If you joined Apple’s public beta software program and have been taking iOS 9 for a test drive, you’ve likely encountered some issues with the pre-release software, including speed/performance issues, dodgy Wi-Fi connectivity, poorly performing third-party apps and less than optimal battery life.

Some of these have been addressed in later beta releases while others may still crop up from time to time.

Below are a few tips and trick you can try to resolve five of the most common issues users experience with iOS 9 beta software on their iPhones, iPad or iPod touch devices:

iOS device is slow or freezes

If you are running one of the earlier iOS 9 beta releases, you may experience some performance issues such as your iPhone/iPad taking longer than normal to start up, apps and services loading slowly or even the odd total crash and restart.

These are all common issues experienced in pre-release software and the easiest fix is to upgrade to one of the later beta releases. iOS 9 has been relatively stable since beta 3 and, since the release of iOS 9 beta 5, performance is nearly on par with iOS 8.4. You may still experience some issues with third-party apps that are yet to be optimized for iOS 9.

Always back up your iPhone/iPad before installing an update – that way you can always downgrade if you need to.

Blank screen of death, apps crash all the time

A blank screen or crashing apps may indicate a memory error. Troubleshoot the issue using one of these four fixes:

1. Switch your device Off and back On: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until Slide To Power Off appears. Slide to turn off the device. Once your device is off, turn it back on by pressing and holding the Sleep/Wake button again.
2. Kill non-responsive apps: Open Multitasking with a double-press of the Home button and kill the offending apps bu sliding them off the screen.
3. Check if an update is available: Go to General and select Software Update. If an update is available, install it.
4. Update the app in question: The developer may have fixed a known issue with the app. Open the App Store and check for Updates.

Keep in mind that app developers may not have optimized their software for iOS 9 and this may lead to performance issues. This is so common that Apple recently elected to prevent users running pre-release versions of iOS 9 to leave App Store reviews for third-party apps.

If essential apps do not work correctly on a beta version of iOS 9, you may want to downgrade to a previous version of iOS.

Wi-Fi fails to connect or freezes

Connectivity – and especially Wi-Fi issues – is a common problem with iOS beta software. If you struggle to connect via Wi-Fi or your connection keeps freezing up, try one (or all of) the five troubleshooting options below: (this assumes you have confirmed that the Wi-Fi network you are connecting to is working properly)

1. Turn Airplane Mode On and then Off: Open Control Centre and tap Airplane Mode to turn it On. Wait about five seconds then tap Airplane Mode again to turn it Off.
2. Turn Mobile Data Off and On: Open Settings, navigate to Mobile Data and switch Mobile Data to Off – wait about five seconds and the turn it back to On.
3. Turn your device Off and On: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until Slide To Power Off appears. Slide to turn off the device. Once your device is off, turn it back on by pressing and holding the Sleep/Wake button again.
4. Forget This Network: Go to Settings, select Wi-Fi and select Info next to your Network. Select Forget This Network and hit Forget. To reconnect, select your network from the Choose a network list and enter the passcode.
5. Network Settings Reset: Select Reset Network Settings under Settings > General > Reset. Confirm you want to reset the network settings by entering your passcode.

With the release of iOS 9 beta 5, a new ‘Wi-Fi Assist’ feature will “automatically use cellular data when Wi-Fi connectivity is poor.” Toggle the option on at the bottom of the Cellular settings screen.

Auto time stops working

If your device is showing the incorrect time, it’s likely due to the auto time function not working as it should. An easy alternative is to set the time manually. First switch off automatic time by going to Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically – toggle the option Off. Set the correct time manually.

Device battery life sucks

iOS 9 has a range of new features to improve and preserve battery life, but earlier betas have not focused on these. Upgrade to the latest beta to see if this resolves your issues (users have reported improvements since iOS 9 beta 2). If not, an app may be to blame. Follow the below steps to narrow down the cause:

1. Navigate to Settings > General> Usage> Battery Usage and check for any apps that use lots of battery power. When you have the culprits narrowed down, uninstall any unused apps and reinstall ones you use regularly.
2. Once again, restart your device to see if this fixes the issues (see above).
3. Navigate to Settings > General > Reset and select Reset All Settings.

If none of these improve your device’s battery life, downgrade to an earlier version if iOS and wait for the general public release of iOS 9.

Downgrade from iOS 9 beta to an earlier version of iOS

As you may have noticed, the last resort for many of the issues above is to downgrade to a previous version of iOS. This is simply because pre-release software is by its very nature buggy and not meant for day-to-day use.

If you cannot resolve an issue, follow our guide on how to downgrade from iOS 9 beta to iOS 8 and wait for iOS 9 to be released.

Apple is expected to roll out iOS 9 as a general release following its annual fall event, rumored to take place on September 9.

Image credit: Kay Kim via Flickr