iPhone 7/Plus Some thoughts on iOS 14 running on iPhone 7

[AMSOS]

I've been using iOS 14 on the IP 7 for a few days now, and I am mostly happy, and thought I'd share some observations with you guys.

Overall, the 7 is working quite smoothly, much more than I expected. I think the pioneering A10 is showing its abilities here. The only issue continues to be battery life--not due to the upgrade, but the IP 7 has generally had a low battery backup since launch.

Safari is so much more smoother and faster than even on my IP 8 on iOS 13. That's impressive! I also noticed that there is a Safari button right beneath the search bar, encouraging you to look up internet search on Safari. Clearly, this is meant to undercut the Chrome influence-cheeky!

All that cluttering in the share menu is now gone and there's just one row of app icons. But then it's still irritating to select a person's name every time you want to send them a file. Why can’t there be a frequently contacted list tucked away somewhere?

I've also noticed that the 7 heats up more than later models. This happens even under not much load, and especially when the camera sees work. In general though, it's amazing to see how well it works on a much older phone like the 7.

On that note, I am keen to know if the IP 7 will also get the iOS 15 upgrade next year? Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[C DM]

Safari is so much more smoother and faster than even on my IP 8 on iOS 13. That's impressive! I also noticed that there is a Safari button right beneath the search bar, encouraging you to look up internet search on Safari. Clearly, this is meant to undercut the Chrome influence-cheeky!

Can't say I notice Safari working that much different than what it worked like before iOS 13. What is the Safari button that you are referring to?

All that cluttering in the share menu is now gone and there's just one row of app icons. But then it's still irritating to select a person's name every time you want to send them a file. Why can’t there be a frequently contacted list tucked away somewhere?

I think that aspect of it is the same as in iOS 13 and it's just that sometimes the frequently contacted list seems to disappear for some people, based on some discussions in the iOS 14 forum.

I've also noticed that the 7 heats up more than later models. This happens even under not much load, and especially when the camera sees work. In general though, it's amazing to see how well it works on a much older phone like the 7.

Yeah, I've been noticing that a little more, although over time it seems to get better.

On that note, I am keen to know if the IP 7 will also get the iOS 15 upgrade next year? Any thoughts?

Since 6s also got iOS 14 it seems that it would still need to be dropped before iPhone 7 would be, which means that iOS 15 isn't likely to exclude iPhone 7.

 

[AMSOS]

Can't say I notice Safari working that much different than what it worked like before iOS 13. What is the Safari button that you are referring to?

Oh, I just meant that I see Safari written beneath the search field. I could type my DuckDuckGo search item and press this Safari button that opens my search in the browser. Clearly, a lot of people will do this.
This button used be parked way down in the "Search in Apps" along with "Search App Store" and "Search Maps." I never noticed them, until now.

I think that aspect of it is the same as in iOS 13 and it's just that sometimes the frequently contacted list seems to disappear for some people, based on some discussions in the iOS 14 forum.

Oh, I see. That's strange. But it's such a simpler look and easy to use. I'll report back more on this in the coming days, if I notice something interesting.

Yeah, I've been noticing that a little more, although over time it seems to get better.

That's interesting. I really hope it improves in my case too. Otherwise, the phone is working quite nicely, and I'd like to keep using this as my daily driver. I really wish they had worked more on the battery. Clearly, things improved a lot with the iPhone 8, which had ironed out all these issues.

Since 6s also got iOS 14 it seems that it would still need to be dropped before iPhone 7 would be, which means that iOS 15 isn't likely to exclude iPhone 7.

Glad to hear this! I might just use this for at least one more year

 

[Khaleesi Kendall]

Overall it runs beautiful on iOS 14.
I have notice a bit of lag when typing. Battery life is terrible

 

[AMSOS]

Overall it runs beautiful on iOS 14.
I have notice a bit of lag when typing. Battery life is terrible

I see. I don't feel any lag while typing. Did you erase the phone after upgrading to iOS 14 and fresh install apps? That has never failed me, so far.
I would battery life on my phone continues to be what it was when I bought it new. Which is to say, quite mediocre.
I am noticing some bugs, though. While texting I message alert suddenly goes up as if I increased the volume.

 

[Khaleesi Kendall]

I see. I don't feel any lag while typing. Did you erase the phone after upgrading to iOS 14 and fresh install apps? That has never failed me, so far.
I would battery life on my phone continues to be what it was when I bought it new. Which is to say, quite mediocre.
I am noticing some bugs, though. While texting I message alert suddenly goes up as if I increased the volume.

yeah I get the volume bug too.

 

[bbedford59]

erase the phone? seriously? I must have missed the upgrade warning. I get a lag of a couple seconds when I try to type a text message. VERY ANNOYING. I can start pressing keys, and they seem to be registered in the buffer, but it tasks a couple seconds before any text appears. My phone is iPhone 7+, w/256GB. Perhaps they no longer test their new OS on older devices, but if that's the case, they should refuse to install. I'd rather have an old iOS than have issues like this.

 

[Khaleesi Kendall]

erase the phone? seriously? I must have missed the upgrade warning. I get a lag of a couple seconds when I try to type a text message. VERY ANNOYING. I can start pressing keys, and they seem to be registered in the buffer, but it tasks a couple seconds before any text appears. My phone is iPhone 7+, w/256GB. Perhaps they no longer test their new OS on older devices, but if that's the case, they should refuse to install. I'd rather have an old iOS than have issues like this.

Yeah i think it is an iOS 14 bug in general. I still get a little lag on my xr and 12

 

[dyusem]

My 7 running 14 experience has been all of the above (except for the heating & battery issues), so it looks like an ip12 pro is in my future, especially since the ip7 camera underperforms more than overperforms.

While the lag issue has actually gotten better than it was a few weeks ago, I align with was mentioned above, Apple should age out hardware from iOS upgrades sooner than later because causing a user to have a bad experience is really bad form and further diminishes the brand.

PS And what is with the volume bug?! I thought that it was just me

 

[n1smo]

I did a DFU mode restore a few days ago and the phone is running much smoother. This was the first time I’ve reset/restored the phone since I purchased it new from the Apple Store many years ago but even before the restore, the performance was acceptable. I had to reset the phone in DFU mode because I lost auto-brightness after I replaced my screen (after I damaged the Touch ID ribbon while switching out the battery). The DFU restore brought back the functionality and as a plus, the battery life and performance has improved. Give that a shot if you are having issues with the phone. This is my daily and I have no desires to upgrade to a new phone.

 

[AMSOS]

erase the phone? seriously? I must have missed the upgrade warning. I get a lag of a couple seconds when I try to type a text message. VERY ANNOYING. I can start pressing keys, and they seem to be registered in the buffer, but it tasks a couple seconds before any text appears. My phone is iPhone 7+, w/256GB. Perhaps they no longer test their new OS on older devices, but if that's the case, they should refuse to install. I'd rather have an old iOS than have issues like this.

no lag here at all. It's not the fastest but that's to be expected given the age of the IP7 platform.
If possible, do try to erase and fresh install.
The other reasons for the lag could simply be worn our memory chips. That happens if you save and erase big chunks of data frequently. In that case an erase and reinstall will likely not help.
I've so far faced two issues with iOS 14.2 on the IP7--the volume bug which sees the volume suddenly go to high with an incoming text; the phone also gets warmer than it probably used to earlier with several tabs opened in Safari.

 

[AMSOS]

My 7 running 14 experience has been all of the above (except for the heating & battery issues), so it looks like an ip12 pro is in my future, especially since the ip7 camera underperforms more than overperforms.

While the lag issue has actually gotten better than it was a few weeks ago, I align with was mentioned above, Apple should age out hardware from iOS upgrades sooner than later because causing a user to have a bad experience is really bad form and further diminishes the brand.

PS And what is with the volume bug?! I thought that it was just me

They seem to be unaware or don't really care. It's irritating and a potential embarrassment. They've worked out all kinds of bugs with iOS 14.2 but ignored this one...