Apple iOS 9.2.1 Has A Great Secret Feature

One of the most popular (and justifiable) criticisms of Apple is that it doesn’t take enough care ensuring older devices run well on new software. In fact this accusation has twice resulted in lawsuits against the company. In response iOS 9.2.1 appears to have a trick up its sleeve…     

iOS 9.2.1 was released earlier this week and appeared to be an innocuous update concentrating entirely on security and bug fixes. Or at least that was what Apple’s official release notes said. But not so fast.

Obsessive iOS speed comparison YouTube user iAppleBytes has discovered iOS 9.2.1 brings significant speed improvements to both the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5. Both still lag behind iOS 8 in boot times, but the majority of apps now open either as fast or slightly faster and scrolling is noticeably smoother. In this a stark comparison to both phones on previous iOS 9 releases, which were like running through treacle... backwards.

This performance shift and, in particular, the secrecy behind it is interesting because speed degradation of the iPhone 4S from iOS 8 to iOS 9 is at the heart of the current lawsuit. This could potentially explain why Apple did not mention the improvements in the iOS 9.2.1 official release notes: it would admit guilt.

Consequently there now seems little reason for iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 users who have been doggedly sticking to iOS 8, not to give iOS 9 a try. Their reluctance up to now has been understandable since there’s no way to downgrade from iOS 9 once the switch is made.

On the other hand, users with jailbroken iPhones may want to remain cautious as there’s currently no publicly available jailbreak for iOS 9.2.1 - though that may change soon.

Ultimately iOS 9.2.1 (*that* ongoing bug aside) is showing itself to be a very solid upgrade and these under the hood speed boosts are the cherry on the top. Now let’s hope future iOS updates continue to make further performance improvements for older devices and that they won’t require the ‘coincidence’ of legal action…

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