Michael Firth:
Because I had already tried a factory reset and the DFU restore, their ultimate recommendation was to DFU reset the phone again and not restore it from backup, effectively setting it up as a new iPhone.
This is an unnacceptable solution to a problem — it leads to data loss for most people, including messages, health data, and more. I have had this suggested to me as well, and explained that I can do this for testing purposes, but that it is not a viable solution.
I then questioned the agent about the likelihood of a reset without a restore actually fixing the issue and received a fantastically honest response;
To say this kind of response was refreshing is an understatement, I think a full reset would’ve been fruitless (pun intended again), as the issue is likely the 10.1.x software rather than something within the user data.
Quite frankly, this is a not acceptable. I know people who have had the same problem for over half a year. Why should they wait for an iOS update? They paid a large amount of money for a working device, which they expect will function as it should.
On another note, I have had issues syncing my text replacement shortcuts since iOS 8. Apple’s suggestion two years ago was to wait for iOS 9 — I did so, quietly. After my problems continued, they suggested I wait for iOS 10. Again, I waited. Today, they said they will not look into the issue and swept it under the rug. Over two years without a solution.
Fun fact — I always receive a survey after Apple’s Support solves a problem. I never receive one if their solution is not satisfactory. My recent experiences would have definitely put a dent in their customer satisfaction ratings.
