Apple stops signing iOS 11.2.6 amid deluge of iOS 11.3 bug reports

AppleInsider

Apple on Friday ceased iOS 11.2.6 code signing following the release of iOS 11.3 last week, meaning users are now unable to revert back to the old operating system despite reports of bugs and other problems with the latest release.

Home screen app layout issue in iOS 11.3. | Source: Josh Aschvia Twitter

Apple's release of iOS 11.3 last Tuesday delivered a slew of enhancements and hotly anticipated new features, including a battery management tool that allows users to monitor iPhone battery health and its impact on processor performance.

Unfortunately for a growing number of users, the update appears to be riddled with problems.

One day after the release hit Apple's servers, an apparent bug with the company's MDM Software Update feature caused devices running third-party solutions like Jamf Pro to enter a "failed loop" cycle.

A quick check with Apple's own support forums and official Apple Support Twitter account shows an uptick in bug reports, though that in itself is not unusual for a new release. Others have taken to Twitter to log ongoing issues with the new OS, as noted in a link laden Forbes report, which cites a list of issues collected by PiunikaWeb.

A steady flow of users claim iOS 11.3 seemingly drains device batteries at a faster pace than usual, while others complain of graphical glitches including an "invisible keyboard" bug affecting both iPad and iPhone. Reports of less severe problems continue to pour in, ranging from Bluetooth connectivity woes to streaming and UI issues with Apple Music.

Other bugs spotted by PiunikaWeb include the spontaneous triggering of iOS home screen app editing, AirPods dropouts, inconsistent gesture control, incorrect app badge notifications, inaccessible special characters and more.

Apple regularly stops signing code in an effort to prevent users from installing old iOS versions that may contain security flaws and known bugs. The common practice is also designed to keep users up to date with the latest features and software enhancements pushed out with point updates.

With a litany of bug reports in the wild, more so than usual, and iOS 11.2.6 no longer available, Apple might be forced to issue a corrective iOS 11.3.1 release in the near future. Alternatively, the problems may not be as dire as implied and are simply being amplified by social media tag-alongs, in which case fixes can be built into the next major iOS release.

Apple is already looking ahead to iOS 11.4, which promises to deliver a new gaggle of improvements, most notably AirPlay 2 functionality.

racerhomie3

iOS 11.3 has been excellent from 5S ,iPod 6, iPhone 6 Plus to iPhone SE.

The_Martini_Cat

I found it wiggles my screen in a funny transitory way.  I nevernoticed it before the update

applefanpro

I noticed wi-fi calling isn't working after the update. Is this a known issue that other people are experiencing? 

lkrupp

The “reports” are wrong. I’m running iOS 11.3 on an iPhone 8 without any obvious bugs. I call BS on this article’s biased headline.

f1ferrari

The biggest thing I’ve noticed, apart from the battery drain, is intermittent sound drop outs from my AirPods. If I’m listening to a podcast, there will be a 2-5 second drop outs in sound every 5-7 minutes of listening. 

Soli

lkrupp said:

The “reports” are wrong. I’m running iOS 11.3 on an iPhone 8 without any obvious bugs. I call BS on this article’s biased headline.

1) I could see it being sentationist, but I don’t think bias makes sense in his context.

2) They do provide several links in the article that detail these bugs. How this compares to previous versions of iOS or accounts for a growing number of users, severity of bugs, or any potential changes to how Apple deals with bug reporting I couldn’t tell so I’d need more data to say that deluge wasn't accurate in relation to previous releases, but it seems impossible to say that reports of bugs is wrong.

PS: There is a UI bug in one of the recent iPhone X ads. Has that ever happened before?

chasm

Just checked — Wi-Fi calling is working for me.

As for 11.3 generally — I have noticed some minor battery oddities (rare occasions where it drains mysteriously quickly), but it is thus far rare and inconsistent, so at present I’m not concerned about it too much. Otherwise, haven’t noticed much difference in performance. Happy about knowing exactly the state of my battery health — this is a feature that should have been in there a long time ago, but I still say you’d have to be some kind of chowderhead to consider turning off the “slow it down rather than crash it if there’s a voltage problem” option.

SpamSandwich

Worked fine for me so far on multiple devices.

CheeseFreeze

Funny how the experience can differ so much from user to user. Personally 11.3 has been an EXCELLENT update for me with a significant speed increase on my iPhone X as well as great battery performance.

Nevertheless, seems Apple is dealing with Q.A problems lately?

DAalseth

FWIW I have it on an SE and 10.5 iPP. Battery life is unchanged. Keyboard works normally. No BT issues noted. Actually I have not noticed any bugs including all those listed in the article.

lkrupp

CheeseFreeze said:

Funny how the experience can differ so much from user to user. Personally 11.3 has been an EXCELLENT update for me with a significant speed increase on my iPhone X as well as great battery performance.

Nevertheless, seems Apple is dealing with Q.A problems lately?

No, it only seems Apple is dealing with Q.A. lately because of articles like this one based on counting anonymous anecdotal reports from social media sites. When will people learn that the Internet is a negativity power amplifier? The Internet is a false picture of reality, a repository of self nominated invalid assumptions, namely the illogic of “I and one other have the same issue therefore everyone has an issue.” How many times have you seen someone try to “prove” their point by doing a Google search and reporting the number of hits as evidence? This article essentially does the same thing by reporting an “uptick” of user reports after the update with no other evidence than counting posts. Note that neither the author nor AI report the ability to duplicate the alleged bugs themselves.

MplsP

lkrupp said:

The “reports” are wrong. I’m running iOS 11.3 on an iPhone 8 without any obvious bugs. I call BS on this article’s biased headline.

So obviously, since you haven't experienced a bug, that means no one else possibly could have, right? I continue to experience multiple bugs with iOS 11 on my 6s, so I call BS on your calling BS.

You are right that people are more prone to posting negative experiences than positive ones, and that it is difficult to estimate the true incidence based on internet reports, but that doesn't mean you can't completely discount them because they don't match your experience, either.

dysamoria

Stop saying that "this is normal"! This isn't a "new release". It's an update to an existing release. The whole POINT of minor revisions is to fix existing issues, not to excuse introducing new ones.

lkrupp

MplsP said:

lkrupp said:

The “reports” are wrong. I’m running iOS 11.3 on an iPhone 8 without any obvious bugs. I call BS on this article’s biased headline.

So obviously, since you haven't experienced a bug, that means no one else possibly could have, right? I continue to experience multiple bugs with iOS 11 on my 6s, so I call BS on your calling BS.

You are right that people are more prone to posting negative experiences than positive ones, and that it is difficult to estimate the true incidence based on internet reports, but that doesn't mean you can't completely discount them because they don't match your experience, either.

And just because you have an issue doesn’t mean it’s a bug in iOS either. I call BS on your “multiple bugs” too. Probably just you expecting something should work differently than it actually does. I was using iOS 11 on my 6 before I traded for the 8 and experienced no multiple bugs.

anantksundaram

lkrupp said:

CheeseFreeze said:

Funny how the experience can differ so much from user to user. Personally 11.3 has been an EXCELLENT update for me with a significant speed increase on my iPhone X as well as great battery performance.

Nevertheless, seems Apple is dealing with Q.A problems lately?

No, it only seems Apple is dealing with Q.A. lately because of articles like this one based on counting anonymous anecdotal reports from social media sites. When will people learn that the Internet is a negativity power amplifier? The Internet is a false picture of reality, a repository of self nominated invalid assumptions, namely the illogic of “I and one other have the same issue therefore everyone has an issue.” How many times have you seen someone try to “prove” their point by doing a Google search and reporting the number of hits as evidence? This article essentially does the same thing by reporting an “uptick” of user reports after the update with no other evidence than counting posts. Note that neither the author nor AI report the ability to duplicate the alleged bugs themselves.

Is there a source that provides accurate counts of such reports?

As to your saying “The Internet is a false picture of reality, a repository of self nominated invalid assumptions, namely the illogic of “I and one other have the same issue therefore everyone has an issue.””, what do think you think of your own post, #4, above, where you call “BS” on this blog because you’ve not had “the same issue” with 11.3?

I call BS on your post. 

MisterKit

11.3 running smoothly on 6s, mini 2, and 2017 iPad. Better than 11.2.6 here.

bluefire1

Not a single problem with 11.3 on my iPhone X.   I especially love the new emoji of Stormy Daniels. 

foggyhill

This is an embarrassing title, based on well nothing, I hope AI stops this crap.

Avalanche of god damn bug! at least  prove it.  Like it is, this is pure "clickbait".

I've got 6 devices with 11.3 and I see no avalanche. An avalanche is something you can't avoid, not something hiding under a carpet...

cgWerks

lkrupp said:
When will people learn that the Internet is a negativity power amplifier? The Internet is a false picture of reality, a repository of self nominated invalid assumptions, namely the illogic of “I and one other have the same issue therefore everyone has an issue.” How many times have you seen someone try to “prove” their point by doing a Google search and reporting the number of hits as evidence? This article essentially does the same thing by reporting an “uptick” of user reports after the update with no other evidence than counting posts. Note that neither the author nor AI report the ability to duplicate the alleged bugs themselves.

And, full of Apple fan-boys, apparently.  

I especially liked the 'stoped signing' aspect though... it's like Apple is becoming the Microsoft of software updates.... you'll take this update and like it!
I especially love Apple's UI trickery around updates too.
"Do you want to update? No. Oh, then here, enter your code (... and we'll do it for you, anyway.) Pay no attention to that tiny cancel at the screen bottom. Oh, and since we've trained you well to enter that passcode all the time... gotcha sucker!"

waverboy

More battery drain issues, eh?  Nice.  Still have my 6s Plus on good old 10.3.3, works like a charm.  I'll wait until they work the bugs out.