Does the iOS operating system get messed up over time?

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Level 1

10 points

Does the iOS operating system get messed up over time?

I first got an iPhone 4S the day it came out in 2011. Since then, I have never set up any of my iPhones as a new device. I have always faithfully used my laptop or iCloud to backup and restore whenever I had problems. When I got an iPhone 5S in 2013, I used the backup of my iPhone 4S to restore it so I didn't lose anything. So I've been going on 4 years with the same iOS operating system installation instance (iPhone 4S came with iOS 5, and I've updated over the years and am currently on iOS 8.4)

I'm wondering if the iOS operating system files get messed up over time, because I have been experiencing some weird problems on my iPhone 5S.

I completely deleted my camera roll a few months ago, but the usage statistics in the Settings.app still said there was 450 MB of Photos. I used iFunBox to browse my iPhone, and it turns out there were photos taken years ago on my iPhone 4S that never got completely deleted. So I deleted them in iFunBox and got the usage to show 0 MB.
Sometimes when I shoot photos in the Camera.app, there is no shutter sound (yes, the ringer switch was set to "on", so it wasn't because of that).
Sometimes when I'm prompted by Touch ID and provide my finger print, the prompt just sits there, no matter how long I leave my finger on the sensor. Then when I tap "Enter password", it continues like normal as if I had supplied just my finger print.
I deleted a game that was taking up 169 MB, but it still shows up in the usage statistics, except the name field is blank. No matter how many times I delete it from the usage statistics, it still comes back.

I would love to do a clean install of iOS 8.4 on my iPhone, but there's no way to ensure all my settings and app data isn't lot. It's not like a laptop where you can save your files to a flash drive, wipe the system, perform a clean install, and then copy the files back from the flash drive. Does anyone have some advice for me?

iPhone 5s, iOS 8.4, AT&T

Posted on Jul 2, 2015 9:15 AM

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Answer 1

Philly_Phan

Level 7

20,707 points

Jul 2, 2015 9:20 AM in response to dbird03

If it has NEVER been jailbroke, a system reset is occasionally beneficial. It cures many ills and it's quick, easy and harmless...

Hold down the on/off switch and the Home button simultaneously until you see the Apple logo. Ignore the "Slide to power off" text if it appears. You will not lose any apps, data, music, movies, settings, etc.

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Answer 2

dbird03 Author

Level 1

10 points

Jul 2, 2015 9:31 AM in response to Philly_Phan

I've never jailbroken. I do do system resets multiple times a week. It fixes minor problems like apps crashing on launch, but it would never fix the problems I mentioned. That's why I'm wondering if the iOS operating system itself has become corrupt or something.

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Answer 3

Philly_Phan

Level 7

20,707 points

Jul 2, 2015 9:34 AM in response to dbird03

dbird03 wrote:

...but it would never fix the problems I mentioned.

Did you try?

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Answer 4

dbird03 Author

Level 1

10 points

Jul 2, 2015 9:55 AM in response to Philly_Phan

I've never jailbroken. I do do system resets multiple times a week. It fixes minor problems like apps crashing on launch, but it would never fix the problems I mentioned. That's why I'm wondering if the iOS operating system itself has become corrupt or something.

Do you read what I said? Yes, I have tried, multiple times. I've even wiped my iPhone and restored from backup, and that still didn't fix any of those problems.

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Answer 5

Philly_Phan

Level 7

20,707 points

Jul 2, 2015 10:10 AM in response to dbird03

dbird03 wrote:

I've never jailbroken. I do do system resets multiple times a week. It fixes minor problems like apps crashing on launch, but it would never fix the problems I mentioned. That's why I'm wondering if the iOS operating system itself has become corrupt or something.

Do you read what I said? Yes, I have tried, multiple times. I've even wiped my iPhone and restored from backup, and that still didn't fix any of those problems.

Yes I did. You stated that you had done it several times for minor problems but that "it would never fix the problems I mentioned" which suggests that you didn't try. However, I'm not interested in a debate. I'm outa here.

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Answer 6

SergZak

Level 6

10,338 points

Jul 2, 2015 10:19 AM in response to dbird03

Yes, sometimes, iOS can get corrupted or have oddness that can't be corrected by a simple reset or other means (like a setting that's not set correctly). If you've made a backup of the corrupt iOS and have been using that backup when restoring, you'll just transfer the issues back to the device when you restore from it.

In this case you'll need to do some testing. Yes, it will take some time on your part but many times it can alleviate the issues.

Make a current backup in iTunes

Restore the device "as new" in iTunes...do not restore from a backup

Setup the device as minimally as possible to test for the issues

Does the device work correctly when restored "as new"?

If so, the backup your were restoring from is either corrupt or has glitched settings (or other). In this case, you'll have to rebuild the device from this "as new" state. Yes, a ton of work but if it restores the device to correct functionality, it will be worth it.

Does the device NOT work correctly when restored "as new"?

If this is the case, the device may have a different fault (possibly hardware) that even restoring "as new" won't correct.

Chances are in your favor that restoring "as new" will correct the issues/oddness.

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Answer 7

dbird03 Author

Level 1

10 points

Jul 2, 2015 10:23 AM in response to SergZak

Thank you! This reply was much more helpful.

I believe what's happening is just what you first said. My iOS is corrupt, so creating backups will just backup the corrupt iOS and never fix the problem when I restore it. I want to set up my iPhone as new a new device and start fresh, but I don't want to lose any of my settings, files, and all that stuff. Are there any guides or tips on how to do this? I have a lot of games that store saves locally, so I would be bummed if I lost them.

It seems that Apple, in an effort to make things as simple as possible, has oversimplified iOS so that power users like ourselves can't do something as simple as browse the file system and backup important data.

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Answer 8

roaminggnome

Level 10

106,365 points

Jul 2, 2015 10:28 AM in response to dbird03

Restoring as new, by definition, will wipe everything from the iPhone and it will then de as it was when it was new - no content

You can then sync anything you like to it, as you did when it was new.

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Answer 9

dbird03 Author

Level 1

10 points

Jul 2, 2015 10:30 AM in response to roaminggnome

I get that. I can resync my music with no problem, but what about app settings and game saves?

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Answer 10

SergZak

Level 6

10,338 points

Jul 2, 2015 10:47 AM in response to dbird03

After restoring "as new", you'll have to re-enter all of your settings manually, from scratch. There's no getting around that. Like I said, it will be a pain in the butt (I've done it a few times myself). You may want to note/write down/document all of your settings beforehand. It will make the process easier...be sure and get all the multiple "trees" or branches of settings. I have two iPads with the exact same settings so I can simply note the settings on one and enter those same settings on the other device. You may not have that luxury.

Music and content like apps can simply be synced from iTunes back to the device.

Game settings and progress will be lost in the process, especially those apps which save the data locally on the device. Be prepared. Sometimes, the game/app developer has a cloud save feature built in or the game uses Game Center to store progress. In this case, you should be OK.

It used to be that one could use a third-party file access utility (like iFunBox or iTools) to get nearly all of the app's save/user data and archive it to the PC. However, beginning with iOS 8.3, Apple has blocked that ability in the name of security...and at the same time, blocked users from accessing their own data that an iTunes backup many times does not backup.

Also realize that even having a valid & working backup of the device does not guarantee 100% that all user data will be restored. I've learned this the hard way...I have a kid that lost lots of gaming progress when his iPad needed to be recovered, then restored from a backup.

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Answer 11

dbird03 Author

Level 1

10 points

Jul 2, 2015 11:20 AM in response to SergZak

I wouldn't mind documenting settings and then manually setting them again, but I'm not sure I'm willing to lose hours of game progress.

Yeah, I'm annoyed they blocked iFunBox in iOS 8.3. I used iFunBox to backup game saves so I could delete the games from my iPhone and free up some space. Then Apple goes and does that. I guess I'll leave the serious gaming to consoles and only play iPhone games that support iCloud or store progress on the developer's servers. I appreciate you sharing your experience.

I wish Apple would come up with an iOS refresh utility that just checks and fix the iOS operating system files and leaves user data alone.

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Answer 12

SergZak

Level 6

10,338 points

Jul 2, 2015 11:33 AM in response to dbird03

What would be great would be Apple providing the user the ability to backup apps on a per-app basis with a true 100% backup. It already resides on the device in this format anyways, why not just backup selected apps? This way you could backup only the app(s) you need. Then delete unneeded apps when you need to free up space and then have the peace of mind that you will get back ALL of your progress and data. This used to be doable using iTools...until iOS 8.3.

As it stands now, you backup everything in a single backup and have to restore that entire single backup...not very efficient IMO.

I guess I should go and visit the Apple Feedback area...again...but I've already done this and put in my feedback many times in the past. 😐

Good luck to you and the restoring of your device...if you do it.

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