With each software update, Apple changes the iOS platform for the better. When iOS 8 came along, it was clear the experience had grown significantly since the initial iOS release. Even the incremental differences between iOS 7 and iOS 8 were striking.

A new update is exciting because it can bring a new design, new features, new apps, performance tweaks, and much more. But it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. Even though a new update can bring a healthy list of bug fixes, the new software can also introduce new problems.

Apple is great about fixing a lot of these issues, we’ll give them that, but sometimes the wait for the necessary fix – or workaround – can be frustrating. This is particularly glaring when you’re upgrading the software on older iPhones, iPods, and iPads.

These issues aren’t a deal breaker, and many of us still love the platform and our devices. But it would certainly be best if Apple fixed many of these problems before the next software update – which would be iOS 10.

Until then, we’ll have to make due with inefficient workarounds to reduce a lot of the annoying problems. For example, Low Power Mode is fantastic for saving battery life, and because of that, it’s a feature many of us use more than we ever thought we would. But when you need it most, it can be a real pain to activate.

A feature we’ve been conditioned to use often, like Low Power Mode, should be easily accessible. Granted, if you own an iPhone 6s there’s a 3D Touch shortcut to the battery menu, yet this still requires many steps to turn on the battery save mode. In iOS 10, we’re hoping Apple adds a Low Power Mode toggle to the control center, notification center, and 3D Touch menu. This would provide quick, convenient access to an often used feature.

There are other, more pressing problems with that we’ve come to notice with iOS, which we’ll discuss next.

Annoyances iOS 10 Needs to Fix

1. Deleting Photos Doesn’t Actually Delete Them

Perhaps one of the biggest issues we have in the current version of iOS is that when you delete photos, they are moved to a temporary folder labeled “Recently Deleted” that works similar to a trash can. Those pictures will remain in the folder for up to 30 days before they are permanently removed.

This is great if you have a habit of accidentally deleting important photos that you’d like to keep. However, we’ve found it’s more common to have a lot of photos that you would prefer to delete outright.

In order to delete them completely, you first have to delete them from the standard gallery, then you have to navigate to the “recently deleted” folder and delete the photos again. It would be nice to have the option to delete certain photos completely right from the get go.

2. Safari is Much Slower

If you noticed that the new updates (8.0.1, 8.0.2, 8.1 and so forth) have negatively impacted the performance of the Safari browser, you’re not alone. It’s not that the newer updates had an effect on performance, it’s that they’ve had no effect. The problems truly started with the initial iOS 8 and 9 releases.

We’ve experienced poor loading times on pages, delayed response times from the keyboard, and even links that don’t open at all after being tapped. Many believe that the problems stem from the Wi-Fi radio and sluggish performance it offers. To be perfectly honest, no one really knows anything at this point, nor can anyone offer a comment that’s not speculation.

We do know for sure there are problems, and there are several ways to fix them. Keep in mind, these workarounds may not solve anything for you, which is unfortunate. Hopefully, Apple will address this going forward.

Workarounds

– Turn off JavaScript by navigating to Settings > Safari > Advanced and using the appropriate toggle.

– Turn off Safari in iCloud by going to Settings > iCloud and using the Safari

– Install and use a different browser on your device, like Google Chrome, Puffin or Firefox.

– Navigate to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data and clear all temp files.

If nothing else works, try a factory reset of your device.

3. Device Gets Stuck on Apple Logo Screen

We’ve had this happen a couple times, where the device crashes, freezes up, or boots to the Apple logo screen and doesn’t do anything else. The primary recommendation for fixing this is to try recovery mode, but there is another workaround too.

Workaround

Hold down the Sleep/Wake/Lock and the Home buttons simultaneously for 10 seconds. The Apple logo will appear and the device should boot as normal. If it does not and the Apple logo remains on the screen, it’s time to try recovery mode.

1. Hold down the Sleep/Wake/Lock button until the device turns off.
2. Ensure you have the latest version of iTunes, and then plug the device into your computer with the USB cable (while off).
3. Hold down the Sleep/Wake/Lock and Home buttons until the device turns on, and then let go of the Sleep/Wake/Lock button only. You should still be holding the Home
4. A message will appear asking you to connect the device to iTunes, at this point, you can let go of the Home
5. You should now be able to restore your device. Unfortunately, you will lose anything that was not backed up before the Apple screen freeze.

4. Unable to Move Unwanted Email to Trash

This problem has cropped up a few times before, but it reappeared in later iOS 8 and iOS 9 updates. We’re hoping that Apple will fix the problem once and for all before launching iOS 10.

For now, we’ll have to settle for some of these potential solutions.

Workarounds

– Navigate to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendar and then choose the email account you’re having problems with. Next, choose Advanced > Deleted Mailbox and make sure the option is set to Trash. Then choose Advanced > Account and Done, you should be good to go!

– Make sure the following setting is labeled as INBOX. You’ll find it in Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendar > Account >
Advanced > IMAP Path Prefix. If it doesn’t say INBOX then change it and choose Account > Done.

– If all else fails, you can try deleting the account completely from your device and then adding it again.

5. Apps Will Not Update or Download Correctly

We’ve had a few issues where apps would not download or update, instead getting stuck in an install loop. It’s a real pain when this happens but luckily there are some fixes you can try.

Workarounds

– Double tap the Home button and close the problematic app. Then, restart your device by holding the Home and Sleep/Wake/Lock buttons until the Apple logo appears.

– Turn off automatic updates in iTunes and carry them out manually.

– Navigate to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings and then reboot your phone. Keep in mind you will need to re-enter passwords after doing this.

– Delete the problematic app from your device completely, reboot, and then reinstall from scratch.

– Sometimes other apps you have installed can cause issues. You might try uninstalling apps you don’t need or use one-by-one to see if they are the culprit.

6. Severe Battery Drain after an Update

This is one of the worst problems to experience, especially if you complete an update before you take off somewhere or head to work – places where you’ll need your phone charged and handy.

Sadly, there’s not much you can do about this one and it’s a pretty widespread problem. There are workarounds obviously, but there’s no guarantee any of them will work for you.

Workarounds

– Again, try deleting or removing apps that you don’t use or need. Sometimes apps can be the culprit of serious battery issues when they run in the background. You can check this info in Settings > General > Usage > Battery Usage.

– In many cases, a factory reset can help, but make sure you install all your apps from scratch and not from a backup.

7. Personal Hotspot Gone

Many people have been surprised to find that their personal hotspot has disappeared with the latest iOS updates. It has yet to be confirmed, but this seems like a bug. Luckily, there’s a simple way to fix the problem.

Workaround

1. Navigate to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data and type anything in the user name field. It doesn’t matter what you type.

2. After doing that, go back to the Settings menu and you should see the Personal Hotspot option has returned.

3. If it has not returned, go to Settings > Mobile Data > APN Settings and ensure the carrier settings are identical to those you see listed under the Personal Hotspot

What problems have you had using iOS 9? Let us know in the comments below!

Featured Photo Copyright: alexey_boldin