iOS 4 (codenamed "Apex") was the 4th major release of iOS designed and developed by Apple for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, being the successor to iPhone OS 3
Features[]
New features[]
iOS 4 homescreen
iOS 4 was developed for the iPhone 3G, 2nd-generation iPod touch, and 1st-generation iPad and later. The update was free and included a multitude of new features. The features included, but were not limited to:
- Multitasking
- Folder organization
- Multiple mail boxes
- iBooks
- Support for iMovie (available in the App Store)
- Creation of music playlists
- 5x digital zoom for camera (iPhone 4 and iPod touch (4th gen) only)
- LED flash (iPhone 4 only)
- Tap-focus for video
- Picture identification
- Home screen wallpaper
- Ability to "gift" apps
- Spell checking
- Bluetooth keypad
- Ability to rent movies
- Game Center
- FaceTime (iPhone 4 and iPod touch (4th gen) only)
- Personal hotspot (iPhone 4 only)
Support[]
Alternate logo which showed rebranding from iPhone OS.
- The 1st and 2nd-generation iPads, 3rd and 4th-generation iPod touches, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4 were fully supported.
- The iPhone 3G and 2nd-generation iPod touch had limited support, which was discontinued after version 4.2.1.
- The 1st-generation iPhone and iPod touch were no longer supported by any version of iOS 4.
Limitations on older models[]
Some features were disabled on older models due to hardware limitations, eventually leading Apple to stop supporting them entirely after version 4.2.1:[1]
- Compass (unavailable for iPhone 3G and 2nd-generation iPod touch)
- Game Center (unavailable for iPhone 3G)
- Home screen wallpaper (unavailable for iPhone 3G and 2nd-generation iPod touch)[2]
- Multitasking (unavailable for iPhone 3G and 2nd-generation iPod touch)
- Nike + iPod (unavailable for iPhone 3G)
- Voice Control (unavailable for iPhone 3G and 2nd-generation iPod touch)
Release history[]
| Version | Build | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | 8A293 | 2010-06-21 | First release for iPhone 4 (GSM). |
| 4.0.1 | 8A306 | 2010-07-15 | Signal bar calculation adjusted to account for "Death grip" issues. |
| 4.0.2 | 8A400 | 2010-08-11 | Security fix for PDF vulnerability. |
| 4.1 | 8B117 8B118 |
2010-09-08 | First release for 4th-generation iPod touch. |
| 4.1.1 | 8B119 | ||
| 4.2 | 8C134 | 2010-11-01 | Golden master only released to developers.[3][4] |
| 4.2.1 | 8C148 8C148a |
2010-11-22 | First version to support iPads. Last update for iPhone 3G and iPod touch (2nd gen). |
| 4.2.2 | 8C150 | 2010-11-22 | Builds used for 2nd-generation Apple TV. |
| 4.2.3 | 8C152 | ||
| 4.2.4 | 8C154 | 2010-12-14 | |
| 4.2.5 | 8E128 | 2011-01-11 | First release for iPhone 4 (CDMA) with Wi-Fi hotspot support. |
| 4.2.6 | 8E200 | 2011-01-31 | Wi-Fi hotspot bug fixes for iPhone 4 (CDMA). |
| 4.2.7 | 8E303 | 2011-04-14 | FaceTime and cellular bug fixes for iPhone 4 (CDMA). |
| 4.2.8 | 8E401 | 2011-05-04 | Location bug fixes for iPhone 4 (CDMA). |
| 4.2.9 | 8E501 | 2011-07-15 | Security update for iPhone 4 (CDMA). |
| 4.2.10 | 8E600 | 2011-07-25 | Security certificate update for iPhone 4 (CDMA). |
| 4.3 | 8F190 8F191 |
2011-03-04 | Added Wi-Fi hotspot and iTunes home sharing. First release for iPad 2. |
| 4.3.1 | 8G4 | 2011-03-25 | Bug fixes for iPhone and iPod touch models. |
| 4.3.2 | 8H7 8H8 |
2011-04-14 | FaceTime and cellular bug fixes for iPad 2. FaceTime and cellular bug fixes for iPad 2 (CDMA). |
| 4.3.3 | 8J2 | 2011-05-04 | Location bug fixes for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 (GSM), iPod touch (3rd and 4th gen), iPad (1st and 2nd gen). |
| 4.3.4 | 8K2 | 2011-07-15 | Security update for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 (GSM), iPod touch (3rd and 4th gen), iPad (1st and 2nd gen). |
| 4.3.5 | 8L1 | 2011-07-25 | Security certificate update for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 (GSM), iPod touch (3rd and 4th gen), iPad (1st and 2nd gen). |
End of support[]
The iOS 4.3 logo resembled the upcoming iOS 5 logo.
With the announcement of iOS 5 on June 6 at the 2011 Worldwide Developers Conference, owners of the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch (4th generation), and iPad 2 were concerned about the level of support that their devices would continue to receive (see List of unsupported firmware). The final updates were released on July 25, 2011.
iOS 4 continued to be supported until October 12, 2011, when it was superseded by the release of iOS 5.0, which introduced iCloud services.
Trivia[]
- This was the first major release to drop support for some devices.
- This is the first iOS to introduce the home screen wallpaper.
- This is the first iOS to to use multitasking.
- This is the last iOS to feature the iPod app.
- This is the last iOS to have the Mona Lisa wallpaper on Settings.
References[]
- ↑ iOS 4.3 Drops Support For iPhone 3G & Second Generation iPod Touch by Mr. EX, iPhone in Canada. 2011-01-12.
- ↑ Steve Jobs on Lack of Custom Wallpapers in iOS 4 for iPhone 3G, by Eric Slivka, MacRumors, 2010-06-22
- ↑ iOS 4.2 GM Download Available Now by Manish Patel, OS X Daily. 2010-11-01.
- ↑ Apple Releases iOS 4.2.1 Golden Master to Developers by Eric Slivka, MacRumors. 2010-11-18.
External links[]
- iOS 4 Software Update at Apple (archived 2010-06-25)
- iOS 4 at the BetaWiki
- Firmware Keys/4.x at The iPhone Wiki
- iOS 4 at Wikipedia