To update or not update?

[iMore Question]

Hi!,
I'm really at the end of my rope and I don't know what to do! I had an iPad 2 that was in perfect working order until I made the mistake of updating to ios 8 and subsequent ios "fixes'. These updates have literally rendered my iPad useless . I've tried everything suggested on the internet and nothing has helped. It is extremely slow, freezes constantly, causes certain programmes to crash and seems to have a mind of its own..doing things I've no control over etc.
Last Christmas though, I received an iPad air with ios 7 on it. I wasn't to crazy about the look of it and was happy with my iPad 2 so I didn't really use it until this happened. However when I went back to start using it, noticed it has a couple of problems that weren't there before so not sure if something happened when I transferred everything over from iPad 2. When using Safari, regardless if there's 1 tab open or more, it closes the program on me and more frustrating, my battery runs down so fast it's crazy. Again nothing I've tried has helped. I realize that other people are having these issues with ios 7 but I'm scared to update ios after all the problems it's caused my previous iPad. My iPad air is literally brand new even though I had it for a year because it hadn't been used till now. I can't tell you how frustrated and upset I am over all this and I just don't know what to do. I'm not very computer savvy but can follow directions. I would really appreciate any help or suggestions because as I said, I'm really at the end of my rope here! Thanks in advance!
Lisa

 

[kch50428]

I'm not very computer savvy but can follow directions.

Is there an Apple Store near you? They have classes you can sign up for to learn how to get the most out of your device... otherwise, you can go here iPad - Apple Support and read up on things... including how to update the iOS on your iPad.

 

[photovary]

Hi Lisa,
In my experience, iPad2 is not powerful enough to make use of ios7/ios8. Therefore, its performance usually goes down under ios7/ios8 depending on what you do on iPad2. For iPad Air, its hardware capability is good enough. It can run under ios7/ios8 without problem for most of daily work.

 

[enchanted13]

Hi Keith. Didn't mean to imply that I'm totally ignorant. I've had my iPad 2 and now iPad air for a few years now and so am completely familiar with them and their programs. Just meant that when it comes to troubleshooting or quick fixes that I wouldn't know what to do except to follow instructions from manuals or online suggestions. So if you had any suggestions on how to fix some of the problems with my iPad 2 for example, you'd have to lay it out for me step by step. I guess what I'd really like to know now is if I should update my iPad air since I saw what it did to my old iPad and though I realize that it would be different with my iPad air since it has more power etc., there's still so many people online having trouble with their iPad air's after updating their systems and I really don't know what I'd do if these same problems started affecting my new iPad.

 

[enchanted13]

Hi photovary! Thanks for the reply. As I said, am fearful now to update the operating systems on my new iPad air not only because of what happened to my iPad 2 as I realize that it's completely different and didn't have the same power etc., but also because I still keep reading about people having problems with their iPad Air after upgrading. So just to clarify, you believe it would be better to upgrade to iOS 8.1.3 ? Do you think this will correct the problems I'm currently having with safari crashing and my battery dying after 2 hours? Thanks again for the help.. It is much appreciated!

 

[natasftw]

You should consider the situations you're discussing before trying to apply them to each other.

With the iPad2, you're talking about an older device that was working well on the older iOS. Upgrading pushed the limits of its computing power and you saw a reduction in your experience. While not ideal, it's expected. It's part of why Apple stops providing support to older devices in iOS. With any more upgrades, the device won't be functional and you'd hate it even more. That's why you won't likely be able to upgrade it further.

With the iPad Air, it's a newer device. It's already having problems. Those problems, assuming you don't have some random apps draining your battery life, are related to the hardware or the iOS. If they're related to the hardware, you likely have a bad device that you should take Keith's advice and visit the Apple Store to discuss. However, their first troubleshooting step will be to restore the device as new and see if the problem persists. This checks to make sure your iOS installation is clean and there wasn't anything else causing problems.

In terms of losing things, it sounds like you're running iOS8 on the iPad2 and iOS7 on the iPad Air. If any apps require iOS8, they wouldn't install on the iPad Air so I'd expect you'd have an app or two that wouldn't transfer from one device to the other. You can check that by opening the App Store on the iPad Air and see if you can download the app manually. If it tells you the app isn't supported, you'll have your answer.

 

[rayz336]

I'd recommend restoring the iPad Air and setting it up as new


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[enchanted13]

Thank you all. I value and appreciate your opinions and advice and believe I now have a better understanding of what I'm dealing with and how to proceed. Thanks again!

 

[smartwallpapers]

you don't have to if you don't want to