Apple has released iOS 5.1.1

By Amir, 7 May, 2012

Forum
iOS and iPadOS
It's a 54MB update and I'm grabbing it now. According to Engadget, it is said to improve reliability of the HDR option for photos taken using the Lock Screen shortcut, address bugs that could prevent the new iPad from switching between 2G and 3G networks and solve a few issues that were affecting AirPlay video playback "in some circumstances." There's also improved reliability for syncing Safari bookmarks and Reading List, and Apple has purportedly fixed an issue where 'Unable to purchase' alert could be displayed after successful purchase. So it's not clear if it addresses any VoiceOver issues -- let's finish downloading it first.

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Comments

By AnonyMouse on Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 15:27

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team
From my understanding from the Apple web site on what is new in the 5.1.1 release. It has 5 minor fixes. All mentioned above in Amir posting. There are no Voice Over fixes or any new features. This is no surprise for any Voice Over fixes. I don't think we are going to see much until the next IOS 6.0 comes out.

By Sarah on Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 15:27

Well, that's no surprise. Probably won't see any VO fixes for a while. However, this update messed up my phone! I tried to download it, it said error. I hit okay and then hit install again. Then it starting installing, and then voiceover said something I couldn't get all of and then Alert! and then my whole phone stopped and now I can't do anything. It won't come up in itunes. My phone is seriously doing nothing. Do not know what went wrong because this never happens when I update...

By Bill Freeman on Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 15:27

Hi there, I just updated with no problems. If you've recently backed up your phone, you can try to get it into recovery mode and restore the software through itunes. To do this,, try plugging the phone into the computer. Next, hold the home and power buttons down for about 10 seconds or so. Release the power button, but keep holding the home button down for another 10 seconds. If this works, Itunes should detect a phone in recovery mode and allow you to restore it. HTH

By AnonyMouse on Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 15:27

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team
Weirdly, enough I got the same thing happened to me. I recieved an installation error. It took the VO a few minutes to respond and was acting squirelly. I left it alone for a few more minutes and then I was able to attemp to r-install the update again. It went through alright the second time around. First time I've had any issues like that since the initial 5.0 release which totally hosed my phone and did the recovery mode before it would install the 5.0. I did not have these issues on 5.0.1 nor the 5.1.0 release. Strange, but I now have the 5.1.1 up and working again. What I like to know if any of the Braille Display models that broke in 5.1.0 has been corrected or not in 5.1.1?

Interesting! well, The update crashed my motherboard logic board whatever thingy on the iphone. Can't restore can't do anything. Really frustrated. Not much I can do. went to apple and that is what they said. The guy thinks it was going to happen anytime but it was a coincidence, which I beg to differ. My sister always has her IPhones for years, and nothing like this ever happens. She said that the upgrades mess up your phone and they don't test them enough and she and my mom told me to stop installing the updates. So not sure about that, but basically I have to borrow money from someone to get a new phone and then pay them back because that's about all I can do... I was always taught to upgrade stuff and my family never did it. They're always yelling at me for upgrading stuff and I still don't think that's the issue, but then again my sister's phones always lasted. Oh and thanks for the tip about restoring the phone, although I've tried that and nothing's happened, and so that's when I went to apple.

By Amir on Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 15:27

Well, something strange happened to me after getting V5.1.1. Having finished downloading the update and even before the phone was restarted, I noticed that my 4S is talking using a noticeably different voice. I thought that was an update oddity so just ignored it. After the phone restarted, I noticed the same voice so I went to Settings->General->Accessibility->VoiceOver and, much to my own surprise, saw a new button, "Use compact voice," there. I didn't have such an option though I used to think that I was using the non-compact US English voice ever since I purchased my 4S. But that wasn't the case and my handset is now using the non-compact voice which is, to my ears, not as elegant as the Compact option. It is responsive but tends to crackle and its overall output quality isn't on a par with that of the Compact voice. Sure it now properly pronounces the letters "M" and "N" and its pronunciation seems to be much better, but reading longer text blocks with it in iBooks and Read2Go isn't quite smooth. I haven't yet switched back to the Compact voice, but might consider doing it soon if my ears fail to attune themselves to these changes. Is it just me?

By Bill Freeman on Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 15:27

wow, that really stinks: Sorry to hear that! Are you eligible for an upgrade through your carrier? No, as long as you keep your phone backed up, you did nothing wrong by upgrading. There's no way that performing the upgrade should have corrupted your phone so badly that recovery mode could not be accessed. We have several I devices in our house. I usually upgrade them all shortly after a new version is released, and have never had that happen. I think recovery mode is a part of the phone's bootloader, which should not have been messed with during the upgrade process. It does seem fishy that the mother board died right at the time you were upgrading though. Before you totally give up, you might try putting the phone into DFU mode, and restoreing it from there. This is like a lower level version of recovery mode, and does not depend on any software stored in the phone's memory loading. Here's how to do this, taken from the web: To put the iPhone into DFU mode so you can do an iTunes firmware restore follow these steps: Step One Open iTunes and connect the iPhone to your computer. Step Two Press and hold the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button at the same time. Step Three After exactly 10 seconds release the Sleep/Wake button. Continue holding the home button until you iTunes pops up a message telling you that it has detected an iPhone in recovery mode. The iPhone screen will remain black like this: NOTE***: It may take a few attempts to get your iPhone into DFU mode. Generally, I hold down both buttons then release the Home button just before I think the Apple logo would appear. If you are still holding both buttons down and you see the Apple logo you are holding them down for too long!

By Sarah on Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 15:27

Hi! Yes, luckely I am eligible fro an upgrade, right about now actually. Although I didn't have the money really but now I have no choice. I tried the DFU thing yesterday, and apple said they tried several attempts to get it on. Yes, it really does seem fishy. Especially combining that w/the fact that my contract just ended and combing all these things together. That's what I'd have thought the upgrades wouldn't mess with that part of your phone, but my mom and sister claim there not good to do. Although, like you, until now, I've always updated with no problems. My mom said maybe it can't hold that many upgrades on the motherboard, but I thought that whether it could hold the upgrades depended on the memory of the phone. Ahh, well, not much left to say or do. Hopefully my next phone doesn't do that. But, thanks for all the help...

Firstly, your phone's memory or RAM does not hold older versions of iOS on it. Neither would your motherboard, primarily because it's just basically connecting everything together and facilitating all the talking between your RAM and processor and whatnot. Updating is a good thing, because their are security features and fixes in updates, not to mentiopn fixes for bugs, as well as new features. As long as the hardware can support the update, you're good to go. And because you're using a 4 or 4S (I can't remember which phone you said you were using), iOS 5 is supported. Apple isn't going to stop supporting the 4 for a while yet. Heck, iOS 5 even supported the 3GS, which was a phone from 2009, if I remember correctly. It ran slowly, but it still ran. And I believe the iOS 5.1 update fixed some of the issues with the slowness on those devices, so it definitely shows that Apple is still willing to support the 3gS, even though it is an older piece of hardware. How long thay will be willing to do so is anyone's guess, but they're supporting it now. Anyhow, updating should not, as other's have said, have bricked your phone like that. I find it odd, too. Best, Shersey