With
every update to a new operating system comes a few kinks and bugs.
However, iOS 9.3 seems to be causing a lot of problems for some
users. Last week, some people who updated their devices to iOS 9.3 had trouble getting into their phone. This week, devices seem to be crashing when you try to open links in apps like Safari, Notes, and Chrome.
We’ve
put together the common problems that keep cropping up in iOS 9.3 in
this post, as well as common iOS 9 problems and how to solve them (read the iOS 9 troubleshooting guide here).
Crashing links
Hundreds of users have posted
in an Apple Support thread that they are able to open links in various
apps. The app will even freeze afterward. For some, nothing happens when
they click a link, and for others, tapping and holding links causes the
device to crash.
@AppleSupport I have a problem with opening links in Safari in iOS 9.3 iPhone 6S.
— ieYee (@ieYeeM) March 28, 2016
Many
of the people who are reporting the bug seem to be having issues on the
iPhone 6, 6S, and 6S Plus, but there are some people having the same
problem on earlier devices and some iPad models. The bug isn’t solely
restricted to iOS 9.3, either, as some people on 9.2.1 and other
versions are having similar issues.
Some users are saying that turning off Javascript in Safari fixes the problem in the browser. However, the bug still persists with other apps like Mail and third-party apps.
9to5Mac reports
that the problem may be caused by installing third-party apps, as the
issue only appeared after a third-party app was installed on an
unaffected iPhone 6 and iPad Pro and the problem lingered after the app
was uninstalled.
@AppleSupport received
a lot of tweets from frustrated people citing the same issue and is
asking those who’ve been affected to direct message the support team, so
it can better assist them.
According
to some users in the support thread, the Cupertino company is aware of
the issue and is working on an update within the next two days. We have
reached out to Apple and will confirm if this is true.
Activation issue
Apple
has already released a fix for the activation issue in a new version of
iOS 9.3, build 13E237, which you can download over the air or via
iTunes. We’ve also put in a work around for people who are still having
trouble or have yet to download the update.
The
bug affects iPhone 5S devices and earlier, as well as iPad Air devices
and earlier. Your iOS device will essentially ask for a password to
authorize your account and complete the update process. For some people,
they couldn’t get their devices to activate, and the message,
“activation server is temporarily unavailable” appeared onscreen.
Apple
addressed the issue in a support page on its website, offering steps
for users to get around the problem, as well as a firmware update. The
build number initially changed from 13E233 to 135236, and now it’s on
13E237. It should solve the problem and allow easy upgrading for those
with older devices.
If
you’re having trouble, try signing into iCloud and confirm that your
device is listed in the My Devices section. If that doesn’t work, try
connecting your device to a computer and open iTunes. If you have the
latest version of iTunes, select your device and there should be an
Activate button near your device name. You then just need to enter your
Apple ID and password.
We’ll update this post as we hear about more iOS 9.3 bugs and fixes for them.
