Apple’s latest iOS update is making some iPhones “unusable,” forcing users to seek help from professionals at the tech giant’s stores.
Many of these frustrated users have sought help on social media platforms, claiming that their apps have crashed and their smartphones are freezing.
One of these unfortunate iPhone owners told DailyMail.com that his smartphone was updated on Wednesday morning, but the screen was unresponsive when he tried to unlock it with a swipe.
Only once you took it to an Apple store and asked them to “revive” the device did it start working properly, but there are ways to repair broken iPhones at home using a laptop.
The latest version of iOS 17.4 has left some iPhone owners’ devices “almost unusable,” but there is a solution
“I woke up this morning and noticed that my phone had updated sometime overnight,” the unfortunate iPhone told DailyMail.com.
But strangely, his phone showed the home screen that says “hello” in different languages, like the screen when you turn on a new iPhone for the first time.
“It said at the bottom to swipe up to continue, but the screen wasn’t responding at all,” he said. “I tried restarting the phone several times, but it didn’t improve.”
“The Apple store employee said the update probably crashed and made the phone think it was still installing, which is why it was unresponsive,” he continued.
“Another person was in the store in front of me with the same problem,” he added. I think they did the same with him.
Apple’s latest operating system for iPhone, called iOS 17.4.1, was released “over the air” (OTA) starting March 21, 2024.
But to update to the latest software, an iPhone must have a certain amount of battery and be connected to WiFi; otherwise the system will update automatically.
And it seems that those who have waited to download are suffering from errors.
“My Uber app literally won’t open, it’s stuck on the app home page.” reported an iPhone owner on Reddit.
“Even after reinstalling it, restarting my phone, doing the hard reset, it still doesn’t work.”
They added that his phone is “almost unusable.”
One commenter noticed that their phone’s audio stopped randomly, their AirPods didn’t switch between devices, and even the keyboard was buggy.
DailyMail.com approached Apple with questions about why users are experiencing these issues.
To fix the problem, Apple Store staff are connecting iPhones to a laptop and reinstalling iOS completely.
This solution will work even if you have already downloaded iOS 17.4.1, according to reports on social media from users who have done so.
Apple sends over-the-air (OTA) updates, they are uploaded to devices over the Internet and do not require you to connect your phone to a computer.
According to Reddit users, this can be done at home.
A user reported that a revised version of iOS 17.4.1 was available through iTunes and that Apple had quietly released it.
This revised version can be downloaded by connecting the phone to a computer and downloading the iOS update in iTunes.
When Apple sends OTA updates like this, they are uploaded to devices over the Internet and don’t require you to connect your phone to a computer.
However, an OTA update may not be made immediately for all users.
For an OTA update to occur, the device generally needs to be plugged in and connected to WiFi, not mobile data. You also need to have enough free storage space.
With an OTA update, even if your iPhone is set to stay updated automatically, the device usually needs to be plugged in and connected to WiFi (not cellular data) and have enough free storage space.
If any of these conditions are not met, the update will be delayed. So even though iOS 17.4.1 came out more than two weeks ago, some people are only now having problems.
Typically what happens with an OTA update is that you will receive a push notification during the day warning you that the update will begin at night. Then the next morning you wake up to a notification that the update has been done.
But in this case, if your iPhone behaves worse after the update, you may need to update again with the revised version of iOS 17.4.1.
According to Reddit users who tried it themselves, performing the update with a computer fixed the issue.
Do you have problems with your iPhone? Share your story with us by emailing peter.hess@mailonline.com.