back to article Snap, crackle ... patch! Apple kicks out iOS 11.0.2 to tackle crappy calls, fix email glitches

Apple has pushed out a software update to address the handful of bugs that were nagging its latest iPhone models and flavor of iOS. The iOS 11.0.2 release consists of a trio of fixes that were reported by fans shortly after the arrival of version 11.0 of the operating system and iPhone 8 and 8 Plus last month. Most notably, …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Can I ask a daft question and this isn't a dig at Apple?

    They don't have that many devices so why is the quality testing failing? I means it's not like Android where there are literally hundreds which to be fair don't get updates anyway.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      It is interesting that only a "handful" of devices were affected. I don't know how many that is, but I know someone who bought an 8 and hasn't had any static on calls so it definitely isn't everyone. If it were some sort of manufacturing defect that would explain why only some are affected, but that can't be it or it wouldn't be possible to fix with an OS update.

      I'd guess there is some component in there that's different for different models, perhaps the DAC, and they needed a software tweak (different hardware register settings or whatever) for the ones that were built with that different component.

      They can test all they want, but if they use different hardware on any phones when mass production begins the testing won't catch it. Given the huge production volumes they require, they can't sole source every single tiny part so I guess it isn't terribly surprising.

    2. fidodogbreath

      They don't have that many devices so why is the quality testing failing?

      They probably tested it on pre-release hardware with no (or very few) 3rd-party apps installed.

    3. Lord Elpuss Silver badge

      ”...so why is the quality testing failing?“

      Arguably I’d say the testing is succeeding; it’s just that it’s the customers doing the testing instead of employees.

      Seriously though - mobile OSen are seriously complicated these days. The kernel can run into hundreds of MBs, and the RTM image is up in the gigabytes. That’s a lot of code (and vulnerabilities) to check so it’s pretty much inevitable that a few will slip through the net.

      1. Arachnoid
        WTF?

        So Self drive Cars,,,,,,,,,,

        Will be full of bugs given the number of lines of code they will have or will they crash too?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: So Self drive Cars,,,,,,,,,,

          Yes, they will be full of bugs. Yes this will cause them sometimes to crash and kill people. The question is whether they'll do this less often than cars driven by people.

  2. Freddellmeister

    Who cares about SMIME attachments? Have they fixed the battery drain?

    1. Youngone Silver badge

      The suddenly awful battery life is my only problem. I have had exactly zero Exchange issues with my 50-ish iPhones (I support a bunch of users), but the battery thing is not great.

      I will let you know when the update finishes.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Exchange issues...

        I'd have to ask how many of the new one's we've deployed to our userbase, but as the owner of the Exchange 2013 environment at $company, I've heard nay a peep out of anyone.

        anon for obvious reasons.

      2. Youngone Silver badge

        OK, it's been 10 minutes, still on 100% battery.

        Good update.

  3. Jay 2

    Still on 10, maybe I should wait until 11.0.3? I have to somewhat agree with the first post, there were quite a few people on the beta (I know of two). Though at times like this I do wonder how many people on the beta were active (bug reporting) participants and how many just wanted to play with the latest and greatest(ish).

    1. Notas Badoff
      Thumb Up

      Wait? Win!

      No idea on 11.0.3, but all this is exactly why people legitimately hesitate to update immediately. Waiting 4 months gives them ~40 less potential problems? I think that makes waiting a winning strategy.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Wait? Win!

        "Waiting 4 months gives them ~40 less potential problems? I think that makes waiting a winning strategy."

        With Android (and this is just a comment not a dig) there's usually the issue of tradeoff between how long you wait after release for all the hardware bugs to be ironed out (like the LG G4 reboot problem) given that the time to the end of updates is also shrinking, but so is the cost.

        I have a feeling there's a potential non-linear program there varying by vendor which gives you the maximum bang per buck with the minimum potential hassle. Where's Big Data when we really need it?

        I suspect that if you don't want the very fastest processor the MBPBMPH of some of the second tier vendors like Sony or Huawei (though they re heading for first tier) may well exceed Apple or Samsung, but it's something that would be nice to have quantified. Does paying the Apple price actually pay off in duration of updates and device longevity, or does your hardware and software stay more current if you buy reasonably high spec Androids once the price has dropped significantly?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Wait? Win!

          Whether 'paying the Apple price' pays off in duration of updates and device longevity depends on how much you value duration of updates and device longevity.

          Sure, you can buy a higher end Android after the price has dropped a lot six months after release, but you are also six months closer to seeing the last update it'll ever get...

    2. katrinab Silver badge

      I've updated all my iDevices and haven't had any problems, including no problems in connecting to Exchange 2010.

      High Sierra on my MacBook was a different matter. I had to go into recovery mode and restore from backup as I got stuck in a reboot loop.

    3. paulf
      Thumb Up

      @ Jay 2 "Still on 10, maybe I should wait until 11.0.3?"

      I'm still on 10.3.3 and will be waiting until 11.1.2-ish. I don't have to be at the bleedin' edge (security fixes notwithstanding) so I'm happy to let others do the field beta testing. I've seen it said (probably in this fine organ) that Apple get x.0 right for the new HW then concentrate on the older hardware problems with x.1

  4. Don Dumb

    Control Panel

    Have they fixed the 'control-panel-doesn't-really-turn-off-bluetooth/wifi-it-just-disconnects' issue?

    Or is that Apple "innovation"

    1. paulf
      Alert

      Re: Control Panel

      That's Apple Innovation, just like the brave innovation of removing the 3.5mm jack.

  5. ukgnome

    Do you think they rush out the iOS a bit quick? Two patches in rapid succession !!!!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      So you'd prefer to fix bugs every quarter like some other companies?

      1. ukgnome

        No, I would prefer them to drop the latest iOS after testing. My 6s has all manner of weird glitches. Although I get my 8 later, so who knows what soft of user experience I will have with the current fastest smartphone in the world.

    2. /dev/null

      If you look at the release history of iOS, patch releases a matter of days or weeks after a major feature release is very much par for the course. It's an Apple tradition now.

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