Many expected iOS 14.3 to be the solution to their problems.
It wasn’t. And a month on, there’s no signs from Apple of an update.
I keep hearing from iPhone owners frustrated by iOS 14.3 bugs. The issues range from poor battery life, problems making and receiving calls, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and notifications not being displayed.
The thread over on Apple’s support forum has grown to almost 70 pages.
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I’ve been talking to a few users affected by random iOS 14.3 bugs, and I feel that I have a better understanding of what’s going on, and am in a position to offer some fixes.
Note: Before we go any further, I recommend having a full backup. Just in case.
As for the notifications bug, it appears that the fix for most people is to reset the “Hide Alerts” feature. To do this, click on a conversation in Messages, tap on the name/number at the top of the screen and then tap on “info.”
I’m not sure if there’s a bug in iOS 14.3 that is setting it for messages automatically, or, more likely, users are pawing the screen and accidentally setting this.
Another fix that works for some is to check global notifications settings (Settings > Notifications) and making sure this hasn’t been accidentally “butt dialed” somehow. The iPhone has a touch interface, and it is possible to make changes inadvertently.
As for call issues, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, I’ve found that a pretty reliable fix is to reset network settings (Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings).
As for battery issues, I’ve seen two things. First, general battery wear. Go to Settings > General Battery > Battery Health, and if Maximum Capacity is hovering around 80%, that’s likely an issue.
Replace with a genuine Apple battery (non-genuine batteries can cause more problems than they are worth).
Another “catch-all” fix is the nuclear option — Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings or Reset All Content and Settings.
Short of doing a full Reset All Content and Settings (which is somewhat laborious and time-consuming), you don’t have much to lose trying these fixes. Doing a Reset All Settings will mean having to redo your connectivity settings, but that shouldn’t take too long.
From the feedback I’ve received, these fixes have had a high success rate in fixing iOS 14.3 issues. But I don’t make any guarantees,
Are you experiencing any iOS 14.3 bugs? What steps have you tried? Let me know.
