iOS 7 on iPhone 5 Review: One Month Later

On September 18th, Apple finally released its iOS 7 update, the update that it announced at WWDC 2013 and the one that replaced iOS 6 as the companys latest and greatest. September 18th was a month ago and now, its time to take a close look at how iOS 7 has fared on Apples previous iPhone, the iconic iPhone 5.

In June, Apple announced iOS 7 to the world, showing off a number of its big time features including AirDrop, its revamped core features including Notifications and Weather, and of course, its new look that is drastically different from any piece of software that Apple has ever released for the iPhone, iPad and the iPod touch.

The company attached a fall release date to the software, a sign that it would be coming alongside the new iPhone, and in mid-September, after an iPhone 5s launch, Apple pushed the iOS 7 update to owners of its iPhone 5, iPhone 4s, iPhone 4, iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad mini and the fifth-generation iPod touch. The updates release was unfortunately marred by installation issues but that didnt stop millions of users from installing the new software on day one.

In the days after, we offered up our impressions and initial thoughts on the iOS 7 release, taking a look at the updates on the iPhone 5, iPhone 4s, iPad 3 and iPad mini in particular. Now a month later and just a day ahead of the iPad mini 2 and iPad 5 launch, its time to take a look at how the iOS 7 experience has been for the past month.

Since the arrival of iOS 7, weve seen not one, but two iOS 7 updates in the form of iOS 7.0.1 and iOS 7.0.2. The latter of the two arrived for all iOS 7 users just a few weeks ago. Here now, we take a look at how iOS 7.0.2 and iOS 7 as a whole have held up over the course of the past few weeks and take a look at what we expect as we move forward into 2014.

Overall Performance

Battery Life

So far, Ive had extremely good luck with iOS 7 battery life on the iPhone 5. While Ive heard some horror stories about battery drain and what not from friends, family and from iPhone users around the globe, my device hasnt experienced any of the battery drain issues that are seemingly plaguing many iPhone users after installing iOS 7.

I am still able to get a full day of use on Wi-Fi. When I am strictly using 4G LTE, the battery life is noticeably worse but I still dont have to charge the phone until I am getting into bed. This is the same type of battery life that I got when using iOS 6 and its the type of battery life that I was expecting from a brand new, overhauled mobile operating system.

In regard to the issues that others are having, perhaps I have really good luck. But I think its more likely that its the apps I use and how I use the phone that play into the fantastic battery life that I get.

Bugs

I havent encountered any major issues with iOS 7 on the iPhone 5, save for one. While iPhone 5s owners are dealing with reboots, I havent seen those. iPhone 4s owners are dealing with lag but the lag issues that I had have subsided on the iPhone. They still are present on the iPad. No, the only issue that has marred my experience is the iMessage bug.

After installing iOS 7.0.2, my iMessage began to act funny. I was no longer able to send iMessages and had to depend on texts. It was something that was extremely frustrating given how reliant I have become on Apples message service. As I found out later, this is a widespread issue and for some people, much worse than not being able to send iMessages.

Some people simply arent able to receive iMessages from other iOS users. For many, this might seem trivial, but for those that have limited texting plans, its a pretty raw deal. Fortunately, thanks to a temporary fix, Ive managed the problem but its still a problem nonetheless. Fortunately for those that have encountered it, Apple says that it will be fixing the flaw with an update.

Connectivity

Lots and lots of people are having issues with Wi-Fi in iOS 7. Weve reported on it several times and its a bug that has lingered since the introduction of iOS 6. There are some temporary fixes that owners can try but at this point, there is no clear cut fix for the issues and its not clear if Apple is going to tackle the issue down the road.

Lucky for me, my iPhone 5 hasnt experienced any connectivity issues when it comes to Wi-Fi or 4G LTE. Both connections have been stable in unknown and known Wi-Fi networks and AT&Ts 4G LTE network is as fast and reliable as it has ever been. Given the amount of people that are complaining about these issues, I feel fortunate.

What I Like About iOS 7

New Look/Apps

As many iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users know, the look of iOS 7 is different than the look of iOS 6. The UI is flatter, the icons are different and the colors are vastly changed. I liked the look of the software when I first saw it at WWDC and I liked it when I finally got hands-on with the final version of iOS 7 just a month ago. That hasnt changed.

The look and feel of iOS 7 felt a little alien at first but over time, I have come to appreciate what Apple has done. The new icons have grown on me, even the garbage disposal looking Settings icon. And its the little things like the color changes to match the background color that really make iOS 7 a piece of software to marvel at.

What I also love is the fact that many of the applications I use the most, Twitter for example, not only run beautifully but have receive massive design changes to match the operating system. Twitter looks fantastic, so does the Facebook app. Great looking applications that work, cant ask for much more.

Control Center

As I said in my initial review of iOS 7, Control Center, the little menu that can be pulled up with a swipe from the bottom of the screen, was going to be a feature I used, a lot, and that hasnt changed. I continue to depend on Control Center on a daily basis and its, maybe pathetically, the feature that I find myself using the most.