Troubleshooting iOS 14 Problems

Are you facing any issues after updating the software on your iPhone to iOS 14? Is your iPad acting up after updating to iPadOS 14? Some users may experiences issues related to overall performance, battery, installed apps, wi-fi and networking issues, email issues, ? You’re certainly not alone, but we’re here to help.

Every year, after a major iOS update is rolled out by Apple, you often find a lot of people complaining about issues with the newest firmware. Well, this year is no exception in that regard, as several users have already reported various problems with the new iOS 14 software update. To make things easier for you, we have compiled a list of the most popular issues according to the community.

If you’re one of those unlucky iPhone or iPad users affected by this update, simply read on to learn how you can troubleshoot and fix some of the most common iOS 14 problems that have been reported so far.

1: Unable to install iOS 14 or iPadOS 14? Stuck on Preparing for Update? etc

Some users are not able to install iOS 14 or IPadOS 14 at all. Some users may find the software update gets stuck on “preparing for update” and won’t proceed at all.

Make sure your iPhone or iPad has sufficient storage space available on the device itself.

Rarely, you might need to go to Settings > General > Storage and delete the update from the device, then reboot the iPhone or iPad, and return to Settings > General > Software Update to download and install the update again. Always backup your device before installing a software update.

1b: What if you don’t see the update for iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 at all?

It may be because your device is not compatible, so make sure your device is compatible with iOS 14 and/or on the iPadOS 14 compatibility list too.

2: Installed iOS 14 but Now Device is Not Working At All?

In the most extreme scenarios, which are fortunately the most rare, attempting to install the iOS 14 or ipadOS 14 update fails during the installation itself, and leaves the device in a completely unusable condition. This is sometimes referred to as ‘bricked’, and if you encounter bricked iPhone or iPad after the iOS update, read here for troubleshooting that.

3. Apps Crashing After Installing iOS 14 / iPadOS 14?

Some of the apps installed on your iPhone or iPad may crash after updating to iOS 14 or iPadOS 14.

This is most likely if those apps haven’t been updated to support the latest version of system software yet. This is why it’s highly recommended to update all your apps after installing the update, since some apps may have received optimization updates to work properly with iOS 14 and iPadOS 14.

To do this, launch the App Store and tap on your Apple ID profile icon at the top-right corner of the screen. Now, scroll down and tap on “Update All” to install any available app updates.

In addition to this, it’s worth checking if you have any new software updates available for your device. Apple tends to push out minor hotfix updates shortly after a major update to resolve any stability issues. Therefore, it’s a good idea to install these small updates as soon as they become available. For example, iOS 14.0.1 and iPadOS 14.0.1 was quickly released as a bug fix update, and more are sure to come.

4. FaceTime Not Working Properly?

The first thing to do if FaceTime isn’t functioning properly is to make sure the service has been activated on your iPhone.

You can check this by going to Settings -> FaceTime. If you find a message saying “Waiting for Activation”, turn off and turn on FaceTime to force the reactivation process. If it’s already activated, try restarting your device to see if it resolves the issue.

On the other hand, if you’re having trouble getting FaceTime to work over cellular, you’ll need to check if cellular data usage hasn’t been accidentally disabled for the service. To make sure, go to Settings -> Cellular and scroll down to find the FaceTime app.

There’s also a FaceTime glitch associated with the new Picture-in-Picture mode. For those who aren’t aware, FaceTime supports the Picture-in-Picture video mode that iOS 14 has to offer. This can be used to stay connected to video calls in a floating window while you’re doing other things on your iPhone. However, multiple users have reported that they’re often getting a transparent screen as soon as they leave PiP mode and the person on the other end is unable to see them. Unfortunately, there’s no solution for this at the time of this writing and we’ll have to wait for Apple to fix it in a future update.

5. Default Apps Getting Reset?

One of the most interesting new additions to iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 is the ability to set third-party browsers and email clients as default apps on your devices.

If you’ve used this feature already to set Google Chrome as your default web browser or Gmail as your default mail app, you may find there’s a bug that resets your default apps back to Safari and Apple Mail upon restarting the device. This means you’d have to change it back in settings if you reboot your iPhone or iPad.

Fortunately, this bug has been addressed already with iOS 14.0.1 and later, so update your device to resolve this one.

6. Battery Draining Rapidly, Bad Battery Life After Update

Battery issues after a major software update isn’t really uncommon.

However, if you just updated to iOS 14 or iPadOS 14, you’ll need to wait for your device to finish performing some background tasks and indexing. This activity utilizes system resources which makes the battery deplete faster than usual. Leaving your iPhone or iPad plugged in and connected to the internet overnight would be an ideal thing to do, as the indexing activity and other tasks should be done by the time you wake up.

If it has been a couple of days since the update and you find that the battery performance still hasn’t gone back to normal, you may want to see your iPhone’s battery health. You should be fine if you purchased your iPhone or iPad recently, but on the other hand, if you’re using an older device, it’s definitely worth checking. Go to Settings -> Battery -> Battery Health and you’ll be able to see its current maximum capacity. You’ll also be notified if your battery’s health has significantly degraded and needs replacement.

7. Sluggish Performance, iPhone or iPad Feels Slow

Similar to battery complaints, performance issues are routinely reported right after a major system software update.

As mentioned earlier, an iPhone or iPad performs indexing and other background tasks shortly after a software update, which could make it feel slower than usual. Just wait for your device to finish all the background activity and the performance should go back to normal.

Are you using an older iPhone or iPad? In that case, you can alleviate the performance hit on ageing hardware after a major update by disabling background app activity on your device. Open Settings and go to General -> Background App Refresh and set it to OFF. This should make your iPhone feel a little snappier and also minimize the battery drain.

If this is a problem you are experiencing, there are various other helpful tips to speed up iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, check them out here.

8. Bluetooth / Wi-Fi Problems

If you’re facing frequent disconnections with a Bluetooth device or a Wi-Fi network, disconnect from the device or network and reconnect to see if that resolves the issue as the first troubleshooting step.

If you’re unable to connect to a paired Bluetooth device, go to Settings -> Bluetooth and tap on “i” next to the paired device. Now, choose to “Forget the Device” and the redo the pairing process.

Common networking issues associated with your iPhone or iPad could also prevent you from connecting to Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth devices sometimes. However, this can often be easily resolved by resetting your network settings. Be mindful that you’ll lose your saved Bluetooth connections, Wi-Fi networks, and passwords once you reset these settings.  To do this, simply go to Settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset Network Settings on your iOS device.

If you’re experiencing wi-fi problems with iOS 14 or ipadOS 14, check out this guide to help fix wi-fi problems with iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, and be sure to update your device to the latest software version available too.

8b: “Weak Security” Wi-fi Message After iOS 14 Update

Some users are seeing a “Weak Security” message regarding their wi-fi after updating to iOS 14.

Typically this is because the wi-fi router or access point is not using WPA2 / WPA2-PSK (AES) / WPA3 encryption.

Wi-fi router encryption is handled directly on the router itself, and is not related to the iPhone or iPad. Therefore if you experience this issue, you will need to check your wi-fi router settings, or contact your internet service provider for further assistance.

9. Random Reboots, Frozen Screen, Black Screen, etc

Sometimes, your device may reboot randomly, or your screen may freeze every now and then.

In rare cases, you may even run into a black screen and you’ll have no idea how that happened.

Thankfully, there’s usually nothing much to worry about, despite these seeming like alarming problems. Most stability issues, battery drain problems, and other software-related bugs can be quickly resolved by force restarting your device.

Keep in mind that a force reboot is different from a regular restart and requires a combination of key presses. You may find it difficult to get it right in one try, so follow these instructions carefully.

For iPhones and iPads with physical home buttons and Touch ID, you can force reboot by simply hold the power button and home button simultaneously until you see the Apple logo on the screen.

On the other hand, if you own an iPhone / iPad model with Face ID support, you can press the volume up button first, followed by the volume down button, and then hold the side/power button until you see the Apple logo to force restart the device.

10. Zoom Freezing when Screen Sharing with iOS 14 / iPadOS 14, Zoom Crashes, etc

Many iPhone and iPad users who use Zoom are finding screen sharing to cause the Zoom app to freeze, or they’re experiencing app crashes, or disconnections where they are kicked off of Zoom calls. Given that Zoom is in particularly high demand right now with distance learning and telecommuting, this is a particularly annoying problem for many with their jobs. This is likely due to a compatibility issue with some versions of Zoom and iOS 14 / iPadOS 14.

The best course of action is to update the Zoom app via the App Store, and also to install any available software updates for iOS or iPadOS via the Settings app.

Many users have reported that updating to iOS 14.0.1 or later, and updating the Zoom app to the latest available version, resolves this problem.

11. Mail Message Cannot be Displayed

Some iPhone and iPad users are seeing a frustrating error when trying to view or load emails, typically with a message along the lines of “This message cannot be displayed because of the way it is formatted. Ask the sender to send it again using a different format or email program.” or a variation of something similar, sometimes with a “No Sender” or “No Subject” or a blank email content.

If you experience this issue, typically force quitting and then rebooting the iPhone will resolve the problem.

If there is a software update available for iOS or iPadOS, install that as well.

For what it’s worth, similar issues have cropped up in the past with prior iOS releases, and usually they are quickly resolved with reboots and software updates, so don’t get too distraught.

12: Widgets Disappearing, Reappearing, Displaying Incorrectly

Rarely, some users may notice that widgets disappear at random, and then appear to show up again at random too.

If you experience widgets coming and going seemingly at random, you might try the following: remove the widget experiencing the problem, reboot the iPhone, then re-add the widget again.

Some widgets also seem to be displaying incorrectly, like the Podcasts widget. This is likely to be worked out soon with a software update.

13: Ringer Volume Issues

Some users have noticed that their iPhone ringer volume is not working as intended, or as expected, after updating to iOS 14. This can be anything from the overall iPhone volume being too low like for an alarm clock, or the ringer volume sound being too low for texts, messages, and phone calls, even if the volume up button is pressed repeatedly, to the ringer volume level not staying consistent despite being changed.

The first thing to do is to go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > and make sure “Ringer and Alerts” is set to the level you want it to be. You can also make sure that “Change with Buttons” is enabled (or disabled, depending on your preferences).

Some users have reported a reboot of their device to temporarily help the issue. If this is a bug, it will likely be resolved in a future iOS update.

14: Can you disable App Library?

Some users have wondered if you can turn off App Library and the automatic app sorting on their iPhone with iOS 14. Currently, the ability to turn off App Library is not available.

15: Weather Widget Not Working in iOS 14

The weather widget is quite popular, but some users have found it’s not working with iOS 14. The most common reason for this is location services being not configured properly for Weather.

You can typically fix this by going to Settings > Privacy > Location Services (make sure they’re enabled) > Weather > toggle “While Using the App or Widgets” on and also toggle on “Precise Location”

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We hope you were able to resolve whatever problems or issues that were affecting iPhone and iPad with iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 update. What specific issue were you facing on your iOS device? Which of these troubleshooting methods worked for you? Did you have another problem not listed here? Do you have any additional tips to share with us? Share any of your experiences with iOS 14 problems and iPadOS 14 issues in the comments below, and let us know your thoughts and experiences too.