UK iPhone carrier Vodafone is warning 4S owners to hold off on upgrading to iOS 6.1 because it can cause problems with 3G connectivity.

On one of Vodafone's forums, a member of its tech team confirmed that it is aware of a 3G performance-related issue with Apple iPhone 4S handsets running iOS 6.1.

"Some customers may occasionally experience difficulty in connecting to the network to make or receive calls or texts or to connect to the Internet," the notice reads. "Apple is working on a solution to their software issue. These connection problems are intermittent."

Vodafone recommends that any 4S owners who have not yet upgraded to iOS 6.1 currently refrain from doing so. Vodafone also sent subscribers a text message alerting them to the issue. In Apple's forums, a number of iPhone 5 owners, many of them international, are complaining of similar difficulties connecting to their 3G network.

iOS 6.1 was released last week. Apple has not issued a statement about the reported 3G connectivity problem.

New releases of iOS are often plagued with minor issues, usually related to connectivity or battery life. Most recently, following the new year, a bug with the "Do Not Disturb" feature of iOS kept your iDevice from disturbing you for far longer than anticipated.

via AllThingsD