Apple iOS 16 is full of bugs and iOS 16.0.1 was limited to iPhone 14 models, so iOS 16.0.2 is the first dedicated bug fix for all iPhone owners. The problem is that it is causing as many problems as it is solving. Here’s everything you need to know.
Tip: Bookmark this page as I’ll keep it updated if/when new issues are found. I will give my final verdict in a week.
Apple iOS 16
apple
Who is it for?
Apple iOS 16.0.2 is exclusive to the iPhone 14 models: this is the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Apple has admitted to delays in the automatic update, so if you haven’t received a notification yet, it’s best to activate the update manually by navigating to Settings > General > Software Update. If you are using newer beta software (see “The Road Ahead” section at the end), you must unenroll your device before the update appears.
Note: This guide does not focus on older iOS, iPadOS, or macOS updates, but I will discuss relevant issues in these guides. You can read my iOS 15.7 Update Guide here.
The Deal Breakers
Interestingly, a day after its release, iOS 16.0.2 seems to be causing major problems. These include overly sensitive brightness levels, video lag with the Apple HDMI Lightning adapter, login issues, and severe touch response issues, even for those who didn’t have them before. Ironic when the update is specifically meant to fix this problem.
Currents are also reporting that the update doesn’t fix the camera shake bug it was specifically released to fix. There are also isolated reports of issues with popular apps, including Halide and Instagram, as well as complaints that most other iOS 16 bugs remain, though that shouldn’t be surprising since the update only lists a small number of solutions.
So what do you get?
Apple’s iOS 16.0.2 release notes describe the update as providing “important bug fixes and security updates.” The errors it corrects are the following:
- The camera may vibrate and cause blurry photos when shooting with some third-party apps on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
- The screen may appear completely black during device setup
- Copying and pasting between apps may result in one more permission prompt than expected
- VoiceOver may not be available after restarting
- Fixes an issue where touch input was unresponsive on some iPhone X, iPhone XR, and iPhone 11 screens after service.
The first of these has been a headline news, causing the iPhone 14’s main camera to shake violently, so the fix was urgent, but it doesn’t seem to have been successful for everyone. Setup, copy/paste, and touch response issues were also widely reported, as was the camera fix, the latter of which hasn’t worked for everyone.
iOS 16.0.2 Security
While the iOS 16.0.2 release notes say the update contains “important security updates,” Apple’s official security page claims there are no patches in the release. This is the first time I know of iOS release notes being misleading, so I will continue to monitor the security page for updates.
The iOS 16.0.2 release notes do not match the information on Apple’s official security page
Gordon Kelly
Apple iOS 16.0.2 Verdict: A buggy release
iOS 16.0.2 seems to introduce as many bugs as it fixes, and given that it doesn’t contain security patches, that means it’s not essential. My advice would be to update only if you suffer from any of the five bugs that iOS 16.0.2 aims to fix. But for everyone else, there’s no reason to risk the additional problems this update might introduce.
For those still on iOS 15, stay away, iOS 15.7 is significantly more stable.
Note: Bookmark this page because I will track user experiences and give the final verdict of mle.y in a week.
The road ahead
iOS 16.1 is already in its second beta and will bring a number of new features that were too late to make it into iOS 16. These include: lock screen customizations, support for Matter accessories, “Power Charge of cleaning”, a battery percentage. status bar indicator, a new screenshot UI and more. If you want early access to iOS 16 updates, join Apple’s beta software program.
That said, I expect iOS 16.0.3 to arrive before iOS 16.1 is released in mid-October. Apple still has a lot of cleaning to do.
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