Aside from fixing iPhone’s Wi-Fi randomly disconnecting, iOS 16.1.1 could address slow Spotlight search and officially bring Emergency SOS via satellite into orbit.
- What’s happening? Apple is now testing what would become the iOS 16.1.1 update, potentially bringing a fix for a persistent iPhone Wi-Fi bug.
- Why care? It’s a bug-hunting season and we’re still awaiting fixes for iPhone battery drain, slow Spotlight search and other problems in iOS 16.
- What to do? Report bugs at developer.apple.com/bug-reporting.
iOS 16.1.1 should fix a longstanding iPhone Wi-Fi bug
Apple recently began testing iOS 16.1.1 within its headquarters so people began speculating whether the upcoming software includes fixes for a few problematic issues not addressed in iOS 16.0.1, iOS 16.0.2, iOS 16.0.3 and iOS 16.1.
One of those is an annoying problem with the iPhone’s Wi-Fi which raised its ugly head shortly after iOS 16.0 was released publicly. This bug has been driving folks crazy by causing the phone to randomly disconnect from the Wi-Fi network.
Reports on Apple’s support forums suggest this happens when the device is in standby mode, like overnight charging. The usual solutions like restarting, resetting all network settings on the phone and reinstalling iOS don’t seem to yield any tangible results. Read: Troubleshooting steps for fixing iPhone Wi-Fi hiccups
Other bugs iOS 16.1.1 could fix
MacRumors speculates that iOS 16.1.1 might bring fixes for other teething problems with iOS 16, such as slow searching in Spotlight, iPhone battery drain and laggy animations on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pros when swiping out of apps.
The publication claims that iOS 16.1.1 will solve an advertising-related issue present in iOS 16.1. According to Apple’s system status page, this problem started on November 3. The issue is with SKAdNetwork, a system that lets advertisers measure the effectiveness of ad campaigns in terms of app installs.
Will iOS 16.1.1 bring Emergency SOS via satellite?
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pros integrate satellite radios for talking to low-earth orbiting satellites for emergency connectivity.
Apple calls this “Emergency SOS via satellite” and it’s only available on the latest iPhone 14 family, but not as of yet. It’s one of those features that Apple omitted from the initial iOS 16.0 releases. MacRumors speculates that iOS 16.1.1 could officially launch the Emergency SOS via satellite feature on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pros.
Emergency SOS via satellite isn’t for phone calls. Instead, the feature is restricted to emergency texting and automatically springs into action when you attempt to call 911 without any Wi-Fi or cellular networks around you. Emergency SOS via satellite will launch in the United States and Canada first, with additional countries rumored to follow in 2023.
This is a paid service with the first two years on Apple. After that, you’ll need to subscribe to continue using Emergency SOS via satellite.
Apple has yet to reveal pricing.
When will iOS 16.1.1 come out?
iOS 16.1 arrived on October 24, 2022, bringing battery percentage on all iPhones, support for live activities and more. We know Apple has been testing future updates because iOS 16.1.1 has now appeared in the MacRumors website analytics.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has learned that iOS 16.2 might be dropping in mid-December. Since iOS 16.1.1 will need to launch before iOS 16.2 arrives, expect it in the next couple of weeks. Watch this space as we’ll be keeping you in the loop.
Speaking of upcoming releases, iOS 16.3 is said to launch between February and March 2023, coinciding with the arrival of new Mac laptops and desktops.