Filed under: iPhone
iOS 4 and iPhone 3G is a match made in... what's the opposite of heaven?
Apple's support forums are buzzing like an angry hornet's nest on reports that iOS 4 has all but crippled users' iPhone 3Gs. By far the most-reported problem is generalized slowness; iOS 4 runs so slowly on many people's iPhone 3Gs that the phones are almost unusable.
The video above, although a parody we've posted previously, is actually a fair representation of what's been happening to the iPhone 3G under iOS 4. Click "Read More" to see some ways to fix the problem.
Like many people, I've experienced problems with my iPhone 3G under iOS 4 from almost day one. Under 3.1.3, I had hardly any slowdown issues at all; after the "upgrade" to iOS 4, I couldn't even run the iPod and Maps apps at the same time without having my music stutter like a record player on a garbage truck. Controls were unresponsive, requiring multiple taps before they'd register. The keyboard lagged so badly it was almost useless. Apps took forever to open, with even default apps like iPod or Messages taking almost a minute to load. When they did finally open, apps crashed left and right. The most annoying thing I was seeing was random freezes in Safari that would lock up the entire phone for 30 seconds or more; not only was the touchscreen completely inert to my commands, even the home and sleep buttons failed to register any input.
I've tried all of the fixes being offered on Apple's forums. I tried re-applying the iOS 4 update, because some people said that worked for them. I tried a double "hard reset" (hold the home and sleep buttons until the iPhone reboots, twice). I tried going into Settings > General > Reset and selected both "Reset All Settings" and "Reset Network Settings". All of these suggested fixes resolved the issue... temporarily. Within no more than a couple of days, all the old issues came back: slow, stuttery performance, app crashes, the works. I hoped 4.0.1 would offer some hope, but no dice. Even under 4.0.1, the problems persisted.
So what's an unlucky iPhone 3G user to do?
First, let me reiterate: if you haven't upgraded your iPhone 3G to iOS 4 yet, DON'T. App folders, an integrated mailbox, and the half-dozen minor improvements that trickled down to the 3G (remember, multitasking isn't coming to the iPhone 3G) aren't worth the hassle. The latest conspiracy theory making the rounds is that Apple made iOS 4 run poorly on the iPhone 3G on purpose in order to encourage people to upgrade their iPhones, but that's hogwash. Apple left the original iPhone off of its list of supported phones for iOS 4, claiming the older phone's hardware simply couldn't handle iOS 4. This was an interesting move considering the iPhone 3G has the same CPU and RAM as the first-gen iPhone. If iOS 4's performance on the iPhone 3G is any indicator, Apple was right to leave the original iPhone by the wayside, and perhaps should have left the iPhone 3G out as well.
If you're already locked into the hell that is iOS 4 on the iPhone 3G, there's really only three courses of action.
1. Downgrade to 3.1.3. Lifehacker posted step-by-step instructions on how to get an iPhone 3G rolled back to the older OS. I haven't tried this, so I can't vouch for its effectiveness; some people have reported issues with getting this procedure to work, while others have noted severe battery life issues after downgrading to 3.1.3. Naturally, Apple doesn't support this procedure, so it's entirely at your own risk.
2. Take off, nuke the site from orbit. Or, in other words, restore the iPhone to factory settings and, rather than restoring your backups, choose to set it up as a new phone. Many users have said this alleviates all of their iOS 4.0 woes, but there's a caveat to this: you end up losing any contacts or media not synced with iTunes, all of your text messages, any Camera Roll photos not synced to your computer, call history, and worst of all, you lose any data associated with your apps, including saved game data. If you're like me and you have dozens of games on your phone with save data representing many hours of invested time, this solution isn't for you. If you don't have many apps, or just don't mind losing that data, then this method may work out for you.
3. Grin and bear it. It's entirely possible Apple may address these issues in a software update. In fact, I'd say it's likely. I have a "friend" who's running iOS 4.1 beta on his iPhone 3G right now, and so far my "friend" has seen markedly improved performance... as in, my "friend's" iPhone 3G is actually usable under iOS 4.1. This is by no means a guarantee that iOS 4.1 will fix everything, of course.
Much like the widely-publicized iPhone 4 hardware issues, it's hard to believe that an issue as widespread as iOS 4's terrible performance on the iPhone 3G could have escaped the notice of Apple's testers. The main appeal of Apple's products, and the main point of differentiation it's pushed in its advertising, is the high quality and ease of use of both Apple's hardware and software. Apple needs to step up its game in its Quality Assurance department before it loses that reputation for good.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 8)
maxats said 12:09AM on 7-23-2010
How dumb do you have to be to install iOS4 on an iPhone 3G? With all of the "not for 3G features" Steve mentioned at the first introduction of iOS4, it was a no brainer that you DO NOT INSTALL IT.
It's like installing Leopard on an older Mac. You gotta have some sense.
And to the author of this article... dude, are you really that daft? ...and then to WRITE about your ill decision for all to see? hahahaha!
Reply
Chris Rawson said 12:22AM on 7-23-2010
Yeah, how could I be so dumb as to install a software update on hardware that officially supports it? Gee, what a ditzy blond I am.
Jesse Madway said 12:25AM on 7-23-2010
Charming comment, Maxats.
deadlyhifi said 12:56AM on 7-23-2010
@maxats, it's comments like yours that make me wish the Internet didn't exist.
airmanchairman said 1:28AM on 7-23-2010
Upgraded to 4.0 then to 4.1, and no regrets so far. Considering what the iOS does on more capable iPhones, I can understand the general slowness, but this I only experience on loading apps for the first time, and thereafter it works smoothly.
Surprisingly, CPU and graphics-intensive apps like X-Plane and X-plane Airliner actually run better than before and, as other posters have stated here, folders is the big bonus. I haven't been restarting my phone daily (maybe just twice so far), though I hear that helps for the general slowness.
My strong suspicion is that those experiencing problems upgraded from 3.1.3 in a non-standard, haphazard manner (i.e. interrupting the process because it was taking too long, which I was tempted to do but didn't). There is a lot of stuff to back up and restore, say, on a 16Gb 3G and patience is the key. My upgrade took the better part of 4 hours (YMMV) but I let the process run its course until it invited user input.
Chris said 1:28AM on 7-23-2010
Indeed. What a douche!
airmanchairman said 1:33AM on 7-23-2010
Sorry, meant 4.01 not 4.1
Phil Mc said 3:42AM on 7-23-2010
Wow, your really wise
maxats said 4:39AM on 7-23-2010
Perhaps I was overzealous in my posting. It's just that I have read many rant/articles on iOS4 running on a 3G. The writing was on the wall for this combination when Steve introduced it. With so many features disabled for it, you had to have known that it is would not be a wise decision to install it. I was in that very situation and opted for a new iPhone 4; because it was very clear that it would bog my 3G down.
I felt this post was basically a dig at Apple for something I feel everyone should have known better about; and was rubbed the wrong way.
That is how I feel about it, and I am very opinionated regarding the subject. However, it was not a nice way to respond. Chris, I sincerely offer an apology if I was insulting.
Dustbreeding said 7:13AM on 7-23-2010
You are an idiot. I have Leopard on a 2001 Powerbook and it runs just fine. The 3G problem is another story. They said it is supported, and it isn't.
diefy1977 said 9:08AM on 7-23-2010
My wife's 3G was so buggy and crashed so often, that I finally decided on a full restore not from back-up. The restore upgraded her 3G to iOS4 and it is very snappy. I am sure if I had not done the restore prior to upgrading, it would be a non-functional mess however.
Matthew said 9:22AM on 7-23-2010
@Chris Rawson
You write for TUAW. You are an Apple Fanboy.
Get a new goddamned phone... there have been two since your 3G piece-o'-crap.
Step up man.
roadsider said 9:37AM on 7-23-2010
Uh, maybe one of the reasons to do it is to get an app that ONLY runs on iOS4. The new Filemaker app requires iOS4, so I carefully upgraded, and you know what? The sun came up the next day. My wife still loves me. I still have a job.
I do experience *a little* sluggishness, not unlike upgrading my old iBook from OS9 to OS X, but overall, it's fine.
If you have no need for iOS4, then yes, think twice, but to be honest, the 3G was slow anyway. The main reason I'm even considering upgrading my phone to a 4G is for a hoped for increase in speed.
Play nice, Maxats. Don't write anything in a public forum you wouldn't say to my face.
Dale said 10:41AM on 7-23-2010
All of the features not available for 3G are new. There were still a significant amount of other new features and bug fixes to make it worthwhile, speed aside. It's not like it was removing features that existed in older versions of the OS.
By all accounts, 4.0.1 has sped things up for many users.
Tom Payne said 1:06PM on 7-23-2010
Others have already commented about maxats's rude/crudeness, so I won't bother to pile on.
Chris, I appreciate your information as I was considering upgrading my 3Gs (realize the experience you write about is a 3G) but based upon the recent errors I've been reading & hearing about with the i04 itself, the limitations of the 1st gen Ipads, the screen issues that accompanied the 27 inch Imacs, I'm doing what I used to do with Microsoft, waiting a few version points before upgrading or updating.
I'm relatively new to the world of Apple (other than the Ipod) having only switched over to a Macbook Pro about 3 years ago.
The initial experiences have been great, better integration between hardware & software, better reliability, etc . . .
However, it seems of late that Apple may be rushing out programs & new hardware to make Wall St. happy, then worrying about software fixes later.
Or maybe that's just me?
Thanks for your warning, I'm running a jailbroken/unlocked 3Gs, for the tethering option & so I can swap out sim cards while in other countries. So I was waiting for someone to publish a blackrain type of program anyway, but was getting antsy about it.
Thanks to your article, I'm no longer as excited as a kid on Christmas Mornings.
luigilouissaint said 8:15PM on 7-24-2010
You...don't have many friends...do you?
iDan said 12:23AM on 7-23-2010
I have ios4.0.1 on my
iPhone 3G and it's not slow at all. Thought there is a few bugs here and there but performance wise it's pretty good
Reply
valexa said 3:33AM on 7-23-2010
Same here, no more sluggish than usual, the video is greatly exaggerated, i can pick up a call just as fast as with 3.0
Moof said 7:43AM on 7-23-2010
It was horribly slow here till I disabled Spotlight (general / home button / spotlight).
Before that it would only run decently right after a reboot.
jameschurchman said 6:24PM on 7-23-2010
mine was sllooowwwww, then i did that double hard reset thing and its faster than ever!!! i am (now) soo glad i have some of the 4.0 features like folders…. do a hard reset and stop moaning !!!