Update: Added problems related to Wi-Fi, CarPlay, notifications, email, and unresponsive apps.
The latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS 10, has a lot going for it. The biggest additions changed how people use their iOS devices — transforming the way they write and send texts, interact with notifications, and use Siri within apps. The latest version of iOS was in beta for quite a while and was made available to the public, meaning thousands of people got to experience iOS 10 prior to its official release. People came to grips with the new features during this period, but there were some iOS 10 problems that Apple didn’t catch.
Fortunately, making the beta available to the public resulted in more bugs, glitches, hardware and software issues being discovered, which gave Apple a chance to fix them before the official release. That said, it’s always convenient to have one place to find any and all iOS 10 problems, which is where we come in. We’ve scoured as many forums as we could to find the biggest problems people have run into while using iOS 10, and provided workarounds and solutions for as many of them as we can.
Problem: Battery drain
Excessive battery drain is a problem for some people using iOS 10, even when the iOS device is being used as it should. The problem isn’t universal, as many people report that their batteries are performing as expected, but if you’re using iOS 10.3.2, you should be prepared to charge your phone more than usual.Forbes has reported on this issue, andthis threadfrom Apple’s own forums is filled with people saying their phones are draining rapidly. A previous iteration of this issue stated the battery indicator would sometimes suddenly drop to 1 percent, then shut down. Needless to say, those affected are not happy.
Potential solutions:
Annoyance: Raise to Wake feature doesn’t work
Apple’s iOS 10 adds an incredibly useful feature known as “Raise to Wake,” which does exactly what you’d expect — when you pick up your phone, the screen automatically comes on. For someon Apple’s forums, this particular featurehas stopped working, or the featureisn’tevenavailable.
Annoyance: Stutters while switching apps
With the current iteration of iOS 10, there have been a small number of people on theApple Discussion forumssaying that they’venoticed a bit of stuttering and lagwhen switching apps (double-clicking the Home button to launch the app switcher). It still works, but it’s not as seamless or smooth as it was in iOS 9.
Workaround:
Problem: Mail app not working
After updating to iOS 10, or one of its subsequent versions, email accounts used in the Mail app may stop receiving new mail, show an error message that claims your password is incorrect, or the email appears as a blank white page when viewed. Re-entering the password does not fix the second issue, or prevent the error from appearing again. People have been havingvarious problemswith the Mail app and discussing it on theApple Discussion forumssince September 2016.
Annoyance: HomeKit automations don’t trigger/run automatically
In iOS 10, Apple added a new Home app that allows users to control their HomeKit accessories and other smart home devices. However, as seen onthesethreethreadson Apple’s forums, many people have been unable to set up their Homekit devices so that they run automatically. With the Lock/Unlock actions, in particular, users are prompted to control their devices via a notification.
Workarounds:
Glitch: Siri will activate when trying to unlock the device
iOS 10 introduces a new way to unlock your iPhone by using the Home button. However, when attempting to use this method, Siri will activate instead, preventing the phone from being unlocked properly.On the Apple forums, this has been said to also happen even if the “Siri on the lock screen” setting is off.
Problem: “Hey Siri” doesn’t work after updating to iOS 10
Following the update to iOS 10, peopleon the Apple forumshave saidthat any attempts to use the “Hey Siri” voice command to prompt Siri will fail. However, Siri can still be used by holding down the Home button and will function as intended.
Problem: Unable to update to iOS 10 or later
As with every iOS update, some iOS users have run into the unfortunate situation of not being able to update their iPhone or iPad using the over-the-air (OTA) Wi-Fi method. There have beenmultiplethreadscreatedon the Apple forums, includingone for the recent iOS 10.3.2 update, in which people are experiencing issues when updating both their iPhone and iPad. Luckily, there are explanations for this, along with a few alternative methods for updating your device.
Annoyance: Duplicate music tracks and playlists following iOS 10 update
After updating to iOS 10,a few usershave discovered copies of music tracks, albums, and playlists on their devices. The issues largely affect music not bought or downloaded through Apple Music, and the duplicates end up taking up additional space on the device.
Annoyance: Mail threads are not in chronological order
While iOS 10 doesn’t completely reinvent the way you interact with the Mail app, it has lefta lot of peoplewondering what Apple did to it between iOS 9 and iOS 10. Many who are in constant communication with people through email are finding that they’re unable to follow the conversation thread because it’s out of order, or their responses are simply missing. It’s certainly an annoyance, but one that can be easily fixed using the OS’ own tools.
Official solution:
Problem: Can’t connect to PC or Mac running iTunes
A fairly straightforward problem facingsomepeopleon the Apple forums. Those with devices that have been recently updated to iOS 10 are not being recognized by their computer when connected via USB. Other iOS devices that haven’t been updated continue to connect as expected.
Issue: Unable to download apps from the App Store
A few iPhone users took tothe Apple forumsto discuss their experienceswith being unable to install new apps from the App Store or update previously installed apps. After tapping Download/Get/Buy/The App’s Price, the download process simply doesn’t start. For others, it downloads a small chunk, then stops abruptly.
Problem: Mail app doesn’t open at all or crashes when trying to view emails
Afewpeoplehave been unable to check or edit their emails because iOS 10’s Mail app continues to crash on them. It reportedly happens most frequently while trying to move emails or download new ones, but can also happen when trying to open the app.
Issue: Contacts have disappeared
A decent number of peoplehave said they’re missing their contacts after updating to iOS 10. If they were to message to them using iMessage or a similar messaging app, then copy and paste their name or number, the contact appears as expected. But when browsing through the Contacts app or going toPhone > Contacts, those people are not there.
Problem: Apple earpods not working during calls
Another problem that was once a smaller issue, but has grown larger since the release of iOS 10.1.1 last year, is that Apple’s own wired earpods will sometimes cease to work during phone calls. Some people have found that there is no audio coming from the earpods or the speaker on the iPhone.Forbes wrote about thisslowly growing problem last December, pointing to a 24-page thread full of people with this problem.
Temporary solutions:
Issue: Unable to view Health app data
For some time, many users of the iPhone’s Health app were unable to view their app data. They took tothe Apple forumstodiscuss and hopefully solvetheir problem. After updating their devices to iOS 10.1, their Health data, including sleep and nutrition was wiped out. Restarts, factory resets, and restoring from an iOS 10.1 backup did not bring the information back.
Problem: Touch ID has stopped working
Some iPhone owners have been unable to use the Touch ID function on their phone after updating to iOS 10 or one of its subsequent versions. They are unable to use it in the App Store, for Apple Pay, or to unlock their phone.Multiplethreadsexiston the Apple forums with people reporting the problem and suggesting solutions.
Bug: iPad screen stuck in landscape mode
Asmall number of people on the Apple forumshave been experiencing problems with their iPad and its ability to automatically adjust the screen orientation. Specifically, they’re unable to change the device’s orientation from landscape to portrait, as it will often stick to the former even when the orientation lock is disabled. This problem started with iOS 10.1.1 and continued into iOS 10.2.
Problem: Phone app freezes
On this 14-page thread, people have discussed their various experiences with their Phone app freezing and becoming unresponsive for a few minutes. How often it occurs isn’t consistent from one person to the next, but some have had it happen almost every time they open or attempt to use the Phone app.
Problem: Wi-Fi issues
There weren’t a lot of reports of iPhone and iPad users suffering from Wi-Fi issues, but something about the release of iOS 10.3 and its subsequent iterations hascausedmore incidentstooccur. Fortunately, it’s nothing we haven’t heard before, and the same potential fixes from the past are the ones we recommend now.
Problem: Apps not launching or disappearing
After updating to iOS 10.3 or a later iteration thereof,some usershavefound themselvesunable to open apps properly. When trying to launch an app, the app will take unusually long to open, and could result in the app crashing, or your phone freezing completely.
Issue: Unable to send emails in Mail app
Some iOS users who are using iOS 10.3.1are unable to send emailswhen using iOS’ proprietary Mail app. They’re able to type emails just fine, but theSendbutton is grayed out and unresponsive.
Problem: Notifications are appearing incorrectly
This is a small problem, which basically amounts to notifications appearing on the lock screen. They don’t appear as they should, however, given they’re chopped up and separated between the top, bottom, and middle of the screen.Apple forums user SirFernandersrecently provided a screenshot highlighting the odd placement.
Problem: CarPlay no longer working
Some iOS owners are having troublegetting CarPlay to play nicewith their devices. The problem seemed to begin after installing iOS 10.3.1, and isn’t exclusive to a specific car model or iPhone.
That’s all the iPhone problems we have for now, but we’ll update here if more are discovered.
