Apple on Tuesday released the final version of iOS 10.2.1, but the update doesn’t bring the one fix many iPhone users are desperately waiting for. iOS 10.2.1 will not improve battery life on the iPhone 6s, or on many older iPhone models that are affected by the dreaded “30% bug.”
Apple did launch a limited battery replacement program, but it only covers certain iPhone 6s models. The 30% battery bug — when an iPhone dies with plenty of battery remaining — has been detailed in various reports so far, prompting one Chinese regulator to take a public stance against Apple.
But as Forbes notes, the release of iOS 10.2 actually made the 30% bug update worse in many cases, and Apple’s iOS 10.2.1 hasn’t brought any solutions.
Apple did acknowledge the problem several weeks ago, hinting that a software update might fix it. But the company did not extend its battery replacement program to cover older iPhones. In fact, Apple recently denied such measures would be taken.
The company already released the first iOS 10.3 beta, but it’s not clear whether it’ll address these battery issues. The upcoming software release is aimed at new features rather than fixing bugs, although it’s likely that the new build will contain various improvements and bug fixes as well.
However, Forbes rightly points out that even if iOS 10.3 does fix these battery issues, the final public build likely won’t be released for another four to six weeks. That means affected users will still have to deal with an iPhone that can shut down unexpectedly, even if there’s plenty of battery life left.
