Apple Fixes Annoying App-Killing iOS 13.5 Bug

iOS 13 5 iPhone Credit: Lukmanazis / Shutterstock
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Apple released iOS 13.5 with a handful of new features, but it harbors a significant bug that everyone was talking about this past weekend. The bug affected apps causing some to not open and some to try to update to new versions that didn’t actually exist.

After a rash of forum posts and user complaints, Apple has fixed the glitch, reports TechCrunch.

The issue reared its ugly head this past weekend. When opening an app, even free ones like YouTube, users reported seeing a dialog claiming the app is no longer being shared by a family member and needs to be repurchased.

Customers were confused by the dialog, which made it appear they had been removed from Family Sharing. The issue may have been related to Apple’s Family Sharing system that allows the members of a family to share app purchases.

According to one theory, there may be a problem with cryptographic signing, which fails to recognize that a person owns an app.

At the same time people couldn’t open apps, some people reported having an alarming number of app updates. These updates were not new, and instead matched the version that already was on the phone. And it wasn’t just a few apps, some people suddenly had up to 100 pending app updates.

To fix the “I can’t open my app” issue, users figured out they could manually delete the affected apps and re-install them.

Apple’s randomly appearing app may be related to this glitch. By using the update system, Apple may be fixing apps for customers. Each update would replace an affected app with an unaffected version.

iOS 13.5 debuted with a handful of new features, including the company’s new Exposure Notification API that will help curb the spread of COVID-19.

This API allows government agencies to enable contact tracing using a person’s phone.

Instead of manually tracking public encounters, the app would log close interactions with other people. These encounters could then be used to identify and contact those who may have been exposed to COVID-19.

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