iOS 6 Users Expressing Discontent Over Automatic iOS 7 Over-the-Air Downloads

Thursday September 26, 2013 10:29 PM PDT by Richard Padilla
ios_7_otaA week after the introduction of Apple’s new iOS 7 mobile operating system, users of iOS 6 across the internet are expressing discontent due to automatic downloads of the new software update, reports CNET.

Specifically, users who still have iOS 6 installed are experiencing self-starting over-the-air (OTA) downloads for iOS 7 to their devices when connected to AC power, averaging around 1 GB per download and occupying 3.1 GB of storage. While the update does not automatically install itself and requires user authentication, the download does not show up in the storage submenu within settings.

The issue is especially problematic for users with little space on their existing devices, as filled space can cause various problems with file management and device efficiency.
CNET confirmed the behavior on both an iPhone 4 as well as a fourth-generation iPad, both of which were running the latest version of iOS 6 before 7 arrived. For the iPad, the download began within minutes of turning on the device and plugging it into A/C power. When finished on both devices, it accounted for a little more than 3GB of space that was previously available on the device, and did not show up in the storage management settings submenu.
Last year, users reported similar behavior with the iOS 6 OTA update occurring for those on iOS 5. Earlier this week, Apple claimed that more than 200 million iOS devices are running iOS 7, making it the fastest software upgrade in history.

341 comments

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viperGTS
83 months ago
When you're forced to give up 3GB+ of storage for an update you may not even want, that's unacceptable.
Rating: 50 Votes
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BillyTrimble
83 months ago

Cry me a river. Update your damn phones. 7 is heaven.


How ignorant. If someone chooses not update, that's their business. Just remember what you said when you are forced to do something you don't want to do, such as when your parents forced you to eat your vegetables at dinner tonight.
Rating: 36 Votes
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DoctorFedora
83 months ago

When you're forced to give up 3GB+ of storage for an update you may not even want, that's unacceptable.


But… that 3GB is just unpacking space for setup. You get it all back once installation is complete.
Rating: 26 Votes
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Treq
83 months ago
Not until there is a jailbreak so I can fix the horrible UI.
There are some nice improvements but the UI is just not one of them... Flat is not where it's at.
Rating: 26 Votes
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na1577
83 months ago

But… that 3GB is just unpacking space for setup. You get it all back once installation is complete.


Except the people who are running into this problem are people who don't want to install it in the first place.
Rating: 23 Votes
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GSPice
83 months ago

Not until there is a jailbreak so I can fix the horrible UI.
There are some nice improvements but the UI is just not one of them... Flat is not where it's at.


Used to jailbreak. Not anymore. Meh.
Rating: 23 Votes
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donutbagel
83 months ago

Have you spent any time with it? You'll find that flat is not so bad. When I first heard that iOS 7 was going to be "flat", I said "yuck!", but it's more than just a flat UI, it's an entirely different approach that works really well. Depth was added in a different way.


I did, and it still sucks.
Rating: 20 Votes
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Nermal
83 months ago

But… that 3GB is just unpacking space for setup. You get it all back once installation is complete.


But installation will never be complete if it's an update that you don't want/accept.
Rating: 20 Votes
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coolfactor
83 months ago


When you're forced to give up 3GB+ of storage for an update you may not even want, that's unacceptable.


So why wouldn't you want it? It performs better than iOS 6 on the same hardware. My 3 year old iPhone 4 is like a brand new phone. Performance is better all around, especially activating the camera. That used to drive me NUTS in iOS 6! Sometimes it would take 10 seconds or more for the camera to become active. Now it's nearly instant in iOS 7.
Rating: 19 Votes
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donutbagel
83 months ago

How ignorant. If someone chooses not update, that's their business. Just remember what you said when you are forced to do something you don't want to do, such as when your parents forced you to eat your vegetables at dinner tonight.


You're not forced to enable automatic over-the-air updates. Why enable it if you don't want the update? Sounds like a problem that demands the "world's smallest violin" to play.
Rating: 17 Votes
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