Apple has released iOS 9.3.1 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The bug fix update to iOS 9.3, released last week, contains a crucial improvement for iOS users: it addresses the widespread issue where apps (and sometimes the whole OS) would crash or hangs when tapping links.
We’ll update the post if we spot anything else notable, although the Release Notes do not suggest anything else has changed …
The 9.7 inch iPad Pro and iPhone SE ship with iOS 9.3 preinstalled, so iOS 9.3.1 will help ensure new Apple customers get a smooth experience with their new hardware. The launch of the iOS 9.3 update was by no means flawless.
In addition to the crashing bugs when opening links plaguing many users over the last week, Apple has already had to re-release new builds of the update to address activation problems with older iPhones and iPads. There was also a bricking issue for iPad 2, leading Apple to temporarily pull iOS 9.3 for that device.
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I’m disappointed with the latest release of iOS from them. After all the betas they still managed to incorporate bugs in the release, and more concerning is that most of the bugs weren’t in the betas.
Finally. This thing was driving me mad. Installing now :-)
Update installed. Problem sorted (at least in Safari).
Spotlight had stopped working (even after restoring) for me since 9.2 and the 9.3.1 update seems to have fixed those problems too!
Nevermind… still broken. It works for like 15 minutes after a fresh install / update then something happens where it just stops working altogether for any search.
I have this same issue. So mind-bendingly annoying. It always works for 15 minutes after an install/reboot, then stops working.
Apple broken since Steve Jobs RIP. Its not funny but true.
Messages crashed on me the other day…Hope this fixes it. On an iPhone 5S.
It’s a delta update as well….so that’s nice.
But seriously…This how does Apple miss all these bugs?
They have public betas now don’t they?
Just crashed it again by clicking the link from the update. The irony! :))
Has anyone ever had this bug? Someone is calling you and your phone is ringing but the display allowing you to answer the call doesn’t appear? Have had this bug 2-3x on iPhone 6S… So it started with iOS9.
Yes that happened to me too… My watch actually rang, and the phone in my hand was vibrating, but all I saw was the home screen.
Yes I have had this happen recently
I am on 9.2.1 9.3 has been auto downloaded but I’ve not installed it due to hearing of the problems. There does not seem to be an option to remove the 9.3 download ? How do I go straight to 9.3.1 ?
this “bug” is on 9.2 as well. 9.3 is the most stable release Apple has had. so there is no reason to worry about updating,
Thanks. Im not worried about updating but how do i diwnload 9.3.1 i cant see past 9.3
You can either update through iTunes directly to 9.3.1, or you can go to Settings –> General –> Storage & iCloud Usage –> Manage Storage and delete the update there. I’m pretty sure it’s called “Software Update” within the list, but it could be “Settings”. Either way, enter it, and you should have a Delete button there. After you do that, if you enter Software Update and it still offers 9.3, I suggest that you either reboot your device or disconnect from the internet on your iOS device, enter Software Update again (hopefully, this way it will “forget” 9.3) and then connect back to internet and enter Software Update. Hopefully this helps.
Thanks that did the trick. 9.3.1 is now queued up and i will install later
I think that you can update your device straight to iOS 9.3.1 by restoring via iTunes. To do so you have to download iOS 9.3.1 directly from Apple’s servers. There are direct links to iOS 9.3.1: http://howtoiph.one/2016/03/31/direct-links-to-ios-9-3-1-ipsw-firmware/
Tapping on the link for update-information in the settings causes also a freeze, lol
Links bug FIXED!!! Finished updating now and tested. Thank you!!!
Wooooo….. this is very good news. I will try it right away.
Thank you Apple.
The crash rate for the first 8 days of iOS 9.3 has been 2.2% and lowest crash rate of any version of iOS.
Don’t confuse people with facts. And the iOS 9.3 crash rate is the lowest of ANY mobile operating system, not just iOS. This just proves the negative bias of the Internet. People with problems scream bloody murder. The millions of users who don’t have problems don’t say a word. But people continue to believe the negative bias and think mots users are unhappy when the exact opposite is true.
Ah yeah. Would you like to take my 5s for a spin? It gets only 60% usage. Please ask Apple where the other 40% of my iphone is. That’s not negative bias. That’s fact, using Apples own Battery app in iOS 9.
And many more of us read the blog & having realised that a fix is underway don’t add their voice OR contribute to the numbers of people experiencing the problem thereby skewing the statistics! I.e the actual % of people with failed updates is much higher than actually reported.
So far .. so good!
Linksgate fixed 👍 (finally….)
had no problems on 9.3 but now crashes on 9.3.1 with Itunes logo. Just super! :-(
Interesting–my update file is 27.5MB
My iPhone 6 Plus seems to be back to normal, I am happy to say. My iPad 4th generation is still having the same problems. I am currently doing a restore but it’s going to take about 80mins to download iOS 9.3.1 to iTunes. Hopefully my iPad will then also be back to normal!
It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness – William Lonsdale Watkinson, 1907
Strangely, my iPhones 5 and 5S were completely unaffected, whereas my 4S and iPad 3 were severely impacted. All were on iOS 9.3 when the issue arose one week after updating. And now, all is well. Turned out nice again :-)
I never had any problem with the new ios 9.3 update my Iphone 6S+, Iphone 6S, Ipod touch, & Ipad Air2 works perfectly :)
Strangely now with 9.3.1 I now have a bug on both my iPad Air and iPhone 6s Plus. This bug involves apps that can access my camera roll. One app can make PDF from a photo the other app is an editor. On both devices when either app either tries to view the camera roll or you try to select the pic the apps will crash. I did not have this problem befor. iMessage doesn’t seem to have this problem so it looks like they broke something that third party apps use to access photos.
I had this issue too. Sorted it with a hard restart :)
How did you perform hard restart?
Anyone else still having the iMessage read receipt bug? Thought this may fix it but it doesn’t seem to have!
So is this why my phone has been freezing up and going crazy opening apps when I didn’t even touch the phone and trying to FaceTime people on its own? I wonder if it’s broken or the update had caused it.
Thank you Apple? For releasing software that doesn’t work? Then patching it with something that also doesn’t work? When are you going to release “iOS Lite” for those who want iOS that works without all the fancy stuff that continues to not work?
problem solved. ‘ll never update my phone again the same day a new release comes out.
I am seriously disappointed with Apple for iOS 9.3.1. C’mon! You could have done better than this. It is not 2012 when you have to push several OS updates to get everyone floating on the same OS.
just updated this and my storage went up from 8gb to 10gb. anyone else have this problem. I have even deleted 1.3gb of videos but no change to my storage. cant get through to apple.
Solo annoying
I have 40+ years of Technical Design Experience and I can assure you Apple products and software is bug laced convoluted crap.
I’ve been suffering with this for over a week. I thought it was me, possibly hardware. Went to the ‘Genius’ bar where they insisted it must be something on the phone – one of my apps or data in my old retained iMsg messages, and that my only recourse was to re-install everything from scratch i.e. restore to ‘New’ state, then load all my apps and media again. A major PITA, but I did it, reluctantly. It actually did help, some – but not enough. Let’s see if this fixes it.
Unlike the other 90 million users who aren’t coming here to say they aren’t having problems, I did. Mine is working great. How does it feel to be a 1%’er people?
9.3.1 did not fix my web link crashing issues. Still experiencing the crashes. I understand these problems are few and far between, but it seems that when they do happen, it’s always some crippling or annoying bug. Is there such a thing as a non annoying bug?
I updated last night and this morning my iPod won’t link to the tv via a lightening/hdmi cable ( my iPad does and my iPod did yesterday so there is nothing wrong with the connector). I had no issues with the earlier version so this doesn’t seem like an improvement to me!
iOS 9.3.1 seems to have atleast one problem, that when I go to sharing in AirDrop, I dont see my friend’s photo in the icon for AirDrop. Neither I see my MacBook’s icon photo. Any body else facing this issue ?
After the update, I lost a heap of contacts that I had saved into my phone. Probably details I had entered over the previous 3 months. Anyone else seeing this? I only really noticed because I started a new job as a sales rep, and had put a heap of new contacts in, ans they aren’t there any more. My own fault for not backing up more regularly, but still, and upgrade shouldn’t have this kind of issue I wouldn’t have thought
After the update i can no longer find people on my phone using airdrop, it is really annoying everything was working fine before hand
I can’t install this update on my phone because links no longer work on my phone at all. Not in Safari, Chrome, Firefox, facebook or any other app, including Settings on my phone. No to mention they crash all the time. Tried using iTunes to download the fix but its taking 4-5 hours to download and if i tell it to pause, it goes back to the start. Not much use having a ‘smart’ phone that can do anything. I never usually update to the new iOS straight away but I did it without thinking this time and now have a phone that doesn’t work. Why can’t they test things before putting out updates?? Going to have to go to the apple store and get them to fix it – really needed to waste my time at the moment!
I haven’t updated my iPhone 6 yet. But on Easter Sunday, my stepmom (she’s 96) updated her iPad, and now it says that it is not connected to wifi when she clearly is. I saw that some others were having this problem with 9.3. What I want to know is, did they fix this with 9.3.1?
9.3.1 crashes/freezes my IPhone 5 for no good reason. Apple sms (or whatever) suggested I upgrade.
The installation of iOS 9.3.1 on my old iPad2 will not enable me to watch private videos in Safari. Do I need to delete this upgrade and re-install an earlier one to correct this problem?
After updating to 9.3 and later to 9.3.1 in my iPhone 5C whenever I make calls wile connected to internet the voice breaks. Whenever I switch off both wifi and mobile data voice break doesn’t happen. Any solutions for this issue?
The phone forced me to download and install this update. I wasn’t able to delete the update in the ‘manage storage’ settings so it would quit nagging me to download every 2 seconds.