Apple recently rolled out iOS 12.3.2, but it was a minor update meant for a specific model only – the iPhone 8 Plus. Therefore, Apple didn’t release it for other models. However, it appears that Apple made a mistake by not releasing it for other models as it made life difficult for those upgrading from the iPhone 8 Plus to other iPhones.
Apple, in the release note for the iOS 12.3.2, said that the update resolves the “issue that could cause Camera to capture Portrait mode photos without depth effect on some iPhone 8 Plus devices.” It seems logical not to release it for other models since the update is specific to the iPhone 8 Plus, so why bother other iPhones unnecessarily.
However, as it turns out, because of this specific update users upgrading from the iPhone 8 Plus are facing issues. The issue was highlighted by a user named Fun107’s Michael Rock, who faced hardships while upgrading from the iPhone 8 Plus to a brand new iPhone XS.
Since the iOS 12.3.2 was meant only for the iPhone 8 Plus, the latest software available for other iPhones, including the iPhone XS is iOS 12.3.1. So, this could cause a problem if you have an iPhone 8 Plus and want to restore from that backup.
Meaning, if you take a backup of your device (in this case iPhone 8 Plus) when running iOS 12.3.2, you won’t be able to restore that backup on a new device. This is because, the iOS 12.3.2 is a newer version technically, but for all other iPhones, except for the iPhone 8 Plus, the latest version is iOS 12.3.1.
This update mismatch issue is affecting both iTunes backup and iCloud.
“While doing that, I updated the software on the iPhone 8 to the latest and greatest version: 12.3.2. Doing this Apple recommended update has caused me more headaches than you can imagine. Updating my phone is going to prevent me from fully utilizing my brand new phone until further notice,” Rock says in a post.
Further, the user said that he was unable to transfer the data to his new iPhone XS for which the latest OS was iOS 12.3.1. On the other hand, he made the backup from his iPhone 8 Plus, which was on the iOS 12.3.2.
The problem highlighted here is not a new one. Such compatibility issues between the iOS versions have long been troubling users while transferring data to a new iPhone. Usually, the brand new iPhone has an iOS version that is slightly older due to the time gap when it leaves the factory and gets into customers’ hands.
A simple solution to such a problem has been updating the new iPhone to match the iOS version on the old device. This solution, however, works only when the matching version is actually available. In Rock’s case and for anyone else who are upgrading from the iPhone 8 Plus (running on iOS 12.3.2) the matching version does not exist for other iPhone models.
So, this means that anyone switching from the iPhone 8 Plus to any other iPhone would have to set it up as a new device, rather than restoring the backup. Setting it up like this takes away the “i” part of the “iPhone,” Rock aptly says.
Apple’s customer support told Rock that there is nothing that they can do to fix it. They are correct also as the solution needs to come straight from Apple considering restrictions are built in to the OS itself. Apple could come up with a “placebo” version of iOS 12.3.2 for all supported devices. This would at least match the iOS version on all the devices.
It may, however, take some time for Apple to release a “placebo” version. If you need an immediate solution, then the easiest way is to install the latest iOS 12.4 public beta (not iOS 13 beta) on your new iPhone. Although installing the beta version is never recommended on your primary device, the recent betas from Apple have been quite stable.
There are other solutions as well. The first is to avoid upgrading your iPhone. You can postpone upgrading to a new iPhone at least until Apple comes out with a new version after the iOS 12.3.2. This, however, won’t be easy for many users, especially for those who already bought a new device. You could also try downloading the iPhone 8 Plus to a lower iOS version. Doing this will probably match the iOS version of the new and old iPhone.
As of now, there are no comments from Apple on the problem at hand. This seems to suggest that the company would want users like Rock to wait until the iOS 12.4 is released.
