28% iPhone users facing call drop, network issues after iOS 18 update: LocalCircles

New Delhi: It is not often that upgrades don’t live up to expectations and instead create problems.

Since its initial release in September, Apple iPhone users who have installed iOS 18 software have reported issues ranging from connectivity problems to batteries draining faster, touchscreen unresponsiveness, glitches in iMessage, less efficient controls, confusingly redesigned apps, etc.

A LocalCircles survey found that 28 per cent of the respondents stated that most/some voice and OTT calls don’t connect or drop; 12 per cent stated the screen goes dark at random times and 12 per cent said their apps hang often.

Did the upgrades address the technical issues?

To address some of the new problems many have reported encountering post-installation of iOS 18, Apple released iOS 18.0.1, a software update, to fix a bug that caused the touchscreen to become temporarily unresponsive in certain situations.

The upgrade also aimed to address problems with the ultra-wide camera freezing when recording macro videos in 4K without HDR, the messages app quitting unexpectedly when replying with a shared Apple Watch face, and memory allocation problems or security issues. The next upgrade iOS 18.1.1, which introduced a feature called Apple Intelligence, while offering convenience through tailored suggestions and deeper Siri integration, also raised important questions and concerns about user privacy.

Subsequently, the next version released was iOS 18.2, which had an updated advanced Intelligence feature, such as image generation tools and system-wide ChatGPT integration. However, according to many iPhone users, this upgrade too failed to resolve some of the problems. iOS 18.3 beta was released after that with iPhone users continuing to report a variety of issues.

What does the LocalCircles survey reveal?

After over 100 posts and comments in different online communities complained about the issues they were facing after upgrading to various versions of Apple iOS 18, LocalCircles conducted a pan-India survey of iPhone users.

The survey received over 47,000 responses (31,000 from users of Apple iPhone devices and nearly 16,000 from users of Android devices) from 322 districts of India. As many as 67 per cent of respondents were men while 33 per cent of respondents were women. As many as 42 per cent of respondents were from tier 1, 27 per cent from tier 2 and 31 per cent respondents were from tier 3 and 4 districts.

6 in 10 Apple iPhone users faced difficulties

The survey asked iPhone users, “If you are an Apple iPhone user and have upgraded to iOS 18 or higher, are you facing any issues?”

The top answers to this question were about issues with call connection and call dropping as reported by 6 in 10 Apple iPhone users in the survey.

What about network and WiFi issues?

Nearly 9 in 10 iPhone users who upgraded to iOS 18 or higher attribute their technical difficulties to their iOS upgrade and not their mobile network or WiFi connection.

Qualitative feedback from the users indicated that users are facing these issues independent of the mobile network or WiFi connections. These issues have been reported mostly after upgrading to a version of iOS 18. While complaints have been reported against multiple iPhone models, the highest number of complaints are for iPhone 13.

Apps freezing is among the top complaints

The survey also attempted to find out whether the problems being faced by iPhone users are unique to them or are users of the other major mobile operating system, Android, also facing the same. The survey asked Android users, “If you are an Android user and have upgraded to Android 15 or higher, are you facing any issues?”

As many as 4 in 10 Android users surveyed who have upgraded to Android 15 reported having difficulties with their Apps freezing being the top complaint.

However, no one reported having call connection or call drop issues with Android updates.

In summary, over 60 per cent of Apple iPhone users who upgraded to iOS 18 or higher are facing multiple problems which have so far not been resolved and the iOS 18.3 beta version is reportedly not working properly either. Unlike iPhone users, fewer Android users are facing problems after the upgrade as the survey has revealed. However, the challenges in Android phones do not seem to be with calls but with apps hanging.

According to LocalCircles, based on the survey findings, it is clear that Apple needs to figure out the root of the problem as multiple upgrades haven’t fixed the issues leaving many users angry and dissatisfied.

A Silicon Valley venture capitalist, Chamath Palihapitiya recently expressed frustration in a video which went viral: “Is it just me or was 18.1.1 a total turd upgrade. iPhone doesn’t work anymore.”