Apple iOS 9.3.2

Apple AAPL +0.41% iOS 9.3.2 is here and it appears to be a harmless bug fix for all sorts of annoying problems. As such upgrading sounds like a no brainer, but it turns out looks can be deceiving… 

Let’s break it down:

Who Is iOS 9.3.2 For?

As with all iOS 9.x releases, iOS 9.3.2 works on the iPhone 4S or later, iPad 2 or later, iPad mini or later, iPad Pro and 5th generation iPod touch or later. Users will be prompted to upgrade, but if you have yet to receive a notification it can be triggered manually by going toSettings > General > Software Update

Interestingly the size of iOS 9.3.2 differs wildly depending on your device. For example the update is just 50-80MB on the iPad 2 and iPhone 6S, but it balloons to 1.4GB on the iPhone SE and 1.6GB on the iPhone 6.

The Deal Breakers

The big concern with iOS 9.3.2 is it’s bricking some devices, in particular the iPad Pro 9.7. Affected users find that when their device restarts they are given an ‘Error 56’ notification (confusingly, a hardware error) and told to connect their devices to iTunes. This doesn’t help in most cases though and any attempt to reboot a device just sees error return.

As yet there is no known fix.

Less dramatically, but just as important for many users is there’s currently no iOS 9.3.2 jailbreak. In fact Apple is keeping well ahead of the main jailbreaking teams (Pangu and TaiG) in recent months who haven’t had success cracking anything since iOS 9.1 in October. So if you have a jailbroken iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and you want it to stay that way, steer clear (but expect a long wait).

So What Do You Get?

The official changelog for iOS 9.3.2 is short and sweet:

• Fixes an issue where some Bluetooth accessories could experience audio quality issues when paired to the iPhone SE
• Fixes an issue where looking up dictionary definitions could fail
• Addresses an issue that prevented typing email addresses when using the Japanese Kana keyboard in Mail and Messages
• Fixes an issue for VoiceOver users using the Alex voice, where the device switches to a different voice to announce punctuation or spaces
• Fixes an issue that prevented MDM servers from installing Custom B2B apps

Of these the first is easily the most high profile with theiPhone SE’s audio troubles causing particular annoyance for users of bluetooth car kits. Notably a thread on Apple’s Support Communities forum regarding this has over 120,000 views and more than 790 replies.

How Serious Are The iOS 9.3.2 Problems?

Bricking a device is obviously the worst consequence any update can have, but it will take time to learn if this has affected more than just the iPad Pro 9.7 and to what scale. I have already contacted the Apple press team and would expect the company to provide a statement soon.

Aside from this, the good news is those who upgraded without problems have found the bug fixes did their job. Notably iPhone SE owners seem very happy with how well Bluetooth audio is now working.

Apple iOS 9.3.2 Install Verdict: Wait – Unless You Own An iPhone SE

So is iOS 9.3.2 worth the gamble? Personally I’d say no. The simple fact is iOS 9.3.2 doesn’t add any new features so, if your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch is working fine, then you’re not missing out.

The exception to this rule would be iPhone SE owners. I’ve yet to see a report of iOS 9.3.2 causing any problems with this device and the bug fix for its Bluetooth problems appears to be very successful. If you regularly use a Bluetooth speaker or headset with your iPhone SE then iOS 9.3.2 will be very much to your liking.

The Road Ahead

Whether Apple issues a tweaked version of iOS 9.3.2 or an emergency fix (likely iOS 9.3.3) remains to be seen, but with WWDC next month it is a distraction the company could have done without.

WWDC should see the first public unveiling of iOS 10 (the increasingly controversial iPhone 7 won’t appear until September) and, given the significance of the number, it is likely Apple will want to make a major splash and start public beta testing as soon as possible.

So yes, missing out on iOS 9.3.2 is unlikely to sting for long.