Welcome to the fourth part in our series of troubleshooting articles dedicated to the iPhone 4S. Despite showing signs of age, as seen by its recent performance under the iOS 8 software, this model is still pretty solid with a lot of people around the world still using it. In this part we will be dealing with some of the latest issues that that have surfaced surrounding this models, especially those that appear after the recent iOS 8 upgrade.
If you own an iPhone 4S or any other iPhone model for that matter feel free to send us an email at mailbag@studentnewsie.com. We will be glad to help you out with any concern that you may have with your device. This is a free service we are offering with no strings attached making it an ideal venue for you to find solutions. All we ask is that when you do send us an email be sure to be as detailed as possible so that we can make the correct assessment and provide the best possible solution.
iPhone 4S Reverting Back To iOS 7 From iOS 8
Problem: Hi, Is there a way that I can revert back to IOS7 from IOS8 after install on my iPhone 4S? I did not back up this devices before doing the upgrade. I know I should always back up before any updates, but I’m hoping the fact that I did not might be of help in my case. Any help would be appreciated. BTW: why do I want to do this? Ever since going to IOS8 my device has become much slower to start up and also seem jerky during operation.
Solution: A lot of owners of the iPhone 4S who upgraded the software of their phone from iOS 7 to iOS 8 thought that they would be getting a better user experience however this hasn’t been the case. Several issues are popping up on their phone which was previously working fine on the old software. The quickest way to resolve the issues is of course to go revert back to iOS 7. But is this possible right now?
The answer to the question is it used to be possible but right now the procedure to downgrade is not working since Apple has already stopped signing or authorizing the iOS 7 software. The process involves manually installing iOS 7.1.2 on your phone (the software version will have to be downloaded by you).
The steps involved in downgrading are as follows
Download the iOS 7.1.2 firmware for your device
Turn off Find My iPhone on your device if you have it enabled. Go to Settings → iCloud, and disable the Find My iPhone switch.
Connect your device to a computer with iTunes installed.
Open the device page on iTunes, and hold the Option key while clicking the Restore button. Find the IPSW firmware file that you downloaded in Step 1, select it, and click Open.
A pop-up box will warn you that the restore will delete all data from the device. If you are okay with the restore, click the Restore button. Wait until your device restores, and enjoy your iOS 7.1.2 firmware.
Apple however has stopped signing the firmware which is needed before it can be installed in your device which makes the procedure above unusable.
What I can suggest right now is try the latest update on your phone which is iOS 8.0.2. This update contains several improvements and bug fixes which should more or less resolve any issue you are facing right now with your phone.
Some of the improvements of this version include
Fixes an issue in iOS 8.0.1 that impacted cellular network connectivity and Touch ID on iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
Fixes a bug so HealthKit apps can now be made available on the App Store.
Addresses an issue where 3rd party keyboards could become deselected when a user enters their passcode
Fixes an issue that prevented some apps from accessing photos from the Photo Library
Improves the reliability of the Reachability feature on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
Fixes an issue that could cause unexpected cellular data usage when receiving SMS/MMS messages
Better support of Ask To Buy for Family Sharing for In-App Purchases
Fixes an issue where ringtones where sometimes not restored from iCloud backups
Fixes a bug that prevented uploading photos and videos from Safari.
iPhone 4S On iOS 8 Stuck In Recovery Mode
Problem: Hi, so I recently updated my iPhone 4s to iOS 8 and it’s now stuck in recovery mode and won’t restore. I have tried absolutely everything, won’t even restore in DFU mode. Help??? I have tried restoring it on my computer and it says an error.
Solution: You mentioned that there was an error when you tried to restore your phone using the computer. Were you able to get what error message was displayed?
Before proceeding with troubleshooting your phone make sure that the following requirements are met
You have the latest iTunes software installed in your computer
Your computer is using the latest software updates
Make sure the security software of your computer is not causing the issue (you might want to disable it temporarily).
Unplug any other USB devices connected to your computer. Only your iOS device, mouse, and keyboard should be plugged.
Restart your computer and your phone.
Try to restore your phone again this time but take not of the error number if it appears again. This will help you determine the cause of the problem.
Network related issues
If you get error numbers 17, 1004, 1013, 1638, 3014, 3194, 3000, 3002, 3004, 3013, 3014, 3015, 3194, 3200, or “There was a problem downloading the software,” or say the “device isn’t eligible for the requested build” then this means that you are having a problem contacting the Apple servers. This may be caused by an unstable Internet connection on your end. Try checking your network (router, modem) for any possible problems that may affect the connection.
Security software issues
If you get error numbers 2, 4, 6, 9, 1000, 1611, 9006 then this means that your security software is preventing you from communicating with the Apple servers. The quickest way to resolve this is to temporarily disable your security software.
USB connection issues
If you get error numbers 13, 14, 1600, 1601, 1602, 1603, 1604, 1611, 1643-1650, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, 4005, 4013, 4014, or “invalid response” then there is a problem with the link between your phone and the computer. Try using a different USB cable or try to use a different USB port on your computer.
Hardware issues
If you get error numbers 1, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40, 1000, 1002, 1004, 1011, 1012, 1014, 1667, or 1669 then this means that either your phone or computer has a hardware issue that is preventing you from restoring the phone. If you have access to a different computer then try using it. If the issue still occurs then the problem may be with your phone. You will have to contact Apple support for this.
iPhone 4S Camera Freezes After iOS 8 Update
Problem: Hi, after upgrading my 4s to iOS 8.0.2 (I updated directly to 8.0.2 from iOS 7), after launching the camera app and moving the phone the camera freezes for a few seconds and then it works again. I have restarted the phone and I don’t know what else to do. My camera was working fine when i was still on iOS 7.
Solution: This could be a problem with the update which occurs on the 4S models that may be resolved in future updates. You can however try out the troubleshooting steps below to see if the issue will get resolved.
Force close the camera app
Double-click the Home button.
Swipe left or right until you have located the app you wish to close.
Swipe the app’s preview up to close it.
Restart your phone
Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button on the top of your device until the red slider appears. Then drag the slider to turn your device completely off.
After the device turns off, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button again until you see the Apple logo.
Reset your device
Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo.
Most of the time your camera app should be working fine by now. If you still notice a considerable lag then you might also want to check on the number of apps that are currently running on your phone. These apps use up RAM and the lack of RAM causes your phone to slow down. Determine which apps are running and try to uninstall the ones which you don’t use.
iPhone 4S Battery Drains Faster On iOS 8
Problem: I must say that I’m really frustrated with iOS 8. I knew it would be slow on the 4S, and I happily accepted that drawback when updated, but what I did not know, is that it would drain my battery when I’m not doing anything I wasn’t doing before!! Battery goes 50% faster!! Really frustrated… am I doing something wrong?
Solution: One of the problems several 4S uses who have upgraded to iOS 8 are facing is that the battery life of their phone isn’t what it used to be. There is a significant reduction in battery life which is often quite frustrating since you end up with a drained phone.
What you need to do first is to check the usage statistics of your battery. This way you will get important information as to what is consuming your battery life and adjust your phone accordingly. You can do this by going to Settings – General – Usage – Battery Usage. You will see a screen that displays the apps that are using your battery.
If you find a particular app that is using a lot of battery power the steps you can take are as follows.
Turn off the feature that allows apps to refresh in the background. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and set the switch to Off.
If an app shows “Background activity” listed below it you can set it to fetch data manually or increase the fetch interval.
If an app is using Location activity you can turn this off in Settings > Privacy > Location Services.
iPhone 4S No Cellular Activity After iOS 8 Update
Problem: My phone is unable to activate and/or use cellular data after updating to iOS 8. I have already installed 8.0.2 which promised to fix these issues; and it has not. Google Maps, Chrome, Safari, iMessage…none of these features work unless connected to Wi-Fi. E-mail does not update and the phone is entirely useless without Wi-Fi (even regular phone calls are sporadic). I am at a time in my life where having constant and reliable access to my e-mail, GPS, text messages and phone calls is vital to my daily life. Note- I had NONE of these issues prior to the dreadful update.
Solution: The iOS 8.0.2 update should have fixed most of the problems encountered by users on the previous iOS 8 update. In your case the problem is still present. One quick way to solve this issue is to back up all your data and completely restore your phone using iTunes and setting it up as a new device. This solution is not 100% effective but most 4S users who have experienced the same issue have reported success with this.
Pre-requisites
Make sure you’re using the latest version of iTunes.
Use iTunes to back up your device and transfer and sync any additional content to your computer.
Turn off Find My iPhone in Settings > iCloud on your device to disable Activation Lock.
Restoring your device
Connect your iOS device to your computer using the cable that came with it.
Select your iPhonewhen it appears in iTunes. In the Summary pane, click the Restore button for your device.
Click Restore again to confirm that you want to restore your device to factory settings and delete all data and content. iTunes will download the iOS software file and restore your iOS device.
After your iOS device is restored to factory settings, it will restart, and you’ll see the “Slide to set up” welcome screen. Follow the steps in the iOS Setup Assistant.
Setup your device as new
After your device has been fully restored check its cellular data and see if it now works normally.
If it still doesn’t work then you should also consider the possibility that this may be a network issue or a SIM card issue. Try contacting your network and ask if there are any problems in your area. You should also try to use another SIM card and see if the issue still occurs.
Engage with us
If you have any concerns regarding your iPhone feel free to email us at mailbag@studentnewsie.com. We will provide you with free technical support regarding the issue you are facing with your device. Just make sure to provide as much detail as possible so that we can make an accurate diagnosis.
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