Apple iPhone XS Max with iOS 12: Software is still work in progress

Despite a range of new and interesting features, Apple’s new iOS 12 has some big issues.

Benchmark tests show iPhone XS Max is super fast and even beats Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (REUTERS)

Apple last month launched its iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max phones in India. Running on the latest iOS 12 out-of-the-box, the phones are powered by the best of Apple's processors and neural engines and theoretically should be the fastest iPhones ever.

Benchmark analysis conducted by some websites show iPhone XS Max is super fast and even beats Samsung Galaxy Note 9 in certain tests. But it seems like iPhone XS Max with iOS 12 is not really that great.

Already, a number of new iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max customers are facing software issues. The worst of them is 'chargegate' where phones won't charge in sleep mode even when the lightning connector is plugged in.

The issue is said to have plagued some older iPhones after the iOS 12 update. To workaround the issue, to wake up the screen or simply plug in the charger again.

A Delhi-based senior technology journalist, who experienced this problem said, "I faced it for the first time today with iPhone Xs this morning. Plugged it using the same charger and cable but it didn't show any charging sign. I checked it with iPhone 7 and it worked fine. Then I again tried with XS and faced the same issue. After plugging it a couple of more times, I could see the charging sign."  

BTW, that charging error is showing up on our iPhone XS review unit. No workaround. Just try plugging it a couple of times more. Should work.

— Robin Sinha (@RobSin91) October 1, 2018

Apart from the charging issues, some Apple users have said that they are experiencing Wi-Fi and LTE connectivity issues.  

So Iphone XS and XS Max don't charge, cannot get Wifi and 4G reception in some areas..lol..

— bulent akgul (@akgul_bulent) September 30, 2018

Fortunately, we haven't faced any of these problems on our units, thus far. But there are a few other issues that have hindered a fluid experience. One of the biggest problems with iPhone XS Max and iPhones in general is relatively slower charging. With Android phones taking giant leap forward with higher battery capacity and quick charge technology, iPhone XS Max charging speed seems snail-paced.

Another battle has been the slow app launches. It takes forever to launch apps like Facebook, Messenger or any other non-native Apple apps. This isn't new for many of these apps on iPhones. So, it's likely a fault on the app-maker's side than Apple's systems. But with iOS 12 we'd expected it to get better.

Apple is working on iOS 12.1 software update that is supposed to bring the pending features that were originally announced for iOS 12.

For instance, the next software update will bring group FaceTime support. According to some early testers, Apple's Augmented Reality-based Measure app is also getting some improvements for better precision.

The biggest feature of iOS 12.1 is expected to be the dual-SIM support. The new iPhone XS and iPhone XR smartphones support dual-SIM with the secondary slot being a digital SIM. Hopefully, Apple will roll out fixes for the minor and major bugs reported worldwide.