Don’t upgrade your iPhone 4S to iOS 6.1, warn Euro carriers

European carriers Vodafone UK and 3 Austria are now warning iPhone 4S owners to avoid Apple’s latest iOS update due to reported issues with 3G connectivity.

On Friday Vodafone issued a forum post to warn iPhone 4S owners from updating to iOS 6.1, while 3 Austria took to Facebook for its warning, reports GigaOm.

The iOS 6.1 update was issued in late January and offered new features like the ability to buy movie tickets from within Siri. But many iPhone owners also noted that it has led to excessive battery usage, in addition to the networking issues Vodafone UK and 3 Austria pointed out. Apple will likely fix the issues in its next update, iOS 6.1.1, which is currently in beta testing with developers.

It’s not unusual for carriers to warn their customers about specific upgrades if they have issues with their cellular networks. I haven’t seen as many reports about iOS 6.1 causing issues on U.S. carriers — for the most part, iPhone owners in the U.S. have been complaining about the battery hit from the update.

We’ve contacted Apple for further comment about the carrier warnings, and will report if we hear back.

Below, check out Vodafone UK’s statement to its customers:

We’re aware of an issue caused by Apple iPhone 4S handsets that have been upgraded to iOS 6.1 which impacts performance on 3G. Some customers may occasionally experience difficulty in connecting to the network to make or receive calls or texts or to connect to the internet.

Apple is working on a solution to their software issue. These connection problems are intermittent. While Apple’s investigations continue, we would recommend that anyone who has not yet installed iOS 6.1 on their iPhone 4S should delay doing so until Apple has confirmed that the problem has been fixed.

Photo: Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat