16/16 Update below. This post was originally published on August 13th
Apple iOS 13.6.1 is here and it finally fixes a serious, long running iPhone issue. Can the new update, for those who want to upgrade, match the gold standard set by iOS 13.6? It looks good.
Tip: Bookmark this page as I will keep you posted as / when new issues are found. I will deliver my final verdict in a week.
Apple iOS 13
For whom is it?
iOS 13.6.1 has been released for every iOS 13 compatible device. This means the iPhone 6S and newer and the 7th generation iPod touch. If you are not prompted to upgrade automatically, you can check manually by navigating to Settings> General> Software Update. Beta testers, if you have iOS 14 (more on this in the ‘The Road Ahead’ section at the end), you will need to unregister your iPhone, otherwise iOS 13.6.1 will not appear.
iPad owners, Apple has moved you to iPadOS. This is not an iPadOS-oriented guide, but I will address related issues in these manuals.
15/15 Update: While complaints about iOS 13.6.1 remain low, there have been some additional reports fan charging problems for a small number of iPhone owners after upgrading. Affected users find their iPhones refuse to charge, charge extremely slowly or require multiple connection attempts before their phones start charging. At this time, this only seems to be affecting wired charging and only a handful of users have reported it so far. That said, I’ll keep an eye out here to see if numbers increase as more and more users install the update. View this space.
16/16 Update: Again, there are a small number of iPhone owners who are reporting issues with charging after upgrading to iOS 13.6.1. This seems to be a very niche issue (so your chances are affected to extremely low), however it is clearly something that has surfaced with this update. That said, Bluetooth and WiFi performance issues, which have been raised several times since iOS 13 was released – especially in relation to CarPlay, seem to be fixed in the end, as I have no single report of issues on iOS 13.6 .1 have found. Thus, unless there is a showstoping issue in the coming days, it seems that Apple has done a very solid job with this update.
The Deal Breakers
While the Checkra1n jailbreak still works on iOS 13.6.1 for the iPhone X and older, newer iPhones will find that the latest Apple update will break your jailbreak. Unc0ver will be on the case, but it has recently fallen behind with no jailbreaks newer than iOS 13.5.
For everyone else, the first 24 hours were very positive. I have detected isolated reports from camera glitches, a bug with SMS notifications and a charge issue but that’s about it. Even Reddit seems happy, which is weird.
So what do you get?
Apple’s official iOS 13.6.1 release notes list the following three fixes:
- Fixes an issue that prevents unnecessary system data files from being automatically deleted when the available storage is empty
- Fixes a thermal management issue causing some displays to be exposed to a green tint
- Fixes an issue where exposure notifications for some users could be disabled
All three are clearly important, although it is Apple’s first official confirmation of the green tint bug that will set tongues out. First reported in June, Apple tech support has approved some display replacements for this issue, but others were turned away and one even reported by an Apple store manager that it was “a feature of the phone”. Hence, although late, it is great news that Apple has definitively fixed this issue and found a fix with software.
As for security patches, Apple’s official security site confirms that there is none in iOS 13.6.1. This is not uncommon for a ‘minor point’ release, especially after the widespread fixes in iOS 13.6.
Apple iOS 13.6.1 Verdict: A Cautious Thumbs Up
While I always advise cautious upgrades to wait a week for potential issues to be seen, the initial response to iOS 13.6.1 looks very positive if you would like to update now. Apple has a track record of delivering stable releases towards the end of each iOS generation and iOS 13.6.1 seems set to go through with it. Apple has come a long way since iOS 13’s dumpster brand launch.
I will continue to check reports as the number of iOS 13.6.1 upgrades grows and deliver my final verdict in a week.
The way forward
Apple iOS 14 is now in its fourth beta release and it looks already substantially polished than iOS 13 ever was. It’s also Apple’s most ambitious upgrade in years, bringing home screen widgets, an app drawer (aka ‘App Library’), compact notes from Call and Siri, photo-in-photo video, an overview of messages, cycling routes to Apple Maps, advanced language translation and much more.
Many of these upgrades plug-in that iOS had compared to Android, but iOS 14 also highlights where Apple has a major advantage over its rival: support. While Android handset makers will start offering support for up to three years, iOS 14 will again support any iOS 13 compatible iPhone. Yes, that means the 2015 iPhone 6S will continue to receive features and security updates deep into 2021. That’s great.
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