iOS 15.2.1: An unexpected bug fix for the iPhone

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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributor

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
Contributor

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over two decades to helping users get the most from technology — whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera. Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs.

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Posted in Hardware 2.0

on January 14, 2022

| Topic: iOS

The other day, Apple released iOS 15.2.1, and as is my practice, I downloaded it to my iPhone ASAP.

After all, it didn’t seem like it could be much worse than iOS 15.2 (OK, thinking that might have been tempting fate because, as we all know, it could have been a lot worse!).

Also: I’ve changed the way I charge my iPhone. You should, too

It was a big update — around 800MB –, and according to Apple, it fixed a bug in Messages where it might not display photos sent as iCloud links and patched a problem affecting third-party CarPlay apps.

The only security fix listed for this update is a patch for the HomeKit flaw that could be used to crash iPhones.

Now, iOS 15.2 was messy. I updated to this release while I was traveling around Europe, and the bugs made things painful. Four problems really stood out:

Reduced battery lifeApps are becoming sluggish and temporarily unresponsive.Connection to Apple Watch (and other Bluetooth devices) has become somewhat unreliable.Screen becoming unresponsive to touch (locking and unlocking seem to fix this).

Annoying.

I wasn’t expecting my relief from the 15.2.1 update.

ZDNet Recommends: iPhone 13 Pro Max

$1099 at Apple

But it seems I was being overly pessimistic because the update immediately fixed all these issues.

Battery life improved dramatically overnight, app performance and screen responsiveness were back to normal, and problems with the Bluetooth evaporated.

It was like night and day. And 

Hopefully, we’re hitting an island of stability for iOS 15. It’s about time. But don’t be surprised if future updates bring back old bugs or introduce whole new ones.

But as far as this release is concerned, it gets two thumbs up from me, and I recommend that you install it as soon as you can.

iOS 15

iOS 15.2: Are you experiencing these iPhone problems?

iOS 15.2’s App Privacy Report: How to turn it on, and what it all means

Eight iOS 15 features you need to know about

iOS 15 settings you need to turn off now to save money

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