Apple releases iOS 8.0.2, fixes borked update
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Apple has moved quickly to release its iOS 8.0.2 update, after leaving users around the world without cell service or Touch ID functionality on their iPhones following the release of its troubled iOS 8.0.1 update yesterday.
Apple said that the new update fixes the issue in the iOS 8.0.1 update that impacted cellular network connectivity and Touch ID on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
The update, "fixes a bug so HealthKit apps can now be made available on the App Store," said Apple, in its update information, adding that the new update also addresses an issue where third party keyboards could become deselected when users enter their pass codes.
The company said that the update should improve the reliability of the Reachability feature on the new iPhones, and would fix an issue that could "cause unexpected cellular data usage when receiving SMS/MMS messages".
Less than 40,000 people were affected by the bugs in iOS 8.0.1, Apple said.
The new update will provide better support for Ask to Buy for In-App Purchases, and fixes an issue where ringtones were sometimes not restored from iCloud backups, along with a bug that prevented uploading photos and videos from Safari.
Apple has offered a rare apology for the bug-ridden iOS 8.0.1 update — itself released to fix bugs in last week's initial iOS 8.0 release — that saw iPhone users lose service, while seeking to quell a storm over reports that its new handsets are susceptible to bending.
The bug appeared not to have been specific to a country or particular network, affecting iPhone 6 devices running on networks in the US, the UK and Australia.
The slew of negative headlines has seen a steep drop in Apple stock, as the US tech giant acknowledged the software glitch, and yesterday offered a temporary fix immediately and a full update "in the next few days".
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But Apple sought to minimise reports on bending of its newly released oversize iPhone — one analyst described the damaging claims as "a black eye" for Apple — saying it had received only nine complaints about the matter.
"Our iPhones are designed, engineered and manufactured to be both beautiful and sturdy," an Apple spokeswoman said in an email.
"They also feature stainless steel and titanium inserts to reinforce high-stress locations and use the strongest glass in the smartphone industry."
The statement said that "with normal use a bend in iPhone is extremely rare and through our first six days of sale, a total of nine customers have contacted Apple with a bent iPhone 6 Plus".
Apple yesterday offered a "workaround" to the software glitch after numerous users complained on social media and online forums that the iOS 8.0.1 update left their phones largely inoperable.
The update, which was released and then pulled within hours on Wednesday, had been developed to add in fitness monitoring programs which were omitted from the iOS 8 platform released last week.
"We have a workaround for you if you have an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus and you lost cellular service and Touch ID functionality today after updating to iOS 8.0.1," Apple said.
The temporary fix, which closely mirrored the unofficial fix outlined by ZDNet on Wednesday, allows users to reinstall iOS 8 through iTunes until the full update becomes available.
In a separate statement, Apple said, "we apologise for the great inconvenience experienced by users and are working around the clock to prepare iOS 8.0.2 with a fix for the issue."