Apple releases iPhone OS 3.1.2

by Joe Aimonetti

Apple has released the latest update to its iPhone OS, now 3.1.2. This update resolves issues with iPhones not waking from sleep, interruptions in cellular network services, and occasional crashes while streaming video.

The update is available for iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPod touch via iTunes.

Experiencing issues, have questions, want to let us know about an issue we should report on? Email Us!

Joe is a seasoned Mac veteran with years of experience on the platform. He reports on Macs, iPods, iPhones and anything else Apple sells. Before joining CNET, he even worked in Apple's retail stores. He's also a creative professional who knows how to use a Mac to get the job done.

Topics:: Announcements

Tags:: Apple,; Mac,; iPhone,; OS Update,; 3.1.2

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by chris350--2008 October 8, 2009 5:00 PM PDT

Are Apple serious? How long do they think people are going to put up with 306.2mb software updates? On my 16gb 3Gs this equates to (in useable capacity terms) more than 2% of my total capacity in one hit! All for a so-called minor update of stuff I have never had an issue with anyway. Also how about Apple jumping on iphone app developers as well, some of whom also are supplying extraordinarily large updates for no apparent benefit. If Apple thinks this strategy will force me into buying a higher capacity iphone (I just bought this thinking 16gb is all I' would need) then they can think again, I will just go to another product on principle.

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by selloco October 12, 2009 8:37 AM PDT: You're not losing 300MB with each update. Apple's OS 3.0 updates are aggregate and include previous updates. Otherwise if you were on 3.0 you'd need to download and install 3.0.1, 3.1 and 3.1.2 just to be current.; Like this


by selloco October 12, 2009 8:38 AM PDT: The dropping of cell service until a restart has been there from day one in 3.0.

OS 3.1.2 seems to have fixed this problem for me. This issue would happen to me under the following circumstances:

iPhone is on and in use (I'm either using the phone or an application), I go out of cell range (in an elevator for example). and after exiting the elevator it would sometimes take 3 or 4 minutes for cell service to be restored automatically. Setting the phone to "Airplane Mode" and back again or restarting the phone would restore cell service immediately.; Like this

by chris350--2008 October 8, 2009 5:05 PM PDT

What I should have also mentioned is that not all countries have the cheap, fast and unlimited broadband capabilities of the U.S. and Europe. Here in Australia I pay USD$50 per month for a total 2.5gb download allowance PER MONTH. So this one iphone update represents more than 12% of my monthly allowance!

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by jcraig23 October 9, 2009 9:48 AM PDT: Do Australian libraries have internet access? I'm sure you can download the update to a publicly available computer, put it on a stick and take it home if bandwidth is such an issue. Or use their public WiFi if available. If something on my phone isn't working right or can be improved, I expect Apple to improve it or fix it, no matter how large a software update that may take.; Like this


by deev10u5 October 10, 2009 3:18 PM PDT: Then as a fellow Aussie I say you're paying too much! :-); Like this


by FletcherKane October 8, 2009 5:23 PM PDT: The update doesn't take up that much space on your iphone. It replaces the software that is already running on your ipod. I promise you won't notice any degradation of space on your iphone.; Like this Reply to this comment

by RayCon October 8, 2009 7:22 PM PDT

After updating, there is a dialog box asking permission to update the carrier settings. This is different than the carrier settings that enabled MMS.

I had been having trouble with my visual voicemail (read: it stopped working completely) after enabling tethering and then updating to 3.1. I eventually deleted the mobileconfig file I downloaded from benm.at, and visual voicemail was working again. Of course, tethering was gone, but my visual voicemail was more important. Now, I've updated to 3.1.2 and applied the carrier settings afterward. Believe it or not, the tethering option is back! Does this mean AT&T will be enabling tethering very soon? I have yet to try it out, but it is interesting.

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by MacFixIt Joe October 9, 2009 8:28 AM PDT: Interestingly enough, I have been reading the opposite lately. AT&T has been mentioning that its network is not ready to handle iPhone Tethering. Perhaps the update has allowed the setting, but it won't be turned on for a while. Should be interesting to see how long AT&T makes us wait on this one.; Like this


by silverorange99 October 9, 2009 10:44 AM PDT: Apple when are you going to fix the wifi bug????; Like this Reply to this comment


by kucharsk October 9, 2009 11:26 AM PDT: Which wifi bug is that?

My iPhone's wifi works great every place I've tried...; Like this Reply to this comment


by dholt51 October 10, 2009 7:27 AM PDT: How do I go back to 3.0?; Like this Reply to this comment


by jaredr32 October 23, 2009 2:10 AM PDT: Look, it sounds like you are trying to complain with no solid grounds. Apple does some annoying stuff, ie. no itunes for XP x64, no iphone to sim card transfer, lack of picture messaging until this last update, and all importantly the incredible amount of bugs throughout the entire phone. I have a 16gb 3g and i love it. What sucks is i have to hack itunes to run on my laptop or my desktop cause they both have xp x64 and then i have to dig out my old laptop to do any updates cause the firmware has issues when updating on it apperently. So yeah its annoying but oh well. its still a great phone, apple is still a smart company (i mean they contol most of the handheld audio peripheral market) but they arent without flaws. So enjoy your phone and take all these small problems in stride; Like this Reply to this comment


by JMKleinBBK October 27, 2009 7:52 AM PDT: I had NO problems with 3.1, and now 3.1.2 has KILLED my battery life. One and a half hour after VERY LIGHT usage, my phone is at almost 80%. This is an EPIC FAIL. I've read other reviews like mine also....How does APple fix one set of issues and create BRAND NEW issues on other phones. This sucks big time :/; Like this Reply to this comment

(14 Comments)

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