Upgrade iPhone 4S to iOS 8.1.2 ?

14 Dec 2014 18:57:14

Steve Ryder

My 4S is still running happily on iOS 7.1.2. I have hitherto been disinclined to go to iOS 8 as some deterioration in performance has been identified on the internet forums, however Michael C. gave me a quick run through which I found encouraging, and I would like to update in order to be able to maintain compatibility with my iMac which I would upgrade to Yosemite, and also to be able to avail myself with future upgrades.

I would be very interested to hear of the experience of others with this upgrade, in particular, if the move to iOS 8.1.2 brought a significant reduction in speed, or reduced battery life, and also which of the enhancements which come with iOS 8 are actually available to such an ageing iPhone?

Re: Upgrade iPhone 4S to iOS 8.1.2 ?

15 Dec 2014 11:19:23

Mick Burrell

I'm running iOS 8 on a 4S. I noticed the slow down initially but only in launching apps etc. not in the general running. It was noticeable at first but I don't really notice it now. The only feature I find useful is the ability to link the phone to my Mac. I prefer to use proper English in texts, not 'text speak' so find a full keyboard an advantage.

My phone dies quite quickly after the battery gets down to 40% but I think this is due to the age of the phone/battery and not iOS 8. I don't think I'm charging it any more frequently than I used to so I haven't experienced extra battery usage but then perhaps I'm not taking advantage of all the features of iOS 8.

I can't see iOS 9 running on a 4S but we shall see next year.