Filed under: iPod Family, iPhone
Dear Auntie TUAW: Is My 2.0 iPhone Slow and Buggy?
Dear Auntie TUAW,
I've been looking to see if there was a post about this, but have people been noticing that the 2.0 firmware on their original iPhones has made them slow, partially responsive, and more buggy? I'm looking for a way to downgrade mine until they get it figured out. Thanks!
Signed, David C.
David, read on for the answer from Auntie TUAW.
Dear David,
2.0 instability is a pretty universal issue these days. I haven't played with 2.1, but our tipsters suggest that it's not a great improvement on 2.0. Still, there are ways to keep your iPhone usable without downgrading back to 1.1.4.
First, limit your applications. iPhone instability seems to rise as the number of onboard apps increases. Some users find that they needed to de-install all their apps and re-install them to bring the iPhone back to a harmonious equilibrium. Check out the discussion threads over at Apple for further information.
Second, reboot. A good fresh reboot does wonders for your iPhone's stability, allowing the OS to restart cleanly. A reboot a day may keep that unwanted white Apple away!
Thirdly, consider performing a complete restore if your iPhone seems particularly prone to crashes. After restoring, decline all existing backups. Instead, create a new iPhone identity. This provides you with the cleanest possible installation. Unfortunately, you then have to start re-syncing all your contacts, bookmarks, media, etc. and re-teaching your typing autocompletion choices, but you'll have built the best-possible starting point to work from.
Love from Auntie TUAW!
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Sven Gebhardt said 2:09PM on 7-30-2008
WTF. Seriously. Get a life.
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Ryan Trevisol said 2:21PM on 7-30-2008
Wow, that was the most gimmicky thing I've ever seen on here.
And your post does not address the slowness in using certain apps, like SMS, Notes, Contacts, Photos, Calendar, and iPod.
Techtistic said 2:27PM on 7-30-2008
WTF. Seriously. Post an intelligent comment (at least something mildly humorous) or don't post. This is affecting many people, including myself. It's bad enough having an undelivered promise for a product, but when I can't even use my phone for it's core purpose I think some attention needs to be placed on the problem.
Kev Orng said 3:29PM on 7-30-2008
Well, I appreciated the post. So WTF, seriously, if you don't have anything useful to add, then do me a favour and grumble quietly to yourself in the corner so I can get on with figuring out why my iPod Touch has been buggy since the upgrade.
That Fender Strat Guy said 2:11PM on 7-30-2008
I agree: mine's become sluggish to annoyance - loading up Calendar, Contacts & SMS in particular take 5 seconds or so - a far cry from the almost instant performance under 1.4.
I wouldnt sacrifice the App store... I guess... but it is annoying.
And Aurora Feint can be played only once per install - I love that game :(
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Dan Woods said 9:08PM on 7-30-2008
Mine was very sluggish when accessing Contacts. I disabled Push Syncing of MobileMe Contacts and accessing my address books sped up significantly. Still a bit slow, but...
Still unstable though. If I forget to reset every morning after my morning iTunes Sync, I end up having a random reset and loose my place in any podcasts I'm listening to.
Rick said 2:13PM on 7-30-2008
Gee, Auntie TUAW, you're swell!
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LuminousNerd said 7:40PM on 7-30-2008
That commend just made my day.
Well, not really, the concert I'm about to go to (and the mood-enhancing substance affiliated with it) is going to make my day.
But if that wasn't the case, this comment would make my day.
mre said 2:15PM on 7-30-2008
Yes, My 1Gen iPhone lags, particularly with the Text/SMS feature. When I press the SMS icon, it takes a few seconds before actually displaying any of my messages. Also, occasionally while I am texting someone there is a delay between when I type and what is displayed on the screen.
My iPhone suffered from this even before I was installing apps on it.
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jonathan ober said 2:18PM on 7-30-2008
what kind of comment is that sven. Ive had iphone 2.0 software instability on my phone since the update and it sucks. I dont have a lot of apps or songs on my phone, just slow sluggish pacing when opening up contact list, starting an email or running anything...
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mrengles said 2:29PM on 7-30-2008
I have had no problems with iPhone OS 2.0 at all. for the people that are I'm sure a 2.0.1 update is just around the corner.
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Dave said 2:19PM on 7-30-2008
A reboot is something that people often forget. The iPhone is a computer after all.
And it's easy to do, one just has to load TUAW in Mobile Safari.
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mrengles said 2:30PM on 7-30-2008
Dave said "...load TUAW in Mobile Safari."
You think of all places that TUAW's website would have an iPhone version or slimmed down version at least.
What do you think Erica?
Michael Rose said 2:31PM on 7-30-2008
"iPhone optimized site" -- Dave, I agree with you, and it's in the works.
Jose said 2:59PM on 7-30-2008
Crashing Safari is not what I would call a reboot.
Dave said 3:24PM on 7-30-2008
@Mike R.
I'm so glad to hear you say that.. Seriously.
I check TUAW several times a day, and often on my iPhone. An iPhone-optimized site will be a really nice treat!
PistolPeet said 4:09PM on 7-30-2008
I completely agree about the irony of a non-iPhone optimised website but, let's face it, google reader on the iPhone is so damn good you hardly ever need to go to the actual page unless you're searching for historical posts.
Luigi193 said 8:56PM on 7-30-2008
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20080722134249567&query=google
That should help...
Steve Gates said 2:19PM on 7-30-2008
Ok, Erica's comments were good ideas and everything, but what if this guy really wants to downgrade? She gave no explanation as to how.
Here is how to downgrade to 1.1.4:
http://sleepers.net/news/guides/20-to-114-downgrade/
Hope this helps!
Reply
michael said 2:20PM on 7-30-2008
it would be neat if any of these tips actually worked to fix the problem.
Reply