Should I Update from iOS 4 on an iPad 2?

Windows7forever on 17/08/2020 - 11:16
Last edited 17/08/2020 - 11:17

I received an old iPad2 running iOS 4 which is becoming out of date as it can no longer run Netflix or 9now app, to name a few. I mostly just use it for watching Youtube videos and concerts and would like to keep this functionality.

I am looking to upgrade the operating system to iOS 9 which I believe is the last usable version on this device, just so I can run some newer apps.

I am slightly apprehensive about doing this because I have heard many reports that OS upgrades significantly slow down old Apple devices and that these updates cannot be "rolled back" or reversed.

Basically I don't want to risk updating a device that may become obsolete in 6-12 months to run most apps (due to version requirement creep) AND become super slow due to performance issues; sadly it would turn into a brick. e.g. The 9now app was working beautifully until about 6 months ago when they forced an upgrade and bumped up the minimum iOS version to 9.0.

Forgive my ignorance, but I am not an Apple user and this is my first Apple device so it's completely foreign to the Windows/Android ecosystems.

Should I update from iOS 4 on an iPad2? What OS version would you recommend?

Thanks in advance

Electrical & Electronics Apple Tablet

Comments

  • WoodYouLikeSomeCash on 17/08/2020 - 11:23

    I had an iPad 2 running iOS 9.3.5 and it was super slow everything was laggy and it would even crash sometimes.

  • Noire on 17/08/2020 - 11:25

    Might as well update it, since you're not doing anything now that most apps are no longer supported. Maybe take the time to look for another tablet on the market?

  • cypher67 on 17/08/2020 - 11:36
    +1

    I recently updated my Ipad 2, battery went from lasting a full day to lasting around 10 minutes. Thanks Apple!

  • [Deactivated] on 17/08/2020 - 11:38
    +1

    Doesn't really matter. IOS 9 isn't well supported anyhow. So many websites are broken. Can't even complete an order on Amazon. Bunnings is completely broken. Officeworks can hang requiring a reboot. It's sad watching a perfectly working and capable machine get deliberately obsoleted in software.

    • blindingshadowz on 17/08/2020 - 12:12

      The device with a 1GHz 32-bit processor and 512MB RAM from 9 years ago being capable in 2020? Not sure if I agree. iOS has matured a lot in that time.

      • Windows7forever on 17/08/2020 - 12:19

        A ten year old PC would still be perfectly usable. These devices were designed with planned obsolescence.

        Thanks for the advice everyone, I will not be upgrading my iPad. Better to stick with older version which still supports YouTube and a few other basic apps for my purpose. It's a shame you had to find out the hard way ☹️

      • [Deactivated] on 17/08/2020 - 12:29
        +1

        Pi Zero is pretty happy with those exact specs, the chief difference being software support. Most of the website support is dropped due to legacy testing costs, not device spec or capability. There is nothing on the Amazon, Officeworks or Bunnings websites that is hardware constrained.

  • umjamlam on 17/08/2020 - 12:24

    iOS 9 on iPad 2 is not very good. However I believe you can update to iOS 9 and then downgrade to iOS 6 using iTunes since that update is still being signed. If you can't get a new device to replace your iPad 2, I'd recommend going to iOS 6 or sticking to iOS 4.

    • Joshminey on 17/08/2020 - 12:27

      I'd say iOS 6 would run just as good as iOS 4 on an iPad 2

  • geek001 on 17/08/2020 - 13:19
    +1

    I have an ipad 2 running IOS 9. FYI, the youtube app doesn't work on the ipad 2. So you can only watch youtube through an internet browser. A lot of apps may not work because it is not running IOS10. Just something to think about before upgrading. The interface is also a quite laggy.

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