iOS 6.1.1 Released For iPhone 4S, Fixing Reliability And 3G Issues: What About iPhone 5? [Download Link]

Although the iOS 6.1 update has just been a couple of weeks old, a number of performance issues associated with it have forced Apple to quickly update the firmware and release iOS 6.1.1 Monday.

The iOS 6.1.1 firmware update is available only to iPhone 4S users with fixes for 3G connectivity issues and some reliability related bugs. The users can install the new firmware via an over-the-air (OTA) update by going to Settings > General > Software Update. The release (23MB) is also available as a direct download here.

Apple said that iOS 6.1.1, with the build number 10B145, “fixes an issue that could impact cellular performance and reliability for iPhone 4S.” The firmware update doesn’t support other iPhone models like the iPhone 5 as of now, even though there were claims from some owners that their devices were also affected by bugs after the iOS 6.1 update.

Following the release of iOS 6.1, a number of iPhone 4S users reported experiencing issues like battery drain and overheating on their devices. While UK-based wireless carrier Vodafone asked its iPhone 4S owners not to update to the software due to certain 3G performance problems, AOL Corporate “temporarily disabled the ability to manage meetings via mobile devices due to a bug in iOS 6.1.”

Here’s what both the companies had to say on the issue:

Vodafone UK –

We’re aware of an issue caused by Apple iPhone 4s handsets that have been upgraded to iOS 6.1 which impacts performance on 3G.

Some customers may occasionally experience difficulty in connecting to the network to make or receive calls or texts or to connect to the Internet. Apple is working on a solution to their software issue. These connection problems are intermittent.

While Apple’s investigations continue, we would recommend that anyone who has not yet installed iOS 6.1 on their iPhone 4s should delay doing so until Apple has confirmed that their problem has been fixed.

AOL CIO Michael Freker –

We have researched this problem and it appears to be connected to a recently identified issue that seems to cause these iOS devices to continuously loop while synchronizing a recurring calendar meeting invitation. Similar problems have been reported by a number of sources to several media outlets across the Web in the past few days.

What About Other Affected Devices?

While the iOS 6.1 fuss is getting generated all about the iPhone 4S, reports on Apple’s Support Community forum suggested that the performance-related issues in iOS 6.1 were not confined to iPhone 4S users alone, but might have an effect on iPhone 5 users on top.

Replying to an iPhone 5 user, who claimed that his device’s battery life improved after updating to iOS 6.1, another user said that he had experienced “the exact opposite” and that his iPhone 5's battery was going down “pretty fast.”

“Did the update to 6.1 last night. Left it unplugged on my desk and over night the battery drained about 35%. With iOS 6.0.2 it only lost approx. 5%,” said another user.

“Updated to iOS 6.1 on an iPhone 5. Was 100% charged at 8AM. WiFi is off. Bluetooth is On. With very little actual usage, my battery is drained 94% of its charge (now showing 6%) at 2PM,” another user reported.

However, it’s still unclear whether Apple is making a separate iOS 6.1.1 update for iPhone 5 users as well.

Interestingly, when it comes to older devices like iPhone 3GS, the iOS 6.1 apparently boosted battery life. According to one user, his iPhone 3GS was “the best after update” with improved battery life and “ultra fast” processing speed.

Meanwhile, Vodafone UK has released yet another official note urging its iPhone 4S users to download the latest iOS 6.1.1 update.

“Apple has released a new version of its iPhone software that fixes the 3G performance issues that have been affecting users of the iPhone 4s who had installed iOS 6.1,” said the carrier. “Please download the latest version – iOS 6.1.1 – from Apple as soon as you can as this will deal with these issues.”

UPDATE: Evasi0n Untethered Jailbreak Updated To Version 1.3 For iPhone 4S Running On iOS 6.1.1 [Tutorial]