Apple iOS 11.1.1 Release: Should You Upgrade?

As predicted Apple AAPL -0.67% iOS 11.1.1 is here. Quickly released to correct a bizarre autocorrect bug which caused the letter “i” autocorrect to an “A” with a symbol (how was that missed in testing?), the big question is will iOS 11.1.1 improve upon Apple’s patchy record of rushed updates (1,2,3) or will it cause more problems than it fixes? Well early signs are mixed...
Here’s everything you need to know…



Who Is iOS 11.1.1 For?
As with all iOS 11 releases, iOS 11.1.1 is compatible with iPhone 5S or later, iPad mini 2 or later and the 6th generation iPod touch or later.
iOS 11.1.1 sends out an automatic notification to compatible devices to download and install the update (and will keep nagging you until you do), but if you haven’t received this it can be triggered manually by navigating to Settings > General > Software Update. Tip: if your iOS device is registered as part of Apple’s beta program (where iOS 11.2 is now testing - more later), then you must unroll your device for iOS 11.1.1 to show up.
iOS updates vary in size depending on the device, but iOS 11.1.1 is a tiny update coming it at circa 50MB for most users. If you are updating from iOS 10, however, it will wrap up the whole of the original iOS 11 update so will be considerably larger.

The Deal Breakers
In a variant of my usual warning: yes, iOS 11.1.1 will remove the jailbreak from your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch but a demo has already been shown of iOS 11.1.1 jailbroken on the iPhone X. The problem is it’s unclear when or even if this jailbreak will be released.
As for stability, based on the first 48 hours, it seems iOS 11.1.1 is having mixed results. Some users are reporting excellent battery life improvements while others are reporting severe battery life problems, particularly to @AppleSupport on Twitter. It also seems that the primary fix in iOS 11.1.1 (more below) doesn’t working for everyone (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 etc) while for others it is causing crashes, (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 etc), camera bugs and breaking notifications,
I will keep an eye on these reports to see if they escalate.

So What Do You Get?
Just like previous ‘minor point’ releases, iOS 11.1.1 has been released to address some very specific problems:

• Fixes an issue with keyboard auto-correct
• Fixes an issue where Hey Siri stops working

Of the two, it is the auto-correct bug which has had by far the bigger impact with users furious at it messing up important messages and emails. But as the reports show, this fix isn’t working for everyone.
Meanwhile Apple’s security page confirms iOS 11.1.1 doesn’t contain any new security updates. This isn’t surprising since these are issued monthly at most and iOS 11.1.1 is the 6th iOS 11 release in just six weeks.
Apple iOS 11.1.1 Verdict: Install If You Have The Autocorrect Bug (Everyone Else Wait)
Apple may list two fixes in iOS 11.1.1 but don’t be fooled, this was a release rushed out primarily to fix the autocorrect bug. After all getting the letter ‘i’ wrong when you’re a company famed for iDevice naming is a little embarrassing.
Consequently, while the fix clearly isn’t working for everyone, it does seem to be helping most users. So since this is such an irritating bug you should update to iOS 11.1.1 if you are affected.
The flipside is if you aren’t affected and everything is working fine I would recommend you don’t update because iOS 11.1.1 brings no benefit to you: the Siri bug is so minor it wasn’t even on my radar, there are no security fixes inside and there are enough reports of iOS 11.1.1 causing serious problems to steer clear. You are missing nothing.

The Road Ahead
Apple’s next big release is iOS 11.2 which should finally restore Apple Pay Cash which was pulled from iOS 11 at the last minute. It will also deliver security updates and - hopefully - Apple’s latest attempt to fix the battery problems which have plagued so many users ever since they upgraded to iOS 11 (1, 2, 3, 4).
I don’t expect iOS 11.2 to arrive for another 2-4 weeks as it has only reached beta 2 and Apple usually likes 5-8 betas for major point releases. So if you are one of the unlucky users still suffering problems, hold on in there more help is coming!