iPhone XS Anyone still using an Iphone XS? I'm still on ios 12.4 beta. Need advice?!

[I7guy]

Nonsense.

I respect your anecdotal opinion. I dont believe the facts are anything more than anecdotal opinions.

 

[Andeddu]

I respect your anecdotal opinion. I dont believe the facts are anything more than anecdotal opinions.

Additional battery drain on later iOS versions is very real in the case of my iPhone 6S which has had its battery replaced with a brand new OEM one. I have also posted my OGSE’s reasonably impressive results on iOS 15 with a new OEM battery.

I prefer having a fully functional device rather than one which can only carry out select tasks so you’ll never see me neglecting to keep my iOS updated to the newest available version. Despite what FeliApple keeps saying, the A9 iPhones still perform very well on iOS 15 and are usable. The battery drop on the 6S is a separate matter which precludes it for use as a daily driver.

 

[Andeddu]

Yeah, it’ll run, but slowly. I guess it’s better than Safari not running at all, but a few websites aren’t worth the trade-off, in my opinion. I have keyboard lag on iOS 13, I’m very surprised about that.


Completely agree. If I had one and if it were minimally compatible with what I needed, I’d have no problem at all with using an iPhone SE 1st-gen on iOS 10 as a main phone. I’d be really happy with one. Neither do I have one nor is iOS 10 compatible with what I need at this point, sadly.



Yeah, you need the compatibility and it’s fine. Apple makes it impossible to circumvent these issues if you don’t have another device to rely on. You end up having to buy something anyway at some point, which I something I’ve always thought. When it gets to the point in which using an original iOS version bothers me, it’s probably time to upgrade regardless. If I were to constantly update, because of my own requirements and expectations, I’d probably want to upgrade as soon as an update slightly decreases anything. I was fine with my 9.7-inch iPad Pro as my only iPad when it was on iOS 9. I immediately wanted a new one after Apple forced it out.

Like I said, iOS 10 isn’t really compatible anymore, so it’s understandable that it wasn’t working for you. Safari also really struggles on iOS 10, and forget about running newer apps.

Yeah, if you keep the 13 updated it’ll probably need a battery replacement after enough versions have elapsed. The 6s, like you experienced, sadly plummets with low battery health when updated, so I don’t think you can get out of replacing that one eventually, too. It gets to the point where it’s completely unusable, and the sad part is that it doesn’t even need to be destroyed. You had said that at 82% it was unusable already, and I have an 82% health 6s on iOS 13 and I agree.

As far as my battery replacements go, I don’t think I’d need even one. My iPhone Xʀ is over 4 years old. It has 93% health. It has 93% health because I get absurd hours of SOT due to efficient, light usage, and also because it’s on iOS 12. I charge slowly and I avoid heat. My 6s on iOS 9 was at 90% health after 3 years of it being my daily driver. This approach really works for me. More or less counting the hypothetical amount of cycles I’d have now, I’d most likely be close to 80% health with way less cycles than my current 6s on iOS 10 has. If that one works with 63% health on iOS 10, the 6s is definitely working with 80% health on iOS 9. Or maybe it stabilises and I’d be at something like 86% health, which would definitely not need a replacement. I’m obviously speculating, but looking at my battery health history, I really think I could use an iPhone for a decade as a main iPhone and never have to replace a battery. iOS compatibility issues would obviously preclude that from happening, but if, hypothetically, compatibility were completely fixed forever on all iOS versions, it’d be a massive amount of time before I ever see any issues, and I’m not sure I’d even see them. I don’t use my iPhones enough to degrade them, especially with my precautions on an original iOS version.

We’d all love to have the best of both worlds and have batteries last a long time without being affected by iOS updates however that’s not our reality.

The sad fact is that iOS updates do reduce battery life and we aren’t sure if this is the result of planned obsolescence or battery life tanking due to increased processing requirements.

Either way, I think newer phones are less affected due to their size. For instance, iOS 17 runs extremely well on my 13 and the battery life lasts me all day. This is probably the result of a far larger battery capacity than previous phones such as the 6S, 7 and 8. I expect the 13 to be very usable as a daily driver even on iOS 19 or 20 however we will have to wait and see. The MagSafe battery charger is also an excellent compromise which provides an additional approx 70% battery life and isn’t particularly inconvenient when compared to a traditional battery pack or a battery case.

 

[FeliApple]

We’d all love to have the best of both worlds and have batteries last a long time without being affected by iOS updates however that’s not our reality.

The sad fact is that iOS updates do reduce battery life and we aren’t sure if this is the result of planned obsolescence or battery life tanking due to increased processing

Yeah, absolutely, and I don’t think it’s too relevant, either. Do we really care if Apple does it on purpose or not? I think the only thing that matters is that it happens and Apple clearly isn’t interested in either fixing it, or acknowledging it happens and allowing downgrading as a result. I’d love to be able to update for full compatibility knowing I can either go back freely, or if that’s not the case, having the certainty that everything will be as perfect as it is on the original version, but that’s not the case. As long as this happens I will continue to run original versions of iOS.

Either way, I think newer phones are less affected due to their size. For instance, iOS 17 runs extremely well on my 13 and the battery life lasts me all day. This is probably the result of a far larger battery capacity than previous phones such as the 6S, 7 and 8. I expect the 13 to be very usable as a daily driver even on iOS 19 or 20 however we will have to wait and see. The MagSafe battery charger is also an excellent compromise which provides an additional approx 70% battery life and isn’t particularly inconvenient when compared to a traditional battery pack or a battery case.

Agreed! I’ve often stated that this is another solution. Make the initial battery life so good that it doesn’t matter if you halve it afterwards, it will still be perfectly usable for a full day almost regardless of usage.

The iPhone Xʀ was the initial step in that direction. iOS 17 users report around 6 hours of screen-on time. Assuming heavier usage than my light usage (because I see the apps used), and knowing what I get with different usage patterns, that’s about half of what I’d get on iOS 12. But it’s usable. It’s not, like you mentioned, the 6s when updated. It’s not perfect, but you can use it.

The 13 Pro Max was incredible on iOS 15, with Apple stating that you can get up to 28 hours of SOT. That’s with very light usage and nobody can get that, but with moderately light usage, 20 should be possible on iOS 15. Even assuming that on iOS 20 updates halve that, it’s still 10 hours. Totally fine for one day. And perhaps Apple gets a little better, perhaps they drop it to 12-13. Perhaps fine for two days if the user is a light user.

I’m not hopeful about a fully updated iPhone ever matching an original version one, but perhaps, at some point, they can be good enough for a moderately heavy day, like original version devices are. The iPhone Xʀ is not quite there yet, but maybe the 13 will be. It certainly is the candidate from the iPhones that have been released since the Xʀ pretty much ended the battery life question on original versions of iOS (everybody found it great back on iOS 12, with it repeatedly been called a two-day phone).

Me, personally, I’d say the iPhone 6 Plus ended the battery life question on original iOS versions. I had the 7 Plus on iOS 10 and could comfortably get around 11-12 hours with light use, or 75% of the Xʀ’s battery life.

Sadly, nobody remembers Plus models because they were obliterated by iOS updates, unlike the Xʀ, which is usable.

 

[CraigJDuffy]

Completely false. Another very repeated myth. Battery life will not decrease regardless of battery health if the device is on its original iOS version, and if the device is updated, replacing the battery will not match the original iOS version. This is another paltry myth that people who haven’t tried staying behind keep repeating.

You are literally wrong - physics is physics.

 

[FeliApple]

You are literally wrong - physics is physics.

You’ve never tried it, have you?

 

[CraigJDuffy]

You’ve never tried it, have you?

I have old devices running their original OSes and they still experience wear and tear like new devices.

 

[FeliApple]

I have old devices running their original OSes and they still experience wear and tear like new devices.

Which devices do you have on their original iOS versions? Just curious. I’ve been running iOS devices on original iOS versions for over a decade and I’ve never experienced any issues. The only issues I’ve had happened when I was forced to update by Apple.

 

[CraigJDuffy]

Which devices do you have on their original iOS versions? Just curious. I’ve been running iOS devices on original iOS versions for over a decade and I’ve never experienced any issues. The only issues I’ve had happened when I was forced to update by Apple.

iPad 5,6,7 and 8th gens - we use them at work and avoid updates for stability. Their batteries degrade just the same as my personal devices which I update.

 

[FeliApple]

iPad 5,6,7 and 8th gens - we use them at work and avoid updates for stability. Their batteries degrade just the same as my personal devices which I update.

I’m extremely skeptical, especially on iPads. People use decade-old iPads with no issues and a 3 or 4-year-old iPad is degraded?

My 7-year-old 9.7-inch iPad Pro saw a battery life degradation when it was forced into iOS 12 from iOS 9 by Apple back in 2019, but it’s been stable ever since.

Just to be clear, I’m not saying battery health doesn’t degrade. The health itself drops like any device would, I’m saying it doesn’t impact battery life. (Screen-on time). My 9.7-inch iPad Pro is at 83% health and it will continue to drop, but like I said, battery life is stable (around 10-11 hours, down from 14 on iOS 9).

 

[I7guy]

I’m extremely skeptical, especially on iPads. People use decade-old iPads with no issues and a 3 or 4-year-old iPad is degraded?

My 7-year-old 9.7-inch iPad Pro saw a battery life degradation when it was forced into iOS 12 from iOS 9 by Apple back in 2019, but it’s been stable ever since.

Just to be clear, I’m not saying battery health doesn’t degrade. The health itself drops like any device would, I’m saying it doesn’t impact battery life.

That’s true as long as the current draw keeps going downhill.

(Screen-on time). My 9.7-inch iPad Pro is at 83% health and it will continue to drop, but like I said, battery life is stable (around 10-11 hours, down from 14 on iOS 9).

 

[FeliApple]

That’s true as long as the current draw keeps going downhill.

Sorry, I didn’t understand this, what do you mean?

 

[Fozamo]

The problem nowadays (since probably as early as the A9 chipset devices, perhaps?) is battery life, not performance. Devices mostly perform well when updated (mostly, they aren’t amazing but they’re half-decent), but battery life is a lot worse. For somebody who’s been running the original iOS version (12), for years, they will definitely notice a performance degradation when updating from one minute to the next to iOS 17, but likely they’ll say that “it isn’t anything catastrophic, and it works fine”. Battery life, on the other hand? It may be as much as 50% worse. That’s the main issue nowadays.

My 9.7-inch iPad Pro was forced from iOS 9 into iOS 12 a few years ago (version which it still runs), and performance was mostly unaffected, but battery life was an immediate 25% decrease, which it never recovered from.

iOS 12 to 17? The user will most likely notice some animations aren’t as smooth, and slightly delayed loading and response times, but honestly nothing that cannot be disregarded as “negligible”, especially if you aren’t a perfectionist when it comes to that. Battery life is a whole different world. It may be the difference from a device that’s good for a whole day to one that needs to be “looked after” all the time, with middle-of-the-day plug-ins and a significant degradation.

I think this is the main point here. I updated my 11 Pro from iOS 15.2.1 to iOS 17.2 last week and there are very few "slow down" moments (if any). But if with iOS 15 I was getting 40% at 10pm, now it's 20%.

 

[FeliApple]

I think this is the main point here. I updated my 11 Pro from iOS 15.2.1 to iOS 17.2 last week and there are very few "slow down" moments (if any). But if with iOS 15 I was getting 40% at 10pm, now it's 20%.

Yeah, the usual. Would probably be over 50% on iOS 13. What’s your screen-on time to 20%?

 

[Fozamo]

Yeah, the usual. Would probably be over 50% on iOS 13. What’s your screen-on time to 20%?

Not very much and those numbers are with BH 100% (replaced a few weeks ago)

 

[FeliApple]

Not very much and those numbers are with BH 100% (replaced a few weeks ago)

Yeah, that looks awful. I think that on release it was similar to my Xʀ (which still runs iOS 12), but that’s only a shadow of what I get today on iOS 12.

6 hours on a full charge at best is very, very mediocre, unless brightness is at max.

 

[Jason B]

Everyone here can make laugh if you want, but I'm still on 12.4 on my Iphone XS. It runs awesome and I've been afraid to update it. (WHen I ask people at apple or At&T I will hear complete opposite answers like "Don't update it now, it's going to run super super slow on the new software!", or I hear "Yes, update it, it will run quicker!"

I never liked updating because there is always a new issue. I'm a power user and am on this phone 8 hours a day for work stuff. The issue now is, some apps won't run anymore. I hate how apple basically forces you to upgrade. I wanted some opinions from the power users here. Maybe I should make a new post, but wanted to post here first.

Ok big update here. I finally broke down and got a Iphone 15 pro with 17.4 ios on it. Even though I replaced my battery with an extended battery many months aho (made the phone last forever) more and more apps started breaking on that old firmware and I couldn't update them on that old ios. The phone ran great but I didn't want to slow it down with updating the ios. Again, I was scared to update that old phone thinking it would super slow it down.

The new 15 pro is blazing fast and is working good. I restored from an Itunes backup from the Xs still on 12.4. The backup took 7 hours, 512 gig XS that only had 40 mb of free space lol. THe new phone has USB C so when I did the restore to the new phone I thought it would do it much much faster since usb C on the iphone 15 is supposed to be super fast. The restore took close to 6 hours. I'm guessing maybe due to the fact there are a ridiculous amount of photos. If anyone is stuck on a phone with an older ios and doesn't want to update the phone in fear that it may cripple it etc, I can tell you this 15 pro is freaking fast as hell.
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One other small annoyance on the 15 pro with 17.4. I'm not sure if this was a feature change or not, again, I came from 12.4 beta firmware.

In text messages, say someone texted you today, and you went in and deleted the individual text from them, (this would move the conversation back down your list to say yesterday or the last time they texted you, and that message wouldn't show up at the top of your screen still) Now with ios 17.4, if you delete say all the texts someone sent you today, their message thread still says up at the same spot from the original time stamp that was sent to you. It doesn't know to put that message down in your list further after you delete the single messages. I don't know when that changed? or if it's a bug in the new ios.

Or say you send a new text today to someone that that haven't texted in a few days ago... If you delete your own message that you just sent them after you send it, it still has their message thread at the TOP of your phone, it doesn't push it back to a few days later where it should be.

 

[FeliApple]

If anyone is stuck on a phone with an older ios and doesn't want to update the phone in fear that it may cripple it etc, I can tell you this 15 pro is freaking fast as hell.
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It’s obviously not the same. iOS 17 on a 15 Pro != iOS 17 on a Xs.

Just wanted to note that. Just like iOS 12 is flawless on A12 Bionic and it isn’t on the iPhone 6 Plus.

But yeah, ultimately that’s my ideal advice: keep your iOS device on its original iOS version forever and you’ll get a new one when you upgrade.

I had my iPad on its original iOS version and got the then-latest iPadOS 15 when I upgraded to the iPad Air 5. It’s the best way.

 

[Jason B]

I had an XS on ios 12.4, and was afraid to try the XS on ios 17... I never tried it as I thought it would cripple it.

 

[FeliApple]

I had an XS on ios 12.4, and was afraid to try the XS on ios 17... I never tried it as I thought it would cripple it.

It would have! I agree with that. I use an iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12.

 

[Jason B]

It would have! I agree with that. I use an iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12.

Cool! We were very similar then. My phone just wouldn't let me do the necessary things I needed anymore, so was forced to get newer phone. I'm happy to report though everything came over and it's fast as hell.