iOS 14.3: Some bugs slipped through the cracks
It's been a long, bumpy road getting to iOS 14.3. As is becoming typical for Apple now, the early releases of iOS have their fair share of problems. But iOS 14.3 seems to be that turning point where things are getting better.
But it seems that some bugs still remain.
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On the whole, it seems that people are quite happy -- or at least there doesn't seem to be much complaining about problems on social media, Reddit, or the Apple support forums that I'd expect if there were some showstopper bugs.
What I'm seeing is an improvement in battery life and performance, especially on older devices. It feels to me also like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are more stable in this release.
But some issues seem to remain. I'm seeing reports from users that the notifications bug -- basically where you don't get notifications -- is still affecting some. I've heard from one reader who had this problem who said that a full reset of the iPhone solved this, which leads me to think that this may either be a settings bug, or that perhaps users have accidentally disabled notifications (it's quite easy to do).
With that in mind, if you're not getting the notifications that you are expecting, it might be worth going into Settings > Notifications and checking that things are as they should be. For example, if you are not seeing notifications for Messages, scroll down to Messages, make sure Allow Notification is on, and that things are set for you to receive the notifications you want.
I've also had a few reports of rapid battery drain after installing iOS 14.3, but to be honest, I don't worry about battery drain until the iPhone has been through a few recharge cycles on the new update. It's a little too early to draw solid conclusions for this, but folks who ran the betas reported seeing improvements, and this is in line with what I've experienced.
Again, iOS updates put additional pressure on an iPhone, and this can uncover problems such as a battery that's wearing out. It might not be iOS that's to blame, but it might just be that your iPhone is getting old.
If you're having problems, I recommend taking a look at battery wear in Settings > Battery > Battery Heath. If Maximum Capacity is less than 80 percent, then you need a new battery.
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What's been your iOS 14.3 experience so far? Let me know.