iOS 10.2.1 Fixed 80% of Unexpected iPhone 6 and 6s Shutdowns

If you’re the owner of an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, or 6s Plus, you’ll likely know about — or have even experienced first-hand — the spontaneous iPhone shutdown issue that was first brought to light later last year. For those not so “in the know,” an undisclosed number of iPhone 6s devices were reportedly plagued by a since identified issue that resulted in unpredictable shutdowns, oftentimes when as much as 30% of a user’s battery was still in the tank. In essence, several users had logged complaints about their device spontaneously “going dark” — a troubling issue, to be sure, that could only be rectified when the affected device was plugged into an outlet.

Well, it seems as if Apple has been taking a number of steps to mitigate these troublesome issues — and while we can’t exactly say the company has outright eliminated them, altogether, the company is reporting some rather encouraging statistics that have been pouring in courtesy of users who’ve updated their handsets to the latest iOS 10.2.1.

According to Apple, via a report that was published this week to TechCrunch, of the roughly 50% of users who’ve updated their devices to iOS 10.2.1, approximately 80% of iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users, and an estimated 70% of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users, have been enjoying a problem-free device.

“With iOS 10.2.1, Apple made improvements to reduce occurrences of unexpected shutdowns that a small number of users were experiencing with their iPhone,” the company said. “iOS 10.2.1 already has over 50% of active iOS devices upgraded and the diagnostic data we’ve received from upgraders shows that for this small percentage of users experiencing the issue, we’re seeing a more than 80% reduction in iPhone 6s and over 70% reduction on iPhone 6 of devices unexpectedly shutting down.”

Apple was quick to note that iOS 10.2.1 has ushered in the ability for affected devices to restart automatically, without being connected to a power source — while assuring users that these unexpected shutdowns are not a safety issue; but rather, merely an “inconvenience,” and that the company is continuing to take additional steps to fix them entirely.

It appears as if these issues were directly related to the general wear-and-tear that is constituent of simply using a device — charging and depleting the battery, day in and day out, over an extended period of time. Unfortunately, this is just an unavoidable reality of lithium-ion batteries and until Apple — or, for that matter, mobile device manufacturers, et al — can muster up an alternative battery technology, it’s merely something users are just going to have to accept. Apple even makes note of this over on its official website.

Not all hope is lost, however, as we’ve already learned that Apple is hard at work developing a next-generation battery technology, which could easily make the li-ion battery drama an issue of the past, sooner rather than later.

In the interim, for those whose iPhones have been plagued by this issue, Apple’s latest iOS 10.2.1 includes a new feature that makes it possible to restart the device automatically, without plugging it into the wall. Furthermore, the company notes that within the next few days, users running iOS 10.2.1 will begin to see a new “your battery needs service” message when it’s determined that they’ll need to head over to an Apple Store to have it swapped out.