Apple’s latest iPhone operating system (iOS 17.4.1) began to be released “over-the-air” (OTA) on March 21. Many users expressed frustration that their apps crashed and their smartphones froze after the update, and took to social media platforms to seek solutions.
One unlucky iPhone user told the Daily Mail that her smartphone was updated on Wednesday morning, but when she tried to slide to unlock, the screen became unresponsive.Eventually, she took her iPhone to an Apple store and asked them to help "restore" the device, and the phone started working normally.
"The Apple Store employee said the update might be stuck," she continued. "The phone thinks it's still installing, which is why it's not responding."
The iPhone can be automatically updated through settings, but to upgrade to the latest iOS 17.4.1 operating system, the Apple phone must have a certain amount of power and be connected to WiFi (not mobile data). If any of these conditions are not met, updates will be delayed. That's why even though iOS 17.4.1 has been out for over two weeks, some people are only now experiencing issues.
Some users' mobile phones are "almost unusable." One iPhone user reported on Reddit, "Even if I reinstall, restart the phone, do a hard reset, it still doesn't work." According to Reddit users, this problem can be solved at home. Just like the Apple Store staff did, you can plug your iPhone into your laptop and reinstall iOS.
One user reports that Apple has quietly released a revised version of iOS 17.4.1, which is available through iTunes. According to Reddit users who have tried it themselves, using a computer to update did solve the problem. If your iPhone performs poorly after the update, you may need to perform the update again using the iOS 17.4.1 revision. According to reports from users on social media who have completed the fix, performing the fix works even if iOS 17.4.1 has been downloaded.
