Do you own an iPhone or iPad that was launched before 2012? It is recommended for you to check your device for an iOS update to ensure that it keeps on showing you the accurate date, time and location.
Cupertino based technology giant Apple has started rolling out a new software update to some select old iPhones and iPads. The update has the fix for an issue that has been affecting the global GPS of these devices. The problem is being termed at the Week Number Rollover issue, and it arises when GPS systems record the weeks as a 10-bit figure. So, when they hit the week number 1,024, their count is automatically reset.
This problem has been surfacing in some of the old devices by Apple and it is speculated to be the same as the Millennium/Y2K bug. To recall, the Millennium/Y2K bug was also caused because the date count was resetting automatically.
While in the past we have seen GPS makers like Garmin and TomTom issue patches for this particular problem. Now, Apple is doing the same for the iPhones and iPads that are affected by the issue. It has been reported that the Week Number Rollover issue first started affecting devices on April 6 this tear. However, Apple has said that its devices will not be affected until November 3.
We should mention that the new smartphones and tablets that have the latest version of iOS installed on them are not encountering this issue, and now, Apple is rolling out the same protection against this problem to its older devices too.
For iPhone 5 and fourth-generation iPhone, the software update has the version number iOS 10.3.4, and for iPhone 4S, first-generation iPad Mini, iPad 2 and third-generation iPad, it has the version number iOS 9.3.6. Apple has also given a statement that says that the Wi-Fi online iPads or the iPod Touch will not be affected.
In case you have an old iPad or iPhone with you, you must update it. According to Apple’s website, here’s how you can do this:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap General, then tap About.
- Look for the number next to Software Version.
Apple’s website also says, “If you don’t update to the newest version of iOS available for your device before November 3, 2019, some models might not be able to maintain an accurate GPS position. And functions that rely on the correct date and time—such as syncing with iCloud and fetching email—might not work.”
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