iOS 8.1.1 downgrade advice issued, as OS problems persist

The iOS 8.1.1 update is continuing to cause issues for iPhone and iPad users, prompting some to take the drastic step of downgrading to the previous version of the mobile operating system.

The update was pushed out by Apple a week or so ago to fix the bugs and problems that have plagued the operating system since it was released back in September, and users have now started to receive notifications from the vendor about upgrading.

According to the release notes, the update includes "bug fixes, increased stability and performance improvements for iPad 2 and iPhone 4s," but recent decisions from Apple indicate that iOS 8.1.1 is a more significant release than first thought.

As Forbes reports, a beta was released to developers two weeks ago, which is the first time Apple has ever done this. This has no doubt been sparked by the consistent problems users have reported with iOS 8, including cellular connectivity issues, being locked out of the device and a HealthKit bug that caused its release to be held back.

According to users on Apple Support Communities, things had improved with the release of iOS 8.1.1 in the early days, but new problems with have started to emerge since then.

"Well its early days yet to tell for sure and I don't want to tempt fate, but so far for me it seems way faster now on 8.1.1," user dtcb67 said around the time of the software's release.

"Games are also now way more responsive and seem as they were on iOS 7 so far. I will see if the Wi-Fi remains stable and has the range issues later, but thought I'd post to let you guys know, for me at least so far it seems to be a big improvement."

Since then, further stories have been shared by users within the Apple support forums, with tales of Wi-Fi connectivity issues, battery draining problems and app malfunctions.

According to a report on GottaBe Mobile, this has prompted Apple to provide users with a window of opportunity to downgrade from iOS 8.1.1 to the previous version of the software.