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Apple iOS 8.4: Should You Upgrade?

This article is more than 8 years old.

Apple launched iOS 8.4 yesterday and, as always, the rush to download it began immediately. But as the dust settles and the feedback from iOS device owners and developers floods in we can now answer what millions of cautious users want to know: Should I upgrade or wait?

Let’s break it down...

The Deal Breakers

The flood of complaints that accompanies many iOS releases has so far failed to materialise with iOS 8.4, and that’s a great sign. That said, it isn’t entirely bug free:

Missing Music - a small thread on Apple Support Communities is worth monitoring after some users all reported their existing collection of downloaded music from iTunes and their playlists were removed after upgrading to iOS 8.4.

Understandably those affected users aren’t happy, but they remain just a handful at the moment (four!) and there’s been no heavy traction on the thread so the threat seems minor.

Bloatware - after criticism that Apple continues to fill iOS with ever more native apps which should be optional (the Apple Watch app being an obvious example), some have grumbled that Apple Music is a compulsory addition with the iOS 8.4 upgrade.

Given it simply expands the existing Music app that may seem unjustified, but the new streaming service adds a noticeable level of complexity to the UI for users who don’t want Apple’s new streaming service which hasn’t gone down well.

Edit: thanks to those who commented about Apple's unannounced Home Sharing changes in iOS 8.4, Here is a full post on this issue and you will be an update to my final verdict on page 2.

Then again this brings us onto...

So What Do You Get?

Apple Music

iOS 8.4’s entire reason for existing is the aforementioned Apple Music streaming service.

It’s a somewhat extreme move to wrap it in a major iOS update given Apple could easily upgrade the existing Music app using the App Store, but that wouldn’t get it as much attention and Apple doesn’t take as modular an approach to iOS as  Google does with Android. Given iOS’s comparative lack of fragmentation few will be complaining.

Highlights include:

  • 30M available tracks (enough to match Spotify and Google Music)
  • A three month free trial
  • $9.99pm single user cost and attention grabbing $14.99 Family Pack which gives up to 6 users access - a bundle not yet offered by Apple Music rivals
  • Human curated playlists
  • The Beats One live global radio station
  • ‘Connect’ artist pages with artist updates and content sharing
  • 25,000 free track uploads from your personal collection to access via Apple Music, this will be increased to 100,000 with the launch of iOS 9 in September

Where Apple Music does fall behind Spotify and Google Music is its use of 256kbps AAC files. AAC is a great compression format which is far superior to MP3, but Spotify and Google offer Ogg Vorbis which is a match for AAC and at a higher 320kbps bitrate.

Upgraded iBooks App

The other major feature in iOS 8.4 is an upgrade to iBooks which moves all audiobook content to it from Music. This makes sense as it keeps all reading material in the same place. It also now works in Apple CarPlay via a dedicated audiobooks app.

There are important bug fixes too...

The Bug Fixes

  • The infamous iOS text crash bug is finally fixed
  • An Apple Watch bug which stopped apps from being reinstalled has been patched
  • A GPS fix which prevented location data being shared with third accessories

A full change list of all iOS 8.4 features and fixes can be found on page 3.

The Road Ahead

So what comes up next for Apple? It is possible we could still see an iOS 8.5, but with both Apple Music and the Apple Watch now launched it is likely Apple is now squarely focused on finalising its recently previewed iOS 9 and the upcoming iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus.

When will those appear? A major carrier leak suggests September will again be the month Apple sticks to and both hardware and software will debut simultaneously for new and old iPhones, iPads and iPod touches.

In the meantime this leads us to...

Apple iOS 8.4 Verdict: Install

After some turbulent releases, iOS 8.4 appears to be exactly what Apple needed: a slick, straightforward launch that now clears the decks ahead of iOS 9.

As always I’ll be keeping my ear to the ground should any issues with iOS 8.4 still emerge (and do let me know if you have run into any issues) but right now this is the easiest verdict I’ve had to deliver on iOS updates in many months: Install iOS 8.4.

Edit: the Home Share debacle means I'm adding a caveat to this verdict: if you are a heavy Home Share user delay your upgrade to iOS 8.4. Here are the full details

___

iOS 8.4 Official Changelog:

This update introduces Apple Music—a revolutionary music service, 24/7 global radio, and a way for fans to connect with their favorite artists—all included in the redesigned Music app. iOS 8.4 also includes improvements for iBooks and bug fixes.

Apple Music

  • Become an Apple Music member to play from millions of songs in the Apple Music catalog, or keep them offline for playback later
  • For You: Members can see playlist and album recommendations, handpicked by music experts
  • New: Members can find the latest, greatest new music available - direct from our editors
  • Radio: Tune in to music, interviews, and exclusive radio shows on Beats 1, play radio stations created by our editors or create your own from any artist or song
  • Connect: See shared thoughts, photos, music, and videos from artists you follow, then join the conversation
  • My Music: Play from all of your iTunes purchases, songs from Apple Music, and playlists in one place
  • Completely redesigned music player that includes new features such as Recently Added, MiniPlayer, Up Next, and more
  • iTunes Store: Still the best place to buy your favorite music—one song or album at a time.
  • Availability and features may vary by country

iBooks improvements and fixes

  • Browse, listen and download audiobooks from inside iBooks
  • Enjoy the all-new Now Playing feature, designed specifically for audiobooks
  • Books that are Made for iBooks now work on iPhone in addition to iPad
  • Find and pre-order books in a series right from your library
  • Improves accessibility of widgets, glossary and navigation in books made with iBooks Author
  • New default Chinese font
  • New setting to turn off Auto-Night theme in your library
  • Resolves an issue that may have prevented Hide Purchases from working
  • Resolves an issue that may have prevented downloading books from iCloud

Other improvements and bug fixes

  • Fixes an issue where receiving a specific series of Unicode characters causes device to reboot
  • Fixes an issue that prevented GPS accessories from providing location data
  • Fixes an issue where deleted Apple Watch apps could re-install