Because of a problem with the GPS, your iPhone may show an incorrect date: here’s why to update your smartphone immediately
Some iPads and iPhones built in 2012 or earlier will receive an update of the iOS operating system starting November 3, 2019. It will be used to fix the “GPS Rollover” issue that has been causing several problems for older GPS-equipped devices since April 6 this year.
This is not a defect specific to Apple devices, but a “generational” problem for all GPS-equipped devices. Not updating the operating system before November 3 could cause malfunctions while Apple guarantees that the “GPS Rollover Issue” will have no effect before that date on any iPad or iPhone, even if not updated. After that date, however, the device’s date and time may be incorrect and there may be problems with email and iCloud syncing. For this reason, Apple recommends updating the operating system of these devices, to avoid running into these problems.
What is GPS Rollover Issue
The GPS system is not only used for locating devices: from the satellites also arrive messages containing various types of data including the so-called “Week number”. That is, the number of the current week, which many devices use for comparison with other data related to the day and time in order to synchronize. The Week number is a value that goes from 0 to 1023, so every 1024 weeks (about twenty years) it resets and starts again from week 0. The current GPS era began in August 1999 and ended on April 6, 2019. I dispositivi Apple sono in grado di gestire correttamente la data e l’orario fino al 3 novembre, poi saranno anche loro “azzerati“. Con l’aggiornamento di iOS appena annunciato, però, Apple risolverà anche questo problema, purché venga installato prima del 3 novembre.
Quali dispositivi Apple verranno aggiornati e come
Apple ha comunicato quali dispositivi verranno aggiornati per evitare il problema del rollover del GPS. Non sono molti, per fortuna. Alcuni hanno installato iOS 9.3.6:
- iPhone 4s
- iPad mini di prima generazione con Wi-Fi e SIM
- iPad 2 con Wi-Fi e SIM
- iPad con Wi-Fi e SIM di terza generazione.
Altri hanno invece iOS 10.3.4:
- iPhone 5
- iPad di quarta generazione con Wi-Fi e SIM.
L’aggiornamento che risolve il GPS Rollover Issue non è differente da qualsiasi altro update di iOS. Just go to Settings > General > Software Update and search if a new version of the operating system is available and, if so, proceed to download and install the update.