Minor excitement this week, as Apple rolls out iOS 7.1, a small update to its iPhone/iPad operating system that's perceived as rolling back or fixing some of the more controversial elements of iOS 7. iPhone 4 users in particular found that iOS 7 heavily slowed the performance of their smartphones, and iOS 7.1 improves this substantially; and many of the more outrageous colour and design choices have been softened too.

Some iPad and iPhone users have been complaining that they can't update to iOS 7.1, however - even though iOS 7.1 was rolled out yesterday, some Apple fans checked Software Update (from the Settings app and the General section) and could only see iOS 7.0.6, and even that wouldn't update when clicked, notifying the user that iOS 7.0.6 "failed verification because you are no longer connected to the Internet". (Even though the device certainly was connected to the internet.) What's going on?

We got this on our iPad Air, and couldn't persuade it to update, either to iOS 7.0.6 (as offered on the software update page) or skipping to iOS 7.1, which was available on other devices we use.

But trying again today, we found that (although software update still erroneously claimed that iOS 7.0.6 was the latest version available), clicking to accept this update worked: it quickly installed iOS 7.0.6. Then, when we went back into software update to see if iOS 7.1 was now available, we found it had already started downloading that version of the operating system. We had to accept the installation, but the download completed of its own volition. In the screenshot below you can see that iOS 7.1 has already been downloaded. We didn't agree to that! But ok yes please.

Which doesn’t exactly solve the mystery - if you've got any ideas why certain devices insisted on updating to iOS 7.1 via the stepping stone of iOS 7.0.6, get in touch - but is good news for those who were keen on getting iOS 7.1's new features, including new male and female voices for Siri and less outrageous colours.

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