Where in the World is iPhone 3.2?

So it’s November, have you seen the iPhone 3.2 beta? We’ve been over this before — iPhone 2.2 beta was released on September 25, 2008 and the final version was made available on November 21. So where’s 3.2?
Yes, Apple hasn’t announced iPhone 3.2, so we can’t really call it delayed, but then Apple never announces anything in advance — all we have are historical patterns and market realities.
Was Apple waiting to integrate iTunes LP and iTunes Extras? They’ve done that for Apple TV 3.0 already. Where’s the iPhone and iPod touch love?
We’ve already postulated what other features they could be exploring, including Google Maps updates with Latitude (and now, of course, Google Maps Navigation), but given the strained relations, rejection of the former, and brand-new beta status of the latter, 3.2 might be too early. Likewise, Zune HD competitive features like 720p video out.
With the onslaught of new Android software, like HTC Sense UI, MotoBlur, and Android 2.0, could Apple have decided to raise the level of this update? A few minor tweaks were certainly possible for a standard schedule iPhone 3.2, but would Apple delay their frequent update cycle in order to make a more impressive version?
We’re not going to get our hopes up, but if Apple is getting ambitious, if Scott Forstall and team are going to “blow us away”, we’re willing wait. If not, then where is it?


















November 3rd, 2009 at 8:21 am
Um, no mention of fix for battery issue? The author must not be using a 3GS on 3.1
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:22 am
I’m using a 3GS on 3.1.2 and have great battery life. The battery issue doesn’t effect everyone. Could bug fixes be causing the delay? Maybe, if they’re particularly tough to solve, but no reason Apple couldn’t have released the beta for 3.2 regardless…
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:26 am
No problems here regarding battery life. 3GS on 3.1.2 with Exchange Server push, CALDEV syncing and GMail via 15 minute fetch. WiFi on. Location On.
Lasts me the day easily, and I charge it up overnight…
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:42 am
Maybe Apple decided for 3.2 they are going to fix AT&T piss poor network so the iPhone can be used as intended.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:46 am
I’d have to agree with Mephisto and Rene – 3GS on 3.1.2 here and I run almost all the same stuff Mephisto mentioned and I don’t have a problem at all with battery life. I wouldn’t consider myself the heaviest user but it definitely gets a beating from me.
On that note, have you done a full restore to 3.1.2? I thought I noticed a slight battery issue when I initially upgraded (though I only used it for 1 day) so I did a full restore and it’s definitely just as good as it always was.
I’d also have to agree on why Apple hasn’t released a beta yet?! They always seem pretty quick to do so. Though I’d be happy to wait if they told us there would be a huge UI change.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:48 am
Maybe there will be no 3.2? Apple loves to rest on its laurels when it can.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:49 am
Gimmie better http proxy authentication support and I will be happy.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:49 am
And maybe they were waiting for blacksn0w, so that they can go ahead and fix that hole in the next release.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:50 am
YES. They need to add iTunes LP to the iPhone/iPodT. I have the LP version of Jay-Z album and I wish they content would be on the iPhone.
They also need to get the google maps thing but they might wait until 4.0 since that’s a pretty big feature. Or they might not.
They need to add a lot more smaller features I personally think are worth added in a minor update. - Repeat/Shuffle on the iPod Shortcut - 3G switch in main menu. -Spotlight +Search History, Searches the web, Search in text message. +Content search. Not only titles and subjects. - Set brightness time out - Copy within app store -Dictionary + a section in the settings to add our own words. + words from apps, music artist names automatically added. - Select a few lines instead of an entire block of text in SMS app - record phone conversations using Voice Memo App.
These are only a few of what I’ve kept record of.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:52 am
@Littleroot:
Here’s a few…
There. Your battery will last all day, and you can also enjoy life like a normal person does.
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:01 am
They also need to fix live updating. It doesn’t display the same way on the iphone as it does in iTunes.
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:03 am
Rene you’re forgetting that 2.0/2.1 firmwares were disastrous. I almost gave up the phone entirely because of the lockups after installing apps, or the risk of the apple-logo-of-death when you would restart (which required a full phone restore afterward. You might’ve gone through 5 restores a week), apps crashing, etc.
It wasn’t until 2.2 did things get stable enough for the phone to be completely usable. 3.0 is a much more stable firmware so Apple is now able to take their time designing new functionality.
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:36 am
I’m hoping they turn on the radio feature with the next release. I hate seeing features like this missing on the iphone but present on the nano.
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:37 am
I would love to have the free google maps navigation upgrade, google is saying that they’re working with apple to intergrate it to the iPhone.
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:55 am
3.2 is next to 4.0 which is in the same places as 5.0 and other versions.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:03 am
What battery issue?
I want Google Navigation. Not interested in Latitude though it would be nice to have it anyways.
I want Spotlight to search my bookmarks like it does on my Mac
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:27 am
What a strange coincidence to see this post, as I was just thinking the same thing earlier today. Roll on 3.2!
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:27 am
They also need to add ” skip this update ” in the app store.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:33 am
Waiting for Google Nav.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:33 am
“They need to add a lot more smaller features I personally think are worth added in a minor update. – Repeat/Shuffle on the iPod Shortcut – 3G switch in main menu. -Spotlight Search History, Searches the web, Search in text message. Content search. Not only titles and subjects. – Set brightness time out – Copy within app store -Dictionary a section in the settings to add our own words. words from apps, music artist names automatically added. – Select a few lines instead of an entire block of text in SMS app – record phone conversations using Voice Memo App.”
I HIGHLY agree with you OmariJames. Well said. Those features right there would hold me loyal to the iPhone for months upon month upon months. Just about until the preview of iPhone 4.0 and the all new .~iPhone Magic~. are shown. Lol iPhone magic is just a quick nickname. But again those features in one update would be awesome.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:34 am
Question: What if Apple completely stopped new development on the iPhone. How long would it take before people stopped buying it? I bet the fanboys would still have the 3GS in 2015 and swear it is still the best.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:47 am
Speaking of wanting more copy and paste functionality, check out my post in the forums:
Copy n’ Paste, Where else Do you Need It?.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:56 am
I know Apple has a winning formula with the iPhone, but I think the UI is starting to feel a little old. When the iPhone first launched, there wasn’t anything at all like it. Now, there is legitimate competition and I think Apple needs to raise the bar again. Being able to tout their superior App store, with it’s 10 billion apps (the majority of which are useless, of marginal quality, or redundant with other apps) isn’t enough anymore.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:57 am
@Littleroot I had the battery problem and it took a lot of test to fix it. I tried at least 10 different solutions but finally I did a restore on my phone and input all new info, didn’t use a backup to restore info. When I used the restore and backup same thing battery drained quick, some setting are most likely making it use processor power all the time. Battery life is good now.
@fastlane sorry those solutions will work for some people but there really is a problem on some phones. I went to get my car serviced and thought I would surf the internet, had a full battery and it was gone in one hour and that wasn’t all internet time, 20 minutes was talking on the phone. Some days I would lose 50% of my battery just using the phone for about 20 minutes, I had all settings like location services, bluetooth, wifi and push email off. This went on for a couple of weeks and tried multiple settings and restores till finally I did a restore without using any old settings.
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:12 am
I hope they put a cancel button for our message app. Ex: wrong person or wrong word you sending to someone. We can have a cancel button to ethier edit or cancel the message.
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:22 am
I agree with Omari, and have said this myself in the past, that there are tons of small things that can be added before a new phone comes out. I still want that drag-able scroll bar in Safari… or at least move the “tap to jump to top” on the left side, and put a “tap to jump to bottom” on the right side.
I doubt Apple would implement a call recorder without including a warning that the other party could hear immediately after it was enabled (at least not in the U.S.) which, in most cases, would defeat the benefit of having it (for protection reasons, anyway).
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:52 am
I want Google Nav!! If Apple and Google were not having such problems, I would say that we would get that in 3.2 since we got street view in 2.2. If the iPhone gets Google Nav will TomTom be kicked out of the App Store for duplicating functionality??
I also really like the dockable modes that the Droid has. I’ve always wanted the iPhone to become an alarm clock and speacialized media player while on the dock that I have. The Droid has a very cool implementation of this that I’d like to see implemented in the iPhone.
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:00 pm
@Al:
No. Just like all of the note apps, voice recorder apps, SMS apps, and landscape keyboard apps haven’t been kicked out.
Tom Tom will just add the option to make the roads purple and the text orange, then they’ll be safe. We need more and more redundant apps… 100,000 isn’t enough.
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Text message cancel, using the home button to end calls, more landscape (app store, maps), non slip back, better file transfer support to and from iPhone. But I’m nitpicking.
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:55 pm
@THEaquino
Using the home button to end calls would take away a huge functionality to iphone. Being able to use your phone and scroll through everything while being in a call. I might not need to go through my phone every phone call, but sometimes the person I’m talking to asks me something and I need to look it up. Hit the home button, and now I can find whatever.
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:59 pm
@Joe McG
Apple is no Microsoft u know. If history is any indication, the iPhone platform has seen many updates, relatively speaking. So yea, stop being old and grumpy. it shows. Besides, if u hate yr iPhone that much (assuming u own one lol and u r not just a troll), get rid of it and go back to WM. it suits yr mentality better
November 3rd, 2009 at 1:03 pm
@Joe McG
and no, Apple fanboys wouldn’t use the iPhone in 2015 and claim its the best. Only Microsoft fanboys do that. using XP 10 years after its release (or Win2000, 12 years after release) and still claim its the best. Somehow, I have a feeling that u know exactly what I’m talking about.
November 3rd, 2009 at 2:35 pm
for @Joe McG
I wonder if Apple closed if Joe McG will still be on comment sections calling everyone a Fanboy in 2015. At least you get a lot of attention Joe McG, you must be living the high life.
November 3rd, 2009 at 2:36 pm
reply to text messages from the popup!
it is absolutely insane that i have to close whatever i’m doing and launch messages just to reply to a txt. incredibly frustrating and totally unnecessary.
if this could be structured in a way so that other applications using push nitifications could also take advantage of it, even better, but quick-reply to txts is just silly for apple not to implement.
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:00 pm
I think we need google nav definetly, the ability to end SMS messages after you send them, and definetly a new UI, it is getting old.
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:29 pm
I think Apple has something up their sleeves. One thing that drives me crazy that should have been implemented since day one was the ability to quick reply SMS. Leaving an app is insane everytime. I read an article a few months ago stating that they were revamping the mail app. That’s needed like right now. I also think they should have a better notification process on deck. People are getting antsy.
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:55 pm
We need something soon! I’m bored with the ui and the andriod ui looks pretty nice… Let’s see how Apple responds to the increased competition.
November 4th, 2009 at 12:57 am
@Striatic-
You need to jailbreak your phone and download something called BiteSMS. You’d love it..
November 4th, 2009 at 1:27 am
Is it too much to ask to hide compilation artists???????????
November 4th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Here, here!
Simple iPod functionality, why is it missing!?
November 4th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Mine has simple iPod functionality! There must be something wrong with yours
November 5th, 2009 at 9:10 am
The battery life on my 3GS is actually pretty good, I also have a 3G both jailbroken and the 3GS lasts a whole lot longer. Even when the two phones had the original software, the 3GS was wayyyy better with battery life and I also did way more with it.
I think the hold up with 3.2 has something to do with Google’s strained relationship with Apple. Who knows, maybe in the Next Gen iphone and next gen OS we may not see google Maps on the iphone, which would be kind of stupid on Apple’s part, but we will see.
I really hope they blow us away with huge changes to OS 3.2, but I kind of doubt it. They have to save some of the goods for the next Gen Iphone that will probably be released in Jue or July of 2010. All we can do is sit and wait.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
I definitely really want a quick reply for SMS messages, a new calendar app, integrated mailbox, a scroll down button in safari, customizeable ringtones/alerts, etc. Flash 10.1 support =], most importantly: a renewed UI and a snappier/faster OS overall.
At this point Im thinking 4.0 is way more likely to fix my woes than 3.2.
Go apple!
November 13th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
ipod player control bluetooth profile update google nav land scape view in home screen while better for me to multi task while driving
November 17th, 2009 at 10:56 am
I was wondering where 3.2 was as well, hopefully Apple has something special in store.
November 18th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
How about something like the Palm Pre’s Synergy platform? Or Gmail push that doesn’t force me to setup Gmail as an Exchange account?
November 19th, 2009 at 5:31 am
I second what Tora Says (November 3rd, 2009 at 8:49 am). For Apple iPhone to start truly pushing into the Corporate market it really needs to improve http proxy authentication support for all its apps. Case in point is that since OS 3.1 the YouTube app http proxy code changed and now doesn’t work through proxy, authenticated or not, giving the “Youtube not available” error. Shame cause the Exchange integration works well. Fingers crossed.
November 19th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Some things i would LOVE to see in the next upgrade…