Science and Tech

Actions

Apple Releases, Then Pulls Back, iOS 8 Update

Instead of fixing existing problems in iOS 8, a buggy update from Apple caused some phones to be cut off from their networks.
Posted at
and last updated

So, Apple tried to fix the bugs and close the holes in iOS 8 by releasing iOS 8.0.1. The update kind of did the opposite though.

Apple pulled 8.0.1 Wednesday about an hour after releasing it, amid reports of serious issues with the software.

CNET says some people who downloaded the update reported their iPhones were not connecting to a cellular network, and Apple's fingerprint phone unlock feature, Touch ID, wasn't working either.

Here's what 8.0.1 was supposed to fix according to USA Today: "Apple's fix was supposed to open things up so that HealthKit apps could be made available in the App Store. ... Apple also addressed an issue where third-party keyboards could be deselected when a user entered a passcode. And 8.0.1 fixes an issue that had prevented some apps from accessing photos in your photo library."

But, while it's a bit of an annoyance, commentators for CNBC don't see it as a huge deal. 

CNBC: "The update is a complete blip, non-event. They'll fix it very quickly." ...

"If you think back over the past seven years, they've had antenna-gate, and they had Siri-gate and maps-gate and they've had a lot of things ... and they didn't really affect anything."

The issues predominately affected those with the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus and not so much those with older iPhone models. But, this is hardly the first issue Apple's new phones have seen. (Video via Apple

There's the design flaw that many have complained causes the iPhone 6 Plus to bend and look misshapen. (Video via YouTube / Unbox Therapy)

And, of course, there were complaints about iOS8 before 8.0.1's release.

"Fun new features often mean frustrating bugs, and iOS 8 is no exception to the rule." 

Apple has not yet released when the fixes for the iOS 8.0.1 will be made and available for users to download again...at their own risk. 

This video includes images from Getty Images.