Apple Works On Fix For Buggy iOS 9.3

Early adopters of iOS 9.3, released last week, have had to deal with two major bugs – one which stopped older devices from installing the upgrade – and another flaw which has stopped iPhones and iPads from opening links and crashing applications.

Apple has already released an altered version of iOS 9.3, which solved an activation issue affecting the iPhone 5S and earlier and the iPad Air and earlier that prevented users from ‘activating’ their devices to complete installation.

The company has issued instructions for how to complete the software update here, and has stopped pushing out the older build to compatible devices.

iOS 9.3 update

However a separate, significant flaw has also emerged. Users have complained about being unable to open links in first party applications such as Mail, Notes and Safari, as well as third party apps, rendering browsing “useless.”

“Never had any problems with my iPhone 6S. Just upgraded to iOS 9.3 without any issues,” said one user on Apple’s support forums. “After the upgrade, I can’t click links when searching something on Google in Safari or clicking a link in the Mail, the apps just freeze.”

Some have said Safari functions properly if JavaScript is disable, but others say resetting the phone and clearing the cache “does nothing.” Many are frustrated about a lack of communication from Apple.

“We are aware of this issue, and we will release a fix in a software update soon,” an Apple spokesperson told TechWeekEurope, who neglected to offer an explanation as to why the issues had not been flagged during the beta test phases.

iOS 9.3 was released following the announcement of the iPhone SE and iPad Pro last week, fixing a range of security flaws and adding new features, most notably Nightshift, which alters the hue of a device depending on the time of day. Apple claims that by reducing exposure to blue light, users will be able to get to sleep more easily.

How well do you know Apple? Take our quiz!

iPhone SE 1

Image 1 of 6