iPhone 3G slow 4.2.1

There are plenty of people using the 3G with 4.2.1 without issues. Have you tried restoring it as a new phone?

Not everyone. Huh? Everyone I've talked to says "Are you crazy? Just get an iPhone 4!" That's beyond irritating. The guy working at the Apple store this weekend admitted that this is a common complaint of 3G iPhone owners. SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW. 4.2 has crippled the 3G. I've got no recourse (I'm not spending another $200 to upgrade a perfectly fine piece of hardware because the code-writers suck) but to start developing a history with the genius bar and hopefully I can get this either resolved or get a new phone.

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 do not understand why everyone is complaining about iOS 4.2.1 on the iPhone 3G. This is already common sense. Putting new software with enhanced features on 3 year old software is obviously going to have quite a performance lost. However, doing things to make it as fast as possible such as having a small amount of apps, etc, will bring it to as much quickness as possible. Anyways, this is quite an unvalid topic. I own an iPhone 3G, and I haven't complained much, because I understand the circumstances of the hardware with the current software. It's good that Apple is not letting 3G users have iOS 4.3, or it would be quite bad...

When Apple decided to make updates to the iOS 3.1 to iOS 4.2 was supposed to explain to users that their iPhone will not work as well as with the previous update and does not promise that it will be better. For this reason, the possibility should be left to the unhappy return to IOS 3.1 if they wish and to realize it at the Apple support and not to any other site. In what would there be a problem?

Hi,
I had the same issue - very slow Location Services on iOS 4.2.1 making my iPhone 3G unusable. Here's something that fixed it after several weeks of frustration / keeping Location Services off:
Settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset Location Warnings.

This deletes your list of apps you've permitted to use GPS in the past (you'll have to re-allow each one) but the performance issue is fixed. Hope this helps.

Seeing as everyone that jailbreaks is saying that they technically own the phone, and they have the right to do whatever they feel like, goes with the idea that running any iOS firmware becomes your choice and the fact that Apple has never ever told you to update your firmware, but to only recommend to you, is what frankly the end users fault. I will admit, a little warning from Apple would have been nice, but to the end user, it's not like the Software was always going to run like the days of iOS 3, and you have to eventually realize something, Should I update for features or should I leave it because of performance? It's these kind of questions that make decision making hard, but it is part of life. Making good decisions are never the easiest, and frankly complaining about it is not going to do any good.

Tech you're right. I have already stated earlier that no one forced us to install new software and that we all do this that our iPhone work better and faster but as you said just a little warning from Apple would not hurt our feelings. Because, as I realized that not every update from Apple not have to be good for our iPhone. If so users should certainly be alert. Even just to remind you that I have an iPod, iPhone and iPad and that I never crossed my mind to jalebrake any of them. I love them all equally but only, not big problem I have with iPhone that reluctant so quickly which is very important for the iPhone with IOS 4.2 as it was with IOS 3.1. I thank you for takeing the commentary and the majority agrees with you.

Well, it's good Apple cut off the line at iOS 4.3 for iPhone 3G...
Anyways, it's true with what you said as well... I hope the OP has agreed on the fact that complaining isnt going to do much...

Like what do you mean by plenty... I don't know anyone who is using 4.2.1 on an iphone 3G with more than a dozen contacts who is happy.... Tim a lot of us depend on these phones to run our business. I have over 1000 contacts in my phone. Runs great on 3.1.2, impossible to use on 4.2.1... it takes up to 10 seconds to look up a contact when I'm on the phone, over 15 seconds to get to a calendar to add an appt when I'm on the phone. Thanks for the support Apple!! NOT

Zak Zak, the issue is a lot of us use mobileme to run our business on iphones and we sync appointments on the calendars, addition of contacts etc with other employees. I add a contact on my Imac computer running mobileme and I want the new contact available to all my employees in the field immediately. If one of us sets up an appointment with a client all of us in the office needs to see this. With this new calendar system Apple and mobileme is PUSHING down our throats IE upgrade to 4.2.1 or your Calendars won't work after May 5 is EXTREMELY poor business practice! There are other alternatives that I will be looking at and it won't include an upgrade to an iphone 4 for each of my employees if this is how apple treats their clients.

Actually, complaining about the issue does help. Here's why:

My wife and I each have an iPhone 3G. When the 4.0 storm hit, I was lucky enough to read enough of the posts before upgrading to hold back. We are both still on 3.1.3.

Every few months I google the question "Is it safe to upgrade iphone 3g to ios 4?" Posts like this with a March 2011 date-stamp which confirm that most 3g users are still feeling pain under 4.2.x are very helpful, because they tell me, "no, it is not safe".

So, thank you Terence, Zac, Digmur, & others for telling me the water's not fine in there.

On the topic of upgrades, I agree with Apple in not making 4.3 available to 3g users. I think they should have done that with all 4.x.

But for 3G users (and iPod 2 users for that matter), staying on 3.x is not currently a good solution.

Why? If I am on 3.x still (which I am), iTunes wants to make it very easy for me to push the button and upgrade every time a 4.x.x is released (Danger! Don't push the button!). There is no possibility of fixes or security updates. I am basically opting out of the security and convenience of the "always upgraded" model which is a big draw for this platform.

My apps also want to make upgrading easy. However, I've already lost a few apps that way. They now say "XYZ app did not load to ABC device because the software version is not compatible." I must check each app manually, both for requirements ("requires ios 4.x" is a show-stopper) and for user reviews and comments (because there are many "compatible" upgrades that actually cause performance and stability problems for 3.x users). And there is no going back if you haven't been very careful about backing up the .ipa files.

To just say "upgrade to iPhone 4" is a poor answer. It fails on a few levels.

If it's a $50 flip phone, sure. But these are not cell phones. We've been sold on the notion (and the truth) that these are computers. They do nearly everything a computer can do. And their price tag is as high as some computers. Is it too little to ask 3 years of depreciation for such a device? Can I not have 3 years to budget for a pair of $200-600 devices (depending on carrier contract and plus new accessories)? My wife wants one as much as I do, and deserves it more.

I personally don't like the trend of pushing smart phones, tablets, laptops, game consoles, and such devices from the durable goods category to the consumables category. These are not socks, razor blades, or school supplies. It is sad that I expect my $19 toaster to last significantly longer than my $500 iPhone. Here's a great blog post that well captures my feelings: http://www.emilehanton.com/?p=58

That said, I do plan to upgrade later this year when both my carrier contracts are up AND iPhone 5 is available (assuming that happens in 2011). I don't plan on staying on 3G forever; I just think 2 years for a $500 device is too short a window.

And think of it this way. What do I do with my 3G then? It would make a great "iPod touch". Granted it'll be out of warranty, but with a refurbished battery it could go on for years as the nightstand or office iPod, and give a rest to my overused iPhone. But I fear what 2014 looks like with me trying to maintain ios 3.1.3 and whatever few apps might still work on that device. And how, in 2012 or 13, would I upgrade an app for my iPhone 5 with ios 5.x, and still have that same app work on the 3G with ios 3x?

A solution?

I like Apple's always upgraded approach, and the security, stability, and convenience that comes with it. I don't want the wild west scenario that comes with Android. But there should be a way for Apple to define just a couple tiers of HW/SW, so I can have my old ios3 devices and my new ios4+ devices, both fully up-to-date, both performing well. Make it possible within iTunes to save/store/synch either tier of ios or app, whichever is appropriate for the device.

That would also make it easier for app developers who could define their last-best version for the old platform, and then go charging forward with all the bells-n-whistles of the new. I'm sure there are some developers wanting desperately to implement new features with the capabilities of 4.x but struggling to stay back-wards compatible and regression test against 3.x.

Anyway, just some thoughts from a 3G user who will eventually upgrade, but wants to maintain some value in a still solid and viable device.

iOS 4.2.1 on a 3G iPhone

The phone is virtually unusable at times. It takes up to a minute to load an application, and it appears to be location services.

Each iOS update seems to make it slower.