Apple released iOS 4 to the masses yesterday after months of testing by Apple iOS developers. The majority of problems being reported seem to stem from iPhone 3G upgrades or iTunes. We'll go over a few of the most common problems encountered and make a few suggestions about how to get around them.
iPhone 3G Restore vs. Update
If you encounter an error 3002 while trying to update an iPhone 3G, or really any of Apple's iOS based devices, then you should try restoring the iPhone 3G or other device instead of updating it. The most important thing to do before starting this process is to back up your device, which is a normal default process when you sync in iTunes. So be sure to get a good sync completed before restoring your device.
If you want to just complete a backup look for your device, then after plugging in the supplied sync cable, on the left most side of the iTunes window right-click and select the option for performing a backup. If it completes with no errors, then proceed by selecting the restore option.
You'll need to download the device firmware before performing a restore. 9to5Mac has provided a good source for direct download links.
Once you have the firmware file downloaded, you'll have to select it for the restore. In order to do that, you must first press and hold one of the Option keys on your Apple keyboard before left-clicking the Restore button with the mouse. Once this is done correctly, you will be presented with a dialog box that allows you to select the correct firmware file.
If you have problems with either an update or restore, then see iPhone and iPod touch: Unable to update or restore.
If you don't know how to perform an update or restore, then see iTunes: Backing up, updating, and restoring your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch software. Keep in mind the information about using the Option button above.
You can also see this topic being discussed in the Apple forums here.
Infamous iTunes Error 13019
This error has been a problem since around version 8.2 of iTunes, and iOS version 3.x doesn't fixed it. The only workaround offered by Apple is this Technical Support article titled: iPhone OS 3.0: Error 13019 during sync.
The gist of the support article is this: you have to keep deselecting different types of media synced to your iPhone...Yeah, this is a time consuming process, but hopefully Apple figures out a solution for it with another software update.
Note: this is the only error in this article that is also applied to the iPhone 3GS--this writer's specifically. I've already submitted a bug report about this one to Apple.
You can see this topic being discussed in the Apple forums here.
Error Code -402653077 or Similar
This problem is also being encountered on some iPhone 3G devices, leaving those devices as a "nice paperweight" as one user described them in this post on Apple's Discussions. No solution has presented itself for this problem so far, so you might have to make a trip to the Genius Bar at a local Apple store if you find yourself in this situation.
However, you can try this before taking the trip: if you have problems with either an update or restore then see iPhone and iPod touch: Unable to update or restore.
You can see this topic being discussed in the Apple Forums here.
App Authorization Problems
Users are also reporting problems with the reinstallation of apps on their iPhone 3G when iTunes reports authorization problems and will not allow the apps to be installed. This happens during the resyncing of apps back to the iPhone after an iOS 4 update or restore. One user reported that the only workaround they could find was to go to the iTunes App Store app and load each app one at a time from the store, all the while clicking through the warnings about having previously purchased that app. This is a pretty time consuming consuming, but if we find a work around we'll definitely post an update on this page.
You can see this topic being discussed in the Apple Forums here and here.
Slow Backups
Slow backups are being reported by iPhone 3G users and the likely culprit may be the Camera Roll. Users should try to keep the Camera Roll clear and not use it for long term photo storage, since it is well known that a larger Camera Roll will slow down backups. If this applies to you, then you should look at moving those photos into iPhoto and deleting them from your iPhone after your next sync and complete backup. Hopefully, the next backup will run a whole lot faster.
You can see this topic being discussed in the Apple Forums here.
Most of these problems were encountered by iPhone 3G users, with the exception of the one noted above. This writer also suffered from this issue with his own iPhone 3GS. It appears that iPhone 3G users have the most complaints about the iOS 4 update today, but iPod touch users are not very far behind them.
Have you encountered any other problems with your iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, or iPod touch? Found a fix for any of the above problems or one that isn't listed here? Let us know by leaving a comment.
tinks599
December 05, 2010 at 10:19am
Ok, so what I would like to know is what kind of responsibility might AT&T have or Apple have when my phone now no longer properly functions, but I'm still under contract to pay them for my service?
I have called AT&T several times. I am always sent to Apple tech support. I have performed every update and reboot and deleted all the info on my phone and reinstalled everything on multiple occasions in accordance with Apple's exact directions on how to do this. I have spent hours doing this...and then I have to re-do this for all of our three iPhones. My phone freezes when I try to answer a call, I can barely use my phone functionally as a phone, and trying to use it for apps is an exercise in insanity.
I paid for the Apple Care Plan and am under a contract for two full years. My iPhone was the most recent iPhone available when I bought it. Is it completely unreasonable for me to expect it to function for the term of my contract? It is not suffering the effects of abuse. This is completely down from Apple and AT&T. I am always being told it is Apples fault or AT&T's fault. Who is responsible to help me? I just want a functioning phone or I want to be able to get a functioning phone without still being on the hook for the expense of one that does not work!!!
albecker
August 12, 2010 at 7:24pm
My phone constantly crashed when running apps or Safari with ios4. I was told by two employees at the Apple store that there is no going back after updating to the ios4.0. Actually you can go back. Here is a link that will tell you how to do it.
http://ericfickes.com/2010/07/how-i-removed-ios4-from-my-iphone-3g/
Unfortunately for most, you will not be able to restore your data. I was lucky. Before I updated my 3g phone, I backed it up on my pc. I then backed it up and updated to the new ios4 with my mac book. When I followed the directions of the link above, it would not restore my data with my mac book. It was requiring me to update with ios4 in order to restore my data, which would have put me right back where I was. After I changed my iphone 3g back to the ios 3.1.3 using my mac book, I then restored the data with my pc which had the latest backup with the ios 3.1.3. Now my 3g phone runs like a dream again. Whew...that was a close one.
Tatijones
August 06, 2010 at 6:44am
After updating my 3G to 4.0, I lost all my photos and phone ran unsustainably S L O W . (even after I've reset and used the last backup....)
after updating again, this time to 4.0.1, all remained the same.. occasionally it looks like it might be running slightly faster but just as i manage to notice it its back to being so slow its impossible to use (any operation takes 10 times longer than before)
one good thing happened tho, one day (without any explanation)i opened my photo library, and was asked to attend as it was 're-building' the library..... all my lost photos were back!....... who knows what made that happen.......
When i got my 3G it was the ideal instrument for work;
it was quick and easy to use now its simply a nightmare, and i dont want to buy a new phone just because the G4 is out!! (my phone was working PERFECTLY before i had the bad idea of updating.
if this was done in order to sell more 4G i must say its a dirty move, i wouldn't have expected from APPLE.
bspin
August 01, 2010 at 4:27pm
Apple should be sued over this scew up! After updating to 4.0 my address book phone numbers are now all associated with the wrong people, voice dialing is f---d up (I tell it to call Home and it tells me it is calling Fred Smith), and the stupid phone calls out by itself - I wasn't anywhere near it and it called my daughter.
The update ia junk and now so is the iPhone. Note to Apple - fix it or give me my money back!!
mcapanelli
July 30, 2010 at 8:23am
I updated my 3g and it's been a nightmare ever since. I've had to restore the phone 5 times and I'm about to go on my 6th. I've had everything from the phone freezing, not being able to connect to the network, not reading my sim, and now the sound on the phone is gone. No ring tones, no vibrate. It does function normal despite not making any sounds. I'm afraid that after the restore it'll stop taking a charge like it did two restores before. This is not exactly making me run out the door to get in line for a new iphone. I really didn't like it before but there's not many options if you want a smartphone that'll sync to your mac without jumping through hoops or running winblows. I've really been disappointed with apple all around lately and for my next machine may get a good Sony or HP and run linux.
mcapanelli
July 30, 2010 at 8:23am
I updated my 3g and it's been a nightmare ever since. I've had to restore the phone 5 times and I'm about to go on my 6th. I've had everything from the phone freezing, not being able to connect to the network, not reading my sim, and now the sound on the phone is gone. No ring tones, no vibrate. It does function normal despite not making any sounds. I'm afraid that after the restore it'll stop taking a charge like it did two restores before. This is not exactly making me run out the door to get in line for a new iphone. I really didn't like it before but there's not many options if you want a smartphone that'll sync to your mac without jumping through hoops or running winblows. I've really been disappointed with apple all around lately and for my next machine may get a good Sony or HP and run linux.
Booldm
July 29, 2010 at 2:23pm
Of course first of all i did reset.
After that i always run XSysInfo app that clears memory. So now my 3g works like it did with iOS 3.1.3
Icrap4.0
July 28, 2010 at 8:03pm
I just updated my 3g iphone with the iOS4 update.....Problems I encountered:
1)Loss of ALL contacts
2)Loss of ALL emails, text messages, & call log
3)Loss of any saved information within an APP
4)My docking station is all of the sudden, no longer compatible with the Ipod within the Iphone....HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE???I am ready to throw the piece of crap into a wood chipper...Is there anybody that can help??
briegetch09
July 28, 2010 at 10:08am
I recently just completed the iOS4 update, and as I've read all of the problems and issues others are having, I haven't encountered any of them.
One thing I did notice was that when I began the update and download of the update, my iPhone 3G's backup took much longer than usual. I had to leave my computer on overnight so that it could completely backup and install the iOS4. When I woke up there were no error messages, or such things, and my iTunes has functioned fine since the update.
What I have noticed about the phone itself is that it does run a tad bit slower, slowness being one of the reasons I had switched over to an iPhone from a Behold II in the first place. It is annoying, and my apps take longer to load. The functions of my iPhone 3G are slower overall, and I am not impressed with the overall effect of the iOS4.
I am hoping Apple will come up with an update for the 3G that can fix any bugs or lags caused by the iOS4, otherwise, I may just have to reset it to it's original settings and wipe everything out.
Hopefully others are finding it's not too bad.
Cheryl
July 16, 2010 at 4:28am
I attempted to upgrade my iPhone and lost many of my apps (I have been able to reinstall them at no charge), all of my purchased ringtones as well as all of my songs on the ipod. I did do a backup prior to upgrading; however, the items are not even in iTunes! And after all that, still didn't get the upgrade! Any suggestions?
Thank you!
miphone
July 12, 2010 at 10:38pm
I updated to the new 4 software and when it was complete my contacts and text msg etc were all gone. So i did a restore, luckily there was a backup there from only 2 days before BUT my photos are still missing. Can anyone help?
Blue Bella
July 11, 2010 at 6:14am
I am just awaking from my dissapointment with my iOS4. The update went ok, thats fine...although at first I had to struggle with my lost pictures, but it is sorted now. The biggest pain is, that I had Qik camera - the paid version and all my recorded videos have been disappeared, plus iTalk business version - all my recordings, important interviews, etc... gone. I dont care about the new features of the iOS4, they dont do me more, but I have lost more, than I have just got with the new update. Could anyone tell me, if I have any hope to get my recordings back? is it possible to backup my phone just to the time before updating?
US AirMan
July 08, 2010 at 2:57pm
so i have the 3g 8gig and ever since i did that damn update i lost my music and cannot put it back on there. is there something im doing wrong or not doin? can someone help plz
bodenstorfer
July 08, 2010 at 5:33am
My upgrade succeeded without any error messages, but seemed buggy nonetheless: My camera roll was truncated from more than 1000 photos to only the oldest 81. Fortunately, I could recover the JPEG image data from the binary footprint of a backup taken after the fact: See http://www.bodenstorfer.at/bernhard/blog/00000108/index.html?lang=en
ErikaG
July 05, 2010 at 2:15pm
I upgraded my 3G (8gig) iphone last week and ever since then it has been acting really buggy! I loved this phone and told everyone how great it was...up until last week. I have only had it since May, so it's not full of apps yet, more than half is free space at the moment.
I still want to love it, but the phone touch screen is really slow, the battery is draining faster than it use to. It takes so much longer for a new screen to come up and sometimes it just freezes for a couple minutes waiting to catch up to itself.
I was so impressed with the speed of this phone before the upgrade.
One of the huge issues for me though is the calendar. It blanks out when I open it up, then flashes and comes back on and often the times go back into a previous time zone (?) setting and end up being 3 hours earlier. I have reset them all twice so far, and most are staying put, but every day or so I will see a new one crop up that has the weird time zone issue. There are also random "new events" that appear out of nowhere.
Apple where ever you are please fix this, I don't want to have to go back to the old OS and miss out on new apps coming out.
I did find this, but haven't done it. Not sure if I want to or not, anyone else find it works?
http://lifehacker.com/5572003/how-to-downgrade-your-iphone-3g
Thanks for the forum to at least air my frustrations!
Jojorides52
July 05, 2010 at 12:10pm
I can't believe the issues this update has caused me. The update has caused my iPhoto, iTunes, Money software (for my business) all to disappear. I continue to find more applications that no longer work and all data is gone. It seems that any application I had both on my iphone and imac all seemed to disappear and erase all data on my 2TB Time Capsule making it useless to use Time Machine. There is NO DATA on my Time Capture before the date of my IOS 4 update for my iphone. They did a diagnostic check on my Time Capsule and it has alway run fine. What the h*ll? I have been talking to apple specialist every other day being transferred from one specialist to the next. They are all extremely nice and seem eager to fix this issue. But still, no results so far. They wont even admit that it is the IOS 4 iPhone update that caused this. They call it a "coincidence" I really don't know what to do.
I became upset when I realized that my Money software for my business was gone. I was pissed that all my itunes are disappeared. I am completely devastated that my iphoto is no where to be found. EVERYTHING GONE :'(
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get my cyber life data back?
melarossa
July 05, 2010 at 12:54am
I updated to IOS 4.0, and now the phone is slow! I'm thinking of getting back to the previous version, if there's a way.
mastereagle22
July 02, 2010 at 11:44am
I have issues every time I try to update this phone and IOS4 was NO different.
The software updated to version 4 but all my apps were gone and Itunes told me I did not have a valid backup on my PC. So I restored my phone back and lost 8 pages of apps! Most of them purchased, as well as my ring tones and a few pictures. Nothing I did could fix it and a call to Apple did not help resolve the issue. Also my phone would not call out with version 4 installed. After setting it back to original by using Restore I finally got the phone working again but I still am missing a LOT of apps and media.
This really stinks because all I ever hear is how great Apple is and I have not found that to be the case. The Apple Rep did say I could avoid all these issues by simply upgrading to a Iphone 4 from the 3G I have, but sadly I don't have the cash to do that.
lasernorm
June 28, 2010 at 10:09am
Where do I start. Phone is incredibly sluggish now. when making any kind of swip motion either to unlock the phone or move from page to page it is really slow to copy the motion to action. Sometimes the phone just quits working altogether and has taken 30 minutes to un-wind itsself. Just today the songs i have loaded started "skipping". Entering into settings the touch isnt working right. It will open the screen but then it takes forever to see the settings. Same with texting. Slow to get into and its not recognizing my attempts to type for 2-5 seconds later. Scrolling through apps isnt fluid anymore either. still freezes half way thru or doesnt move at all and then all of a sudden it will switch.
Plurabelle06
June 26, 2010 at 5:40am
I got a new iphone 3gs yesterday thinking I would avoid the iphone 4 until the bugs were worked out, but the os update gave me the bugs. I tried to download a podcast and it said it wasn't compatible with this ipod, but it downloaded fine on my ipod touch. Many of the podcasts did download, but it seems there are a few that will have issues.When I synced the phone with itunes after I backed up my touch, it didn't transfer any of the info in my apps like billtracker and todo and the beam function on these apps appears useless since it never locates the device sitting next to it.
locked07
June 24, 2010 at 4:00pm
HUGE issue with the update, I updated my 3GS yesterday and I repeatedly get WAP messages saying "I need atleast 17p to use WAP" from O2, even though I have sufficent credit and unlimited internet for the month. And this message is constantly sent to me aproximately 240 times an hour and its getting ridiculously hard to handle.
Does anyone know a method to fix this? I've tried resetting network settings, turning off location, 3G and VPN... nothing works ...If anyone can help Id greatly appreciate it.
jsp749
June 23, 2010 at 12:47pm
I updated both of my 3GS and the first was fine the second one froze up with the screen on zoom.I had to do a reset then a restore twice before it returned to normal screen size.But it lost my passcode,all of my music which had to be reloaded and the code reset.Now the first phone has frozen up twice and the second phone will not open several apps.I don't know what Apple is doing but this is screwed up pretty good.
nougat
June 23, 2010 at 5:58am
Inate77,
I had the same problem (not being able to use the App Store anymore). I found this fix that worked for me at http://discussions.info.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2269959&start=0&tstart=0, copied below. I have no idea how it got messed up for so many people, or how these steps resolve it (I just know it works for me and others).
Opened iTunes. Clicked on Preferences and under Parental Controls disabled access to the iTunes Store. I then checked the box to allow access to iTunes U.
When I tried loading the store this time, it sent me directly to iTunes U with no problem.
I then went back into Preferences and enabled access to everything and tries reloading the store.
macvos
June 23, 2010 at 2:10am
iOS4 installed allright on my 3G (via a restore, of course!) and my backup was restored also for 100%! The only issues I have now are that apps crash quite often and that sometimes even the 3G spontaneously restarts itself. Since the update, this happened already two times.
bubbakill1
June 22, 2010 at 9:35pm
loading this update was a mistake after it loaded it automaticly back up the phone and resync itself when all was said and done half my apps are gone other apps wont load all the way, as there trying to open they will just shut down and go back to my home page. I was able to recover my music but I lost all my picture that I took on the phone and there no longer on itunes. I called the support # and the MAC expert told me all the apps I lost are not compatible with the iOS4 software. The funny thing is all the apps I lost just so happen to be the expensive ones $$$$$$$$. The customer rep asked me if I backed up my phone with the new iOS4 software and I told her it did it automaticly after the download and she said theres no way to go back to the old software. She said if I find a way to get the old software back all my apps should just come backafter its loaded.
MrMos3s
June 22, 2010 at 4:05pm
Well, the iOS4 update ran smoothly on my (previously) jailbroken iPod Touch 3G...
My only problem is that some of the things that Apple has included in the new iTunes 9.2 update seemed a bit unnecessary and rude...
Here's a snapshot.
http://twitpic.com/1z3ov3
Inate77
June 22, 2010 at 2:11pm
Thanks steve. So since updating os on 6/21/10 @ 8:00pm I have only been able to get one app. Every time I go to app store I get a message that says cano connect to app store. And then when it comes to app
Updates it shows me how many updates are needed and then that goes away and says all updates complete. But then comes back with the same amount of updates needed. Very frustrating. Someone please
Help.
ScottB
June 22, 2010 at 1:38pm
Backup was the slowest I have ever seen on the iPhone 3G. It took forever to backup and load the iPhone. So I went to bed and let it run over night.
In the morning, there was an error message on the screen and I had to restore the iPhone. After finishing, nothing loaded. After a sync, I was able to load the apps but they were added alphabetically and not using my old layout.
I had to tell iTunes to reload everything, including the calendar, address book, and bookmarks. In the process, I lost my favorites list of phone numbers, ring tone settings, and a bunch of other config items including my email setup! I had to re-enter my email information.
I am very disappointed with Apple on this upgrade. It did not go smoothly at all--and I usually have better luck. I am also disappointed at the lack of features available on the 3G. I'm options like multitasking would work, albeit not as efficiently as on the 3Gs, but at least give me the option as to whether I want to use it or not. I still want to play Pandora in the background!
drkenfp
June 22, 2010 at 10:23am
...the photo-syncing problem was caused by a conflict between iTunes 9.2 and an old version of iToner. Fixed.
Aristocat
June 22, 2010 at 10:21am
Nothing seems to be wrong with my IPhone 3GS after the upgrade but I am receiving constant -3206 errors from ITunes until it crashes and sends a report to Apple
drkenfp
June 22, 2010 at 10:14am
Alas, my photo library will no longer sync with my iPhone 3GS. I don't know if I can blame it on iOs 4.0, but I'm trying to figure it out.
Also, iOS 4.0 closed a bug in display of animated images in iPhone apps that caused my game OneArm Battle to stop working. My fault, but I'm scrambling to fix it. The photos come second.
