iOS 8.1.3 Arrives, With Lighter Storage Requirements For Updates And Spotlight Fix

Apple has issued iOS 8.1.3, and update for its mobile devices that fixes a number of bugs, and makes it so that iOS requires less free storage space on your hardware (this update itself comes in at 247 MB) to actually perform an update. Especially with iOS 8’s launch, users without much free space on their device had difficulty updating because of the size of the software download itself. Other fixes include zapping a bug that prevented app results from showing up in Spotlight search, an issue which seemed to be affecting many users on the last version of iOS.

Apple has also fixed a bug that blocked users from inputting their Apple ID password for use with Messages and FaceTime, and another issue that stopped multitasking gestures (3- and 4-finger gestures for switching apps and returning home) from working correctly. Also new is a configuration option for use in educational deployments of iOS devices that adds support for standardized testing performed via Apple’s mobile devices, which likely allows them to be put in a sort of education-specific terminal mode.

These updates should help address some of the more common user complaints about iOS 8, which is perfect for a minor point release. We’ve already tried out the update on an iPhone 6 Plus and initial results indicate it should be relatively safe to download and install.