Apple pulls iOS 8.0.1 after users report major problems with update

The new update is reportedly killing cell reception and Touch ID

Sep 24, 2014, 5:05 PM UTC

Chris Welch is a senior reviewer who has worked at The Verge since its founding in 2011. His coverage areas include audio (Sonos, Apple, Bose, Sony, etc.), home theater, smartphones, photography, and more.

One week after the launch of iOS 8, Apple released its first update for the new OS — iOS 8.0.1 — on Wednesday afternoon. It was meant to fix a slew of bugs, but that’s not what happened. Immediately after the update hit, reports began flooding in that iOS 8.0.1 was breaking cellular reception and other features like Touch ID. Apple eventually removed the faulty update, but not before an untold number of users were able to install it. ”“We have received reports of an issue with the iOS 8.0.1 update,” a spokesperson told The Verge. “We are actively investigating these reports and will provide information as quickly as we can. In the meantime we have pulled back the iOS 8.0.1 update.”

Those affected report that “no service” is displayed after iOS 8.0.1 has been installed, and toggling airplane mode or powering the phone off and on again doesn’t seem to restore cellular reception. Both of Apple’s latest iPhones seem vulnerable to the massive problem, though older models seem to handle the update just fine.

Yep, my TouchID isn't working either. "@othood: TouchID seems broken too."
— Jason Snell (@jsnell) September 24, 2014

If you’ve fallen victim to these issues — and until Apple comes up with its own fix — the best “solution” seems to be downgrading back to the original version of iOS 8 released a week ago.

Did Apple’s iOS 8.0.1 update break your iPhone? Here’s a fix that works.

According to Apple's release notes, iOS 8.0.1 was intended to fix numerous problems, including an issue that held back HealthKit apps last week. iOS 8.0.1 also patches up issues with third-party keyboards, a bug that prevented some apps from getting at the photo library, reliability around Apple's Reachability feature, and more. The full changelog follows below. To install the update on your iPhone or iPad, just head into settings. This one shouldn't require as much space as the original iOS 8 release.

Fixes a bug so HealthKit apps can now be made available on the App Store
Addresses an issue where 3rd party keyboards could become deselected when a user enters their passcode
Fixes an issue that prevented some apps from accessing photos from the Photo Library
Improves the reliability of the Reachability feature on iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
Fixes an issue that could cause unexpected cellular data usage when receiving SMS/MMS messages
Better support of Ask To Buy for Family Sharing for In-App Purchases
Fixes an issue where ringtones were sometimes not restored from iCloud backups
Fixes a bug that prevented uploading photos and videos from Safari

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