Did iOS 5.0.1 fix your battery (and other) issues?

Apple released iOS 5.0.1 on Thursday after a remarkably short beta testing period and faster than many expected after apromised timeline of a “few weeks.” But was the release too expedited? A number of complaints from iOS 5 device owners on the Apple Support Discussion forumssuggest that could be the case.

Far from cries of relief, the Apple Discussions site has been flooded since the update with stories of how the software fix hasn’t actually fixed anything at all. Users complain that battery issues remain, and some who say they have never experienced any battery problems before the 5.0.1 update now see problems post-installation.

Many users (five pages’ worth of new complaints on one thread alone) are expressing a similar suspicion that maybe the battery issue is not really related to software at all but may be endemic to the iPhone 4S itself. Others claim that the 5.0.1 update has introduced new problems, like microphone failures, Wi-Fi signal loss and cellular network inconsistencies. Some of the issues I reported that weren’t addressed specifically by the update’s release notes appear to also remain in play, judging by reports from other users and personal experience since the update.

The update isn’t all bad; the introduction of multitouch gestures for the original iPad works well and is a welcome addition. And the first over-the-air iOS update went very smoothly, downloading and installing within just a few minutes, compared to the rather time-consuming and complicated process of updating via iTunes. But it does seem like it was rushed out the door without making sure it addressed the problem at the fore of most users’ minds.

I haven’t had any significant battery problems with iOS 5 and nothing seems to have changed in that regard, but the flood of disappointed feedback from users is undeniable. What about you? Has the update fixed your device, left it unchanged or made things worse?