store. Some users are having trouble accessing the store and downloading app updates.

@AppleSupport I’m using an iPad mini 4 running iOS 11.4.1. When I try to search for an app in the AppStore, I get the message “Cannot connect to the App Store” with the retry button.

When I try the same on my iPhone 6 running 11.4.1, I get a non-stop spinning gear to the right of the wifi meter.

— Ted Murray (@tmurrayis) 16 July 2018

We have not noticed this issue on any of our devices, but it seems pretty common. It’s worth noting that we’ve been receiving complaints about this issue from users running older versions of iOS 11.