After rolling out multiple betas of iOS 11.1, Apple has released it for the iPhone and the iPad to the public. Apple is already testing iOS 11.2, which contains SiriKit for HomePod with limited third-party developer support and a fix for a bug that causes Calculator animation issues. iOS 11.1 is the first major point release for iOS 11 following the minor point releases iOS 11.0.1, iOS 11.0.2 and iOS 11.0.3.
In the previous minor iOS 11 software update, iOS 11.0.3 fixed an issue where the audio and haptic feedback would not work on a certain number of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus devices. The iOS 11.0.3 update also addresses an issue where the touch input was unresponsive on some iPhone 6s displays because it was not serviced with genuine Apple parts.
But iOS 11.0.3 has been causing a number of problems for users. iPhone 6 and 6S users have been having problems with frozen devices. And a number of people that upgraded have complained about battery draining problems.
iOS 11.0.2 fixed a bug that caused crackling noises in the iPhone 8 earpiece, a bug that caused some photos to become hidden and a bug where attachments in S/MIME encrypted emails would not open. And the iOS 11.0.1 update fixed a bug that caused synchronization issues in Outlook.com, Office 365 or an Exchange Server 2016 running on Windows Server 2016 in Apple Mail along and added performance improvements in the iMessage app Drawer, Springboard, and App Explorer.
When Apple released the eleventh major version of iOS on September 19th, there were dozens of interesting new features. The new features include a new Files app, Do Not Disturb While Driving, a document scanning in the Notes app, a new app drawer in the Messages app, person-to-person payment integration in the Messages app, a new customizable Control Center, indoor mall and airport maps, lane guidance for Maps, Live Photos editing and several new multitasking tools in the iPad. The iOS 11.1 software update major point release adds new features and fixes bugs as well.
What Is Included In The iOS 11.1 Update?
Apple added over 70 new emoji and brought back the 3D multitasking gesture. But one of the most important new features that might have been added in iOS 11.1 is an under-the-hood battery fix.
In early October, Apple revealed that new emoji would be added in the iOS 11.1 update. “The new emoji are designed to reveal every detail and adapted from approved characters in Unicode 10. iOS 11.1 will also include characters announced on World Emoji Day like Woman with Headscarf, Bearded Person, Breastfeeding, Zombie, Person in Lotus Position and new food items such as Sandwich and Coconut. Also included in the update is the Love-You Gesture, designed after the ‘I love you’ hand sign in American Sign Language,” said Apple in a statement at the time.
YouTube channel iDeviceHelp posted a video about the battery improvements for the iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus following the iOS 11.1 beta update. Each of those devices gained up to 3 hours of additional screen time while running on the iOS 11.1 beta 4 compared to when the devices were running iOS 11.0.3.
It's worth mentioning that Apple did not seem to add Apple Pay Cash in this update. Perhaps Apple will roll out that feature in another update sometime soon as it has been reported that the feature is still being internally tested. I will update this article once I find out whether this update fixes the battery drain problem and if I notice any other features that are worth mentioning.
Here are the release notes that Apple provided for iOS 11.1:
iOS 11.1 introduces over 70 new emoji and includes bug fixes and improvements.
Emoji
- Over 70 new emoji characters including new food types, animals, mythical creatures, clothing options, more expressive smiley faces, gender-neutral characters and more
Photos
- Resolves an issue that could cause some photos to appear blurry
- Addresses an issue that could cause Live Photo effects to playback slowly
- Fixes an issue that could cause some photos to not display in the People album when restoring from an iCloud Backup
- Fixes an issue that could impact performance when swiping between screenshots
Accessibility
- Improves braille support for Grade 2 input
- Improves VoiceOver access to multi-page PDFs
- Improves VoiceOver rotor actions for announcing incoming notifications
- Improves VoiceOver rotor actions menu when removing an app from the App Switcher
- Fixes an issue for some users where alternative keys would not display when using VoiceOver with Touch Typing
- Fixes an issue where VoiceOver rotor would always return to default action in Mail
- Fixes an issue where VoiceOver rotor would not delete messages
Other improvements and fixes
- Adds back support for accessing the app switcher by pressing on edge of display with 3D Touch
- Fixes an issue that caused cleared Mail notifications to reappear on Lock screen
- Fixes an issue in enterprise environments that prevented data from being moved between managed apps
- Fixes an issue with some 3rd-party GPS accessories that caused inaccuracies in location data
- Resolves an issue where settings for Heart Rate notifications were appearing in Apple Watch app (1st generation)
- Fixes an issue where app icons were not appearing in notifications on Apple Watch
For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:
