Q: Iphone 3G slow after update to IOS4

I've carried out every single fix mentioned in this enormous thread and all of them have only a temporary benefit.

However, I have found that turning off all Spotlight, auto-correct, auto-capitalisation leads to less lag and crashes when using the keypad.

The only real fix is 4.10 coming this Wednesday, I hope it does sort it because there is no way I can afford the iPhone 4 contracts so will be jumping ship to whatever the best Android phone is when my contract is up in November. If 4.10 does sort it then I can keep my 3g until the iPhone5 is out and I'd be able to afford the iph4 with its price reduction.

My 3G is running reasonably well with iOS4.02 after I restored it as new. The fact that Apple released an operating system that nearly killed a phone that is less than two years old is very disturbing. Next thing you know, they will purposely kill products just outside of warranty or as Apple Care expires. Don't laugh, it can easily be done. It's not like OS10 where Apple did not support machines that were five years old, this is a phone that is less than two years old. Apple, why didn't you thoroughly test the software? Did you think that we could by a new iPhone every time a new one was released? Your AAPL may be increasing in value but my situation has not improved.

I must say, my 3G has improved considerably after I disabled spotlight.
However, it is still half way between the iOS4 nightmare and the joy of 3.1.3.
Many Apps still crash, and the erratic behaviour persists.
Good luck

Something happened Saturday when I synced my 3G - it's still a little slow, but the GPS issue is resolved and the phone hasn't crashed since. Is it possible they slipped a backdoor fix in without telling anyone???

With 99 pages of posts before me I know I'm late to this topic, but I too have been very disappointed with iOS4 on my 3G phone. It's amazing that Apple ever thought the iOS4 performance achieved by this phone (even w/ multi-tasking disabled) was acceptable (I guess the same group tested this that tested the iPhone 4's antenna). Up until the installation of iOS4 I really enjoyed my phone and was eagerly awaiting my contract to expire to purchase the iPhone 4. But, I now find I can't bring myself to trust a company that would do this to a customer. So, I am looking for the best Android model and eagerly anticipating the switch to Verizon. I know this message will be lost in this cacophony of posts, but it seemed the only way to let Apple know their poor judgment has lost them a customer.

Lifehacker.com has posted a video comparing iOS4.0 and 4.1 running on a 3G: http://lifehacker.com/5628991/iphone-3g-speed-test-ios-40-versus-ios-41

+The video demonstrates the results, but here they are in all their glory:+

+Messages: iOS 4.1 Wins (By a Little)+
+Maps: iOS 4.1 Wins (By a Lot)+
+Photos: iOS 4.1 Wins (Just Barely)+
+Safari: iOS 4.1 Wins (Just Barely)+

+While the speed advantages ranged from marginal to significant, iOS 4.1 clearly outperformed iOS 4.0. It's still significantly slower performance than you'll get from a 3GS or iPhone 4, and we're still not sure it's a big enough improvement that 3G owners will want to ditch iOS 3. The most obvious difference was UI responsiveness. The UI didn't get stuck nearly as much on an interface element or when trying to enter text. If you are set on using iOS 4, the upgrade is worthwhile for that alone.+

I'm still torn over whether to upgrade to the iPhone 4 or not. I tried restoring my 3G with a fresh copy of iOS 4.0.2, and the phone was slightly snappier, but I still had to do a couple of hard resets before everything worked properly again (iPod function would crash, Mail would crash etc). I wish Apple would have just excluded the 3G from the 4 update, performance on 3.1.3 was fine.

I don't expect my phone to be a replacement for my computer, but having to reset the phone because the mail app keeps crashing makes it kind of frustrating to use.

I've been reading through this topic since updating my iPhone 3G to the new software, and I just wanted to share my feedback that I just sent to Apple. Sorry, it's kind of long:


Dear Apple,

A month or so ago I updated my iOS software on my 3G iPhone as prompted by iTunes. I did this because it was billed as an "update." I have had no problems with any other updates offered by Apple on my iPhone, iPod or 5 year old MacBookPro.

However, since downloading the 4.0 "update," my phone has been unbearably slow. Applications shut down unexpectedly or refuse to open at all and it often takes 10-20 seconds to open MMS, the Internet or other standard features on the phone.

I know from doing some research online that this has been a common experience for 3G iPhone users when they update to the new operating system. I am sure that your company is aware of the problem.

But what troubles me is your response to this problem. As far as I can tell the "official" Apple response has been to deny the severity of the change in phone performance or to suggest buying the new iPhone 4. Basically you are not being honest with your loyal customers about the problem and/or deliberately tampering with their Apple products to force them to buy the newest hardware.

Either way, I'm disappointed, and I'm not alone. The tone of formerly avid Apple consumers online is of frustration and anger.

Customer service and quality of products is what has set Apple apart from its competition over the past ten years. It's what Apple is built upon, and what made me personally a complete convert to Apple products. The recent performance issues with my phone and the subsequent response by your company has not made me want to go buy the new iPhone 4. On the contrary, it has made me seriously consider switching to a competitor.

My (and I think most 3G users) request is simple. Let me go back to the 3.1 iOS. The 4.0 software is too much for the 3G. Fine. I get it. Then don't tell me it is an update for my phone; and at least give me the option to return to the old operating system. I know I can do this manually. But why should I spend my time and my energy fixing your mistakes?

I've taken the time to write this email not because I expect any response in return. But because I have been so pleased with your products and service over the past 7 years and I wanted to express my concern for the direction of your company. I hope that you will honestly address this problem soon and offer your customers a viable solution.

Thank you for taking the time to read this comment,
My Name

PS- I have tried the solutions offered by other users online, such as doing two hard resets, turning off all spotlight searches or turning off MMS altogether. These options give only temporary, minimal performance improvements (resets, turning off spotlight) or completely negate the point of having a cellphone.

Message was edited by: FrustratedAppleUser25

Message was edited by: FrustratedAppleUser25

Dont update until the 4.1 fix is proven to fix the iphone 3G laggyness.

First impression dont look too promising and I will be really disappointed with Apple if they cant resolve this for us. So many good products and yet they ruin our phones with crappy software.

I feel your pain.

Your letter is very specific and well thought out and I'd be interested in reading Apple's response.

That said, I "downgraded" my 3G to 3.1.3 a few weeks ago (there are literally hundreds of pages devoted to restoring 3G's to 3.1.3 on the Interwebs) and my IOS4 nightmare is just a fleeting bad memory today.

There's always the risk of bricking your phone (or so said the author of the protocol I followed) but I couldn't live with it the way it was and would have bought a new phone (not an iPhone, on general principle) if I had to live with it after the upgrade so it seemed like a reasonable thing to try.

I did this last night with my iphone 3G, iOS 4.0 and restored it to iOS 3.1.3. Worked perfectly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6DEuTHrmI4

I just hope that apple take care of their costumer and gave us a better upgrade for the OS upgrade for Iphone 3G owner, after all we bought their product and we as a customer should be happy about it !!

I wonder if Scott Adams has a 3G?

http://www.dilbert.com/dyn/str_strip/000000000/00000000/0000000/000000/90000/800 0/900/98953/98953.strip.gif

In the last week I have convinced two people NOT to buy an iPhone. They would have bought a 4G so this problem would not have affected them, but I basically argued that when apple reaches 5G you'll be screwed over like I am now.
I wonder when Apple will realize how much business this is going to cost them. I am NOT upgrading to 4G just to get a fast phone again. It's a matter of principle.

Yeah i did so too

Well may be misery does love company, but mostly I'm relieved to find it's just not me having these issues. It amazes me that Apple has been slow to address - and I get the feeling they have little intention of a fix because so many will just upgrade to the 4. It was fun while it lasted, but I'm not going to reward bad behavior and will be going to a new platform altogether. The phone is just a little better than unusable due to the slow performance.

I did try and revert back to 3.1.3 but it just royally screwed my phone and I had to take it into the Apple Store just to get OS 4 reinstalled. They started to give me a little but of crap about 'tampering' but they stopped when I started to raise my voice