Apple updates iPhones and iPads with iOS 9 and 10 due to upcoming GPS rollover

Apple has released some updates for iPhones and iPads with iOS 9 and 10 because a GPS rollover is coming. Otherwise, the devices running on it will no longer be able to determine location and time.

Apple says that iOS 10 will be the iPhone 5 and the fourth-generation iPad, and iOS 9 will be the iPhone 4s, the first-generation iPad mini, the iPad 2 and the third-generation iPad. These devices will face a rollover on November 3 this year, but the update is available immediately. Version 9 of iOS was last updated in 2016 and iOS 10 in 2017.

If you do not get the update, you may not only have to deal with an incorrect time, date and a faulty GPS, but also problems with synchronization and the e-mail service. The problem is that that week information is sent in a 10-bit binary number. This means that a total of 1024 weeks can be sent via the signal. So the ‘zero point’ of these Apple devices is 1024 weeks, or 19.7 years, back on November 3, 2019.

A major roll-over also took place earlier this year. According to PNT company Orolia, it will probably be the last time that systems will suffer from the rollover. Gps is currently undergoing a program to upgrade the systems to a 13bit number. That equates to about 157 years per rollover.