4 Reasons to Love it and 4 Reasons to Leave it Behind
According to industry insiders, Apple is expected to roll out iOS 10 during the first part of September in conjunction with the 2016 iPhone refresh. That being said, the somewhat maligned iOS 9.3.4 might be the last of the iOS 9 updates—and while it is the newest, it is also proving to be the most problematic.
If you’ve already hit the download button on iOS 9.3.4, you’re stuck with it until around mid-September—unless, of course, you take advantage of the downgrade loophole ASAP. For the iPhone 4 faithful, this might be your last update ever, since iOS 10 will not include the older model iPhones. So, if you’re an iPhone 4 user that hates 9.3.4, you may want to get moving on your downgrade so you’re not stuck with this latest version permanently.
If You Want to See What’s Next, Check Out the Beta iOS 10
If you’re looking to check out iOS 10, there is a beta available for developers and the general public here. (Beware, however—iOS beta is just that: a beta version. It is riddled with bugs and not an acceptable update to 9.3.4 as of yet.)
Why You Should Update to 9.3.4
Security Features are Much Improved
If you bypassed 9.3.3, you missed out on a number of important security updates—and unless you plan on jailbreaking your device, you should download iOS 9.3.4 for the security features alone. You’ll get all the pertinent 9.3.3 security patches with 9.3.4. If you store any sensitive data on your device this update shouldn’t be optional.
You can check out the list of 26 patches if you want to see for yourself. Yes, you read that right: 26 patches in just this one update alone. And if you skipped over iOS 9.3.2 and 9.3.1, you’ll get even more than 26 security patches.
If privacy and security are important to you, you’ll want to seriously consider downloading iOS 9.3.4.
A Few More Reasons to Consider Downloading iOS 9.3.4
- If you’re having iOS 9 issues: 9.3.4 could improve performance in general.
- If You’re on iOS 9.3 and you use Night Shift, the update will allow you to use Night Shift and Low Power Mode at the same time.
- If You Use Google App and you have trouble completing searches because of connectivity issues, the newer version of iOS 9 should help.
On the Other Hand, You Might Want to Avoid 9.3.4 At All Costs
- Don’t update without a backup plan. As standard practice, always back up your device before moving up to the next iOS.
- If you prefer a jailbroken device, leave 9.3.4 alone—otherwise you’ll lose your jailbreak. Once a working jailbreak for 9.3.4 is released, you’ll be good to go.
- If you’re worried about issues and you are doing just fine on 9.3.3, you might want to consider staying there. iOS 9.3.4 users are reportedly experiencing battery drain, Bluetooth problems, Wi-Fi issues, activation problems, app issues, install problems, and even random reboots.
- Don’t install while traveling. When you’re not at home base, you might depend on your device a bit more. This is not the time to switch, especially with the number of buggy issues in this newest version. Wait till you’re home.
If You’ve Already Updated, You May Be Able to Go Back
As of this writing, Apple is still signing off on iOS 9.3.2 and 9.3.3, so users that are disappointed with 9.3.4 can downgrade–for now. As Apple typically only leaves the downgrade loophole open for several days after a new update, it could close at any time. For users who are unhappy with 9.3.4, it’s a sooner-rather-than-later scenario.
Since this might be the last of the iOS 9 updates, you might want to make a move soon.
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