Apple has released another iOS update, and in the past, updates had been known to create problems with electronic flight bags and moving map apps. The April release of Apple's iOS 8.3 prevented data from GPS receivers reaching navigation apps on iPads and iPhones. Aviation software developers and pilots waited nearly three months for a fix. This time the news is better.
"I'm very happy with iOS 9," said Tyson Weihs, co-founder and CEO of ForeFlight.
This time only ForeFlight has checked in to report minor problems. METARs and TAFs now load slowly in the "Airports" view when "Show Weather First" is enabled. Go to "More" and "Settings" to disable "Show Weather First" and, for now, that should resolve the issue. There are also scrolling problems on scratchpads when there are enough saved scratchpads to fill the screen. ForeFlight officials emphasized it is their software problem and not Apple's, and have asked Apple for minor iOS updates to solve both problems. Both problems could be solved as early as Sept. 18, Weihs said.
Bad Elf's Brett Hackleman has checked in to say that testing shows no known compatibility issues with any of Bad Elf's external GPS receivers. "We've tested our accessories with the leading electronic flight bag apps, but as always, we recommend waiting to upgrade until the app vendors give the 'all clear,'" Hackleman said.
Bad Elf has updated its "Cleared to Update" page.
ForeFlight issued this guidance Sept. 17: "If you rely heavily on apps for your daily flying, we recommend waiting for the first iOS 9 maintenance update. iOS is a remarkably stable platform and Apple has a track record of quickly releasing minor updates to address any major issues that are uncovered. However, all new operating systems have undiscovered bugs that need fixing and may cause unexpected device or app issues."
Alton K. Marsh
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