Apple pulls iOS 8 update as dropped calls add to app crashes, bending phones
Apple Inc. pulled an update to its operating system for the iPhone after the new software caused some people to lose cellular service.
After rolling out the latest version of its iOS 8 software earlier Wednesday, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company withdrew the update when scores of customers experienced dropped cellular service so they couldn’t make calls. The fingerprint reading Touch ID feature also wasn’t working after the update, according to some customers.
“No service on my iPhone after iOS 8.0.1,” said one Twitter user. “DO NOT UPDATE,” said another.
Apple said in a statement that it had received reports of the issues with the update, which is called iOS 8.0.1. Customers can still use iOS 8, which was released last week.
“We are actively investigating these reports and will provide information as quickly as we can,” Trudy Muller, a spokeswoman for Apple, said in the statement. “In the meantime, we have pulled back the iOS 8.0.1 update.”
The pullback adds to the snafus Apple has experienced with the iOS 8 mobile software since it was released last week. Popular applications made by Facebook Inc., Dropbox Inc. and others have been crashing more frequently. Customers also have complained about having to delete photos, videos and apps to make room for the new software.
According to data from Crittercism Inc., an analytics firm, iOS 8 causes apps to crash about 3.3 percent of the time, or 67 percent more than last year’s version.
There have also been reports of the new iPhones bending since their debut last weekend. At the fan site MacRumors, a member named hanzoh wrote this week that the phone was “slightly bent after 2 days” in a front suit pocket. Numerous other iPhone owners reported similar concerns on the site.
Apple’s press office didn’t respond to a phone call and e- mail seeking comment.
The bending complaints have been hot on the Internet, inspiring a hashtag on Twitter: #bendgate. One user, Karsten Schmehl, posted a mock screen grab of Apple’s website with an “iPhone 6 Plus Repair Kit” – a rolling pin.
For Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, the software problems tarnish what has been a record-breaking release for the latest iPhones. The company sold more than 10 million handsets of the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in their first weekend on sale starting Sept. 19, with the devices becoming available in more than the original list of 10 countries beginning on Sept. 26.
Apple has also dealt with problems with previous software releases, most famously when the mapping software it debuted in 2012 gave people wrong directions and showed mislabeled landmarks.
Apple released the iOS 8 update Wednesday to fix software bugs and add the health and fitness-monitoring application HealthKit. The program had been cut from last week’s initial release because the company discovered problems before making it available to the public.
The iOS software is the system that powers the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. According to Apple, 46 percent of devices connecting to the company’s App Store are running iOS 8.
This story was originally published September 24, 2014 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Apple pulls iOS 8 update as dropped calls add to app crashes, bending phones."