In a statement provided to TechCrunch, Apple has revealed that iOS 10.2.1 has dramatically reduced the amount of unexpected shutdowns plaguing a number of their handsets, noting that the company is seeing a more than 80% reduction in iPhone 6s complaints and over a 70% reduction on iPhone 6 devices.
Released in January, Apple at the time didn’t announce that the software was a fix specifically for unexpected shutdowns, only noting that the update provided “bug fixes and improves the security of iPhone.”
The statement from Apple reassures customers that unexpected shutdowns are not a safety issue, with the company previously announcing that “controlled ambient air” during the manufacturing process was causing issues with select iPhone 6s handsets suffering with sporadic shutdowns.
With iOS 10.2.1, Apple made improvements to reduce occurrences of unexpected shutdowns that a small number of users were experiencing with their iPhone. iOS 10.2.1 already has over 50% of active iOS devices upgraded and the diagnostic data we’ve received from upgraders shows that for this small percentage of users experiencing the issue, we’re seeing a more than 80% reduction in iPhone 6s and over 70% reduction on iPhone 6 of devices unexpectedly shutting down. – We also added the ability for the phone to restart without needing to connect to power, if a user still encounters an unexpected shutdown. It is important to note that these unexpected shutdowns are not a safety issue, but we understand it can be an inconvenience and wanted to fix the issue as quickly as possible. If a customer has any issues with their device they can contact AppleCare.
Baked into iOS 10.2.1, Apple has created a way to auto-restart without needing to connect to power. The auto-restart feature is available on the iPhone 6 and 6s in iOS 10.2.1 and will be added to the iPhone 6 Plus and 6s Plus in iOS 10.3.