Summary: If you're sticking with an older iPhone or iPad, or working in a business setting, upgrading to iOS 8 may be premature. Here are six good reasons not to upgrade just yet.
Ahead of Wednesday’s release of Apple’s latest mobile operating system, a good number of users should steer clear of iOS 8 — at least, for now.
The new software includes dozens of new features, including a number of productivity tweaks, continuity between iPhones, iPads, and Macs, and a bevy of business-ready features designed to entice prosumers and enterprise users alike.
But not everyone will want to — or necessarily should — install the latest version on their Apple smartphones and tablets.
Before you download the software, which will be rolling out across the globe from Wednesday morning in your locale and throughout the day, you should think before jumping the gun.
Here are six important considerations:
1. Most apps will work, but the full experience won't land just yet
The vast majority of iPhone and iPad app developers will have used iOS 8 long before it was widely released on Wednesday. That gives them enough time to ensure their apps and services run with the latest software, with the benefits of the new features and developer hooks.
But some apps will fall behind the curve and not work — or fail to appear in the update list — because of an incompatibility issue.
In some cases, apps that were previously available may not be downloadable, in part because Apple approves each app before it can be uploaded to the App Store. Some apps can be stuck in this queue for weeks.
2. Upgrading will kill your jailbreak. A new one could take a while
Many users "jailbreak" the software — opening it up to unapproved apps, system tweaks, and other features that Apple buries deep down in the system, typically out of sight.
Some iOS 7 users already have a jailbroken device. In doing so, it voids the warranty, but opens up the device to extreme customization. Upgrading will all but certainly kill that jailbreak. And another one may not land for weeks, possibly months — it depends on how strong and secure Apple makes the software.
It’s been quiet on the iOS 8 jailbreak front, with very few iPhone and iPad hackers offering a firm timeline for offering their jailbreak wares. There’s almost no doubt many security experts and hackers will be working tirelessly on it from the moment they land their hands on the new software. But don’t expect anything immediate, even if some versions of the software have been cracked in less than a day.
3. Early adopters may experience a few bugs, quirks, and hiccups
There’s little doubt that, with Apple’s user base reaching into the hundreds of millions of users worldwide, iOS 8 will be of an exceptionally high quality. But even up to the last minute, the technology giant will be working out flaws, bugs, and quirks in the mobile software. In some cases, Apple will even call it expected behavior — even if it doesn’t seem like it.
Up until now, the testing pool has been limited to select beta testers and developers. As it widens out to the general public, expect a few bugs and flaws that haven't yet been ironed out.
Those who upgrade on the first day may over time experience some issues or flaws, which are typically addressed in minor iterative updates over the coming weeks and months. It could lead some users frustrated by the slow update process.
4. Using a work phone? Your IT department might not be ready
Apple has included a number of enterprise-focused features, including strong passcodes, VIP message threads, roaming policies, and the latest government-grade encryption standards.
But some corporate users may not be allowed to upgrade to the latest software until an IT administrator or chief information officer approves the software.
Some sideloaded or internally developed apps, or mobile device management (MDM) solutions, may not yet be compatible with iOS 8. Some IT departments avoid new versions until all the bugs are ironed out, or until a better, more stable version of the software is released.
If you upgrade without permission from work, you could even find your device barred from use on the corporate network.
5. Older devices aren't fully equipped, may experience slowness
iOS 8 is compatible with iPhone 4s and later, iPad 2 and later, and iPad mini and later, along with iPod touch (fifth generation). Although compatible, older devices may not run the software with the glitz and the glamor of newer devices, which have better processors, more memory, and greater storage.
Users should be aware that older devices may be slow or sluggish at times, particularly if the device is low on storage or when running multiple apps at the same time.
If you are on an iPhone 4s and iOS 7 and you’re already having troubles, an upgrade to iOS 8 may not help you much.
6. Downgrading can be tricky, if not impossible
Once you install iOS 8, you’re stuck with it. That is, unless, you save "blobs" and other files, which the very vast majority of users won’t do, let alone know about.
As with other recent major iterations of iOS, it has become increasingly difficult (if not impossible) to downgrade to earlier major versions of iOS.
Even with some files saved, it often requires third-party non-Apple apps, and this process is not officially supported.
While there are several reasons why you might want to wait, I want to take advantages of some of the new features of iOS 8 – likeQuickType, iCloud Drive and Continuity – right away. Here's how to step in front of the line and grab Apple's newest bits before Cupertino voluntarily pushes it to your device.
iOS 8 will be available as an over-the-air (OTA) update for the iPhone 4s and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad mini, and the fifth-generation iPod Touch starting at around 10:00 a.m. PT (1:00 p.m. ET) on Wednesday, September 17, 2014, but that doesn't mean you'll see it in your Software Update panel right way.
Apple releases major, whole-number iOS updates as "rolling" releases (sometimes referred to as pulsing) to ease the congestion on its network and to ensure that most users will have a positive experience downloading and installing its latest release. It's like those traffic lights at some onramps that artificially slow the flow of cars onto the freeway during rush hour.
Rolling releases are common sense. If Apple pushed iOS 8 onto everyone's device at exactly 12:01 am PT, it's servers would melt down and cause a lot of grumbling on blogs and in the media. Besides, not everyone wants to download iOS 8 today – and hey, it's not the new U2 album – so why melt the global fiber optic lines and tax Apple's brand-spankin-new Content Delivery Network (CDN) unnecessarily? It's not good business.
If you want to get iOS 8 first, here are a some tips.
- Backup all your target iOS devices right now. Don't wait for iOS 8 to land only to remember that you didn't make a backup. Do it now, so that you're ready to go as soon as iOS 8 hits your Settings app. This document explains how to backup your iPhone or iPad to iCloud (usually my preference) but iCloud is going to start slowing down under the traffic soon, so you might want to backup via USB to iTunes for greater speed.
- Clear out the cruft. If your an app hoarder or have a lower capacity iOS device, take a trip to Settings > General > Usage and ensure that you have at least 2.5GB of available storage. iOS 8 is a large download and it won't install if you don't have enough free space.
- If you're a registered developer (and impatient), you can download the "iOS 8 GM Seed" (short for "Golden Master") version of the code right now. It's labeled "build 12A365" and was posted to Apple's Developer Center on September 9. While the final release can sometime vary from the GM, this doesn't happen often. Beware: the full restore .ipsw file is a weighty 2.0GB (iPhone 5s) and 2.2GB (iPad mini) so prepare to wait even on a fast connection.
- One of its dirty little secrets is that Apple doesn't push software updates automatically to your Settings app. Sometimes you'll see the red software-update-is-waiting badge on your Settings app, but most times you won't. In order to get the iOS 8 update as soon as possible, you need to manually touch Settings > General > Software Update and force it to check.
- Lastly, if you're tired and need to get some sleep before the big day, make sure that your iPhone or iPad is connected to Wi-Fi and power before you go to bed and it will continue to check for the iOS 8 update overnight. If you're lucky, it'll be waiting for you when you wake up in the morning. (If you don't see the push notification or Settings badge in the morning, touch Settings > General > Software Update to force another update.)
- Pro Tip: Update all of your iOS apps now (easily done with "Update All") ahead of the iOS 8 release. There's a crush of updates coming out day-and-date with iOS 8 and Apple's CDN may buckle under the load of the increased traffic (remember the horrible video stream from Apple's live event?).
