6 in 10 apple iphone users surveyed who have upgraded to iOS 18 or higher are having difficulties; Call connection and drop issues top challenge reported

January 12, 2024, New Delhi: It is not often that upgrades don’t live up to expectations and instead create problems. Since its initial release in September, Apple iPhone users who have installed iOS 18 software have reported issues ranging from connectivity problems to batteries draining faster, touchscreen responsiveness, glitches in iMessage, less efficient controls, confusingly redesigned apps, etc.

To address some of the new problems many encountered post installation of iOS 18, Apple released iOS 18.0.1, a software update, to fix a bug that caused the touchscreen to become temporarily unresponsive in certain situations. It also addressed problems with the ultra-wide camera that caused it to freeze when recording macro mode videos in 4K without HDR, messages app to quit unexpectedly when replying with a shared Apple Watch face, memory allocation problems or security issues.

The next upgrade iOS 18.1.1, which introduces a feature called Apple Intelligence, while offering convenience through tailored suggestions and deeper Siri integration, has also raised important questions and concerns about user privacy. Thereafter, the next version released was iOS 18.2, which had an updated advanced Intelligence feature, such as image generation tools and system-wide ChatGPT integration. However, according to many iphone users, the upgrade has also failed to resolve some of the problems. iOS 18.3 beta was released after that and many users of iPhone are still reporting facing a variety of issues.

After over a hundred posts and comments were received in different online communities related to issues faced after upgrading to various versions of Apple iOS 18, LocalCircles conducted a pan-India survey of iPhone users. The survey received over 47,000 responses (31,000 from users of Apple iPhone devices and nearly 16,000 from users of Android devices) located in 322 districts of India. 67% respondents were men while 33% respondents were women. 42% respondents were from tier 1, 27% from tier 2 and 31% respondents were from tier 3 and 4 districts.

6 in 10 apple iPhone users surveyed who have upgraded to iOS 18 or higher are having difficulties; Call connection and drop issues top challenge reported

The survey first asked iPhone users, “If you are an Apple iPhone user and have upgraded to iOS 18 or higher, are you facing any issues?” Out of 14,775 who responded to the question 25% stated “yes, most voice and OTT calls don’t connect or drop”; 13% stated “yes, some voice and OTT calls don’t connect or drop”; 12% stated “yes, screen of the phone goes dark”; 12%”yes, apps are hanging”; 12% stated "yes, facing other issues”; and 38% stated “no, not facing any issues though I upgraded to iOS 18 or higher” software. To sum up, 6 in 10 apple iPhone users who have upgraded to iOS 18 or higher are having difficulties, while call connection and drop issues are the top challenges reported. Qualitative feedback from the users clearly indicates that users are facing these issues independent of the mobile network or WiFi internet and these issues have reported started occurring after upgrading to a version of iOS 18.

Nearly 9 in 10 apple iPhone users surveyed who have upgraded to iOS 18 and are having difficulties attribute it to the iOS; No one attributed it to their WiFi or mobile network

The survey next asked iPhone users, “If you are an Apple iPhone user and have up graded to iOS 18 or higher and are facing issues, what do you attribute them to?” Out of the 17,088 who responded to the question, 88% stated “upgrade to iOS 18 or higher” and 12% stated “other root causes” not mentioned. To sum up, nearly 9 in 10 apple iPhone users surveyed who have upgraded to iOS 18 and are having difficulties attribute it to the iOS; No one attributed it to their WiFi or mobile network.

4 in 10 android users surveyed who have upgraded to android 15 are having difficulties; Apps hanging is the top challenge reported

The survey then also attempted to find out whether the problems being faced by iPhone users are unique to them or are users of the other major mobile operating system, android, also facing problems. The survey asked Android users a question, “If you are an android user and have upgraded to android 15 or higher, are you facing any issues?” Out of 15,731 android users who responded 33% stated “yes apps are hanging”; 12% stated “yes, facing other issues” not mentioned; 44% stated “no, not facing any issues though I upgraded to android 15 or higher” and 11% of respondents did not give a clear answer. To sum up, 4 in 10 android users surveyed who have upgraded to android 15 are having difficulties; Apps hanging is the top challenge reported. However, no one reported having call connection or drop issues on the mobile service or OTT front with android.

In summary, over 60% of Apple iPhone users who went in for upgrade to iOS 18 or higher are facing multiple problems which have so far not been resolved and the iOS 18.3 beta version is reportedly not working for users having issues either. Nearly 9 in 10 apple iPhone users surveyed who have upgraded to iOS 18 and are having difficulties attribute it to the iOS. No one attributed the problems to their WiFi or mobile network. Unlike iPhone users, fewer android users are facing problems after upgrade as the survey has revealed that 4 in 10 android users who have upgraded to android 15 are having difficulties. However the challenge does not seem to be with calls of all types connecting or dropping but with apps hanging.

Based on the survey findings, it is clear that Apple needs to figure out the root cause of the problem as multiple upgrades haven’t fixed the issues leaving many users angry and dissatisfied. A silicon valley venture capitalist, Chamath Palihapitiya recently expressed frustration in a video which went viral saying “Is it just me or was 18.1.1 a total turd upgrade. iPhone doesn’t work anymore”. Thousands of such complaints are all over social media. Apple must figure out a way of giving an option to users to roll back the iOS version or initiate a recall of all devices where users are having issues as status quo is not an option.

LocalCircles will escalate the findings of the survey with the CCPA, BIS and MEITY so that appropriate government interventions can take place to resolve the matter in consumer interest.

Survey Demographics

The survey received over 47,000 responses (31,000 from users of Apple iPhone devices and nearly 16,000 from users of Android devices) located in 322 districts of India. 67% respondents were men while 33% respondents were women. 42% respondents were from tier 1, 27% from tier 2 and 31% respondents were from tier 3 and 4 districts. The survey was conducted via LocalCircles platform, and all participants were validated citizens who had to be registered with LocalCircles to participate in this survey.