iOS 5 beta 2 allows OTA over 3G, QQ and 163 mail

More discoveries in iOS 5 beta 2 have revealed some extra upsides beyond what's been seen so far. One look through the SDK has found that at least some updates will be allowed to work over 3G. Code strings relayed by Sonny Dickson to 9to5 showed mentions of alert messages that would require "a Wi-Fi or 3G connection to download."

They equally add warnings of battery and storage requirements when an over-the-air update goes through. Depending on the nature of the update, it would require a certain percentage of battery life left when not on AC power and would need a seemingly fixed 500MB of free space to handle the update, presumably to have enough space for the entire firmware if necessary.

Some updates may require Wi-Fi alone. What that would be isn't mentioned, though it will most likely involve carrier limitations. Those that don't approve of large over-the-updates or have been trying to curb frequent 3G use, such as AT&T, might opt to turn down some or all updates on their cellular networks. The strategy could alternately be used by Apple itself to limit 3G updating to minor releases and require Wi-Fi for the largest upgrades.

On his own, Dickson has also located much stronger support for Chinese users. Preset mail account information now exists for at least QQ, 163.com, and 126.com much as it does for Gmail, Hotmail, or iCloud. China is increasingly one of Apple's most important markets for the iPhone and, with a possible imminent deal with China Mobile, would push Apple to cater to local users.

By Electronista Staff

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iPhone, industry, AT&T, China Mobile, mobile phones, Apple, iOS 5, QQ, 163, 126