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iPhone 3G slow 4.2.1

So, having rendered the 3G useless for anyone using 4.x, ignored the fact that there is a serious problem, I read that Apple are now abandoning 3G users altogether with the release of 4.3.

Good work Apple, well done.

Mac, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Jan 19, 2011 3:54 AM

50 replies

nim278

Level 1

4 points

Mar 13, 2011 11:23 AM in response to Tech Elementz

If it's so perfectly understandable why a 3-year old phone would be crippled by an OS upgrade, why does (a) Apple even offer this upgrade to 3G users, and (b) Apple not allow you to 'downgrade' ?

auqs10

Level 1

0 points

Mar 14, 2011 6:18 AM in response to terencetheturtle

Several people have noticed: iPhone 3G not supported by newest update of IOS 4.3. The model just came out of the period for warranty and surprisingly or not, they were intentionally left out.
Seems that loyal customers that bought this phone and advertised to others how well works (the "searchers" with a bit of knowledge), are now left outside in developing updates, exactly as those really loyal ones left out by Snow Leopard not supporting PPC (and those ones really were loyal to Apple).
I believe this marketing path to open only to the buying masses ("to sell medicines to the healthy") will do much of damage later. I am really not content about new direction - "buy a new device because we developed new ones, and we won't develop support for the old one".

Mar 16, 2011 4:17 PM in response to Asad Chaudhary

thank you ! excellent suggestion and i am happy again.

Mar 19, 2011 1:50 PM in response to gayle Stephens

I've been an Apple user since 1984 - when I dropped $3500 on the Mac 128 and Apple dot-matrix printer. Needless to say I've gone through many a Mac, iMac, PowerBook, iPod, Airport and iPhone.
I've just about had it with Apple however.

The idiocy, or conspiracy, of not showing which iOS version App updates need (ON THE UPDATE PAGE!)
and forcing you to either check each update manually or risk incompatibilities is pathetic.
Not allowing dropping back to previous iOS versions if the latest update messes up your iPhone/iPod is a lame, if not criminal, way of forcing people to buy new hardware.

And finally, stopping selling of older versions of Mac OS X (for God knows what reason) when they could be posted online and downloaded for a fee or free with little cost to Apple - but instead forcing users to pay outrageous prices to third party companies who have these 'rare' editions.

Now, of course, this all for the purpose of getting people to upgrade their hardware, but I for one am getting pretty fed up with these tactics. After 27 years of using exclusively Apple products I wondering if it's not time to move on, since Apple no longer seems concerned with customers, just their profits.

vgking96

Level 1

85 points

Mar 19, 2011 11:35 PM in response to terencetheturtle

you're crying about a phone thats over 3yrs old

then you should even own a phone because you'll be worse off with any other phone because they get updated every few months and then the older ones loose the equal support just as fast

definitly wouldn't go with a blackberry because they are pretty close to dying off

some companies are even moving from having their whole employee install base from having blackberries to having iphones

Mar 23, 2011 2:56 AM in response to vgking96

so you saying that everyone must just buy the new iPhone every time they make one. dude you are really ignorant in understanding of economics. i hope your mom does not take your iPhone away.

back to discussion, if apple only enabled downgrading then everything would be fine. or just design a 3g OS version that works.

Mar 23, 2011 3:31 PM in response to msgonzalez

msgonzalez wrote:
I could not agree more. I hate my iphone now and will shy away from using it if I can. It is just SO slow. The time it takes me to open my text messages is as long as it takes for any other person to type up what feels like an entire short story. I dont see the point in buying iPhone 4 when my 3G is perfectly fine only trouble is the software. Which is just ridiculous. Perhaps its time to consider a Blackberry.

I have to agree, but blackberry! I can't go there. I'd even be willing to go back to a 2.x version of IOS. My wife and I have the exact same phone she hasn't upgraded since we got the phones. I love using hers but like someone else mentioned, I shy away from using my phone.

I've actually started caring my iPad1 around and use that to make calls via skype number.
very disappointing.

Durero

Level 1

4 points

Mar 23, 2011 9:00 PM in response to Jeff Goldberg

I've been an Apple user since the days of the Apple ][ and have owned many Macs and a couple of NeXT computers.

Apples treatment of iPhone 3G customers makes me furious. My phone is not even out of it's 3 year carrier contract and Apple has already dropped the 3G from it's iOS upgrade support.

Version 4 of the iOS software is unusable because of the location services problems.

I have stopped recommending Apple products to friends and family and I will be looking elsewhere from my needs unless Apple fixes the 3G performance issues.

Mar 24, 2011 12:54 PM in response to ScottyMcC

Here, here, Scotty! I have a small business and bought 5 -3Gs and we are hobbling along on 3.1xx too. Even MS Windows usually keeps an OS, AND MAINTAINS IT, for at least 5 years or so; consider XP, Vista, etc.

Well written, my friend!

Apr 5, 2011 6:13 PM in response to Tech Elementz

My big problem is I had great signal with my iphone 3G in places that most did not get signal and i update to 4.2.1 and now my signal *****, how can i change my software back to the 4.0 version??

Apr 7, 2011 7:40 AM in response to Asad Chaudhary

Asad's solution worked for me too.

Settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset Location Warnings

then

Settings -> General -> Location Services (turn this off)

then

Hard Reset (Hold sleep/wake and home buttons simultaneously until Apple logo appears - about 10 to 15 seconds)

Result: Phone much faster, no problems typing in text boxes in Google maps, contacts or the Quick search feature.

I can confirm that as soon as I turned on Location services and allowed Google Maps to use my location, there were significant delays in typing in Google Maps, Contacts App was scrolling jerkily, and the quick search feature was slow to respond to keyboard input and didn't show any results (I got impatient and left quick search before any search results showed)

...and thanks Asad - I've been searching for a solution to this for months.

I really don't understand why Apple haven't told users that this is what the problem is. It's been really frustrating for me, and sounds like lots of others too.

Apr 9, 2011 12:57 PM in response to terencetheturtle

yes it is true. apple has left the 3g users by the wayside. is this ok? yes and no.
there are 2 sides to the coin.
side A: it's true, a company cannot and should not support old devices for forever
side B: the last updates (4.0+) they did allowed broke the 3g models

so for those of us that still have working 3g hardware that don't want to spend $ for the 4 (especially with the 5 release around the corner), the only solution is to "downgrade" to the version 3 software.
**HOWEVER**
be warned!
A) Apple does not give instructional support or the download to do this. nor will they physically do it at the store. you are on your own.
B) before downgrading; understand you will obviously loose some functions from 4.0+ and that a good amount of apps will no longer function with 3.1.3
C) no back ups stored on your computer that were 4.0+ will work to restore the phone if you downgrade. THUS, ANY DATA FOR THE APPS THAT ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WILL BE LOST! so it's like restoring to the phone you had 2 years ago.

so if you want to down grade as i did. google how to. or email me and i will help you out.
apparently, not only will apple not help you with this but we can also NOT post the instructions and required firmware here in the forum. not sure why.

but trust me. downgrading was the best thing i ever did. my phone works again! (no more super slow "i wanna throw my phone out the window" issues any more)

and if anyone in the greater Los Angeles area wants this done for them for a small fee. also send me an email.

May 2, 2011 8:03 AM in response to terencetheturtle

And still silence from Apple....

It's interesting to read that many other 3G users are very angry about all the issues surrounding iOS4 and Apple's complete disregard for its customers.

Yes I agree that complaing to Apple clearly won't do much, but it can at least highlight these issues to anyone on 3.1.3 thinking of upgrading to 4.2.1 (and there are still some out there).

But to anyone who says, "well the phone is 3 years old, what do you expect?", then let me point out that right up to mid 2010 the iPhone 3G was sill on sale here in the UK. I know this because my partner's sister bought one, from a leading UK carrier, just before the release of iOS4 in June last year. After seeing what happened to my 3G on iOS4, she wisely stayed on 3.1.3 and still is. I wonder how many new iPhone 3Gs got returned when iOS4 came out, after just a few months of ownership?

So, are we to now research the "age" of a phone before buying one? Is it no longer sufficent to be able to walk into a shop and buy a phone in case it has already been manufactured for a long time? These devices cost hundreds and to have the lifespan shortened by the manufacturer themselves, after the point of sale, is infuriating to say the least. Would you buy a brand new car, take it back for a service and expect it to come back virtually undriveable? I don't know how Apple have got away with this.

I'm steering clear from Apple products from now on, which is a shame because I have used them for 15 years, but it seems obvious to me that Apple are losing sight of the very people who made them so successful - its customers.

May 8, 2011 9:50 PM in response to terencetheturtle

Do this.

http://blog.nerdstargamer.com/2011/iphone-location-services-slow/

So far, resetting the location warnings has made location services much snappier and now my phone doesn't freeze up for 5 full minutes and make apps crash for another few minutes after trying to use the maps app.

theosib

Level 1

20 points

Jun 18, 2011 8:15 AM in response to terencetheturtle

I think I may have discovered why this is happening to some users and not others:

My theory is that there is a statistically significant defect rate in the embedded DRAM in the iPhone 3G. In some of these phones (like mine!), iOS disabled half of the DRAM because there's something wrong with it. As a result, iOS4, which barely works in 128MB, is forced to cram itself into 64MB, which just does not work.

There are a couple of free memory usage apps you can get like Memfo and A+ System Monitor. Get one or both and see what's going on. If your phone doesn't have the memory you thought you paid for, complain to Apple.

iPhone 3G slow 4.2.1