Skip to main content

Apple releases iOS 8.0.2 to fix nearly useless iPhone 6 models

Apple releases iOS 8.0.2 to fix nearly useless iPhone 6 models

/

A fix to the botched update is here

Share this story

Apple has released iOS 8.0.2, a new OS update that promises to fix some issues introduced in iOS 8.0 — but more importantly, quite the mess it left behind with iOS 8.0.1. In a statement to The Verge, Apple says, "We apologize for inconveniencing the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users who were impacted by the bug in iOS 8.0.1." The buggy update went out earlier this week, and was quickly yanked by the company after iPhone 6 owners discovered their phones no longer connected to cellular networks, and that their Touch ID buttons no longer scanned for fingerprints.

Workarounds let people revert back down to iOS 8.0, but required access to a computer with iTunes, and a copy of Apple's iOS firmware file, leaving many in a lurch. According to a person familiar with the matter, fewer than 40,000 people downloaded the iOS 8.0.1 update and it was available for under an hour before Apple pulled it.

iOS 8.0.2. brings the same change list as the botched update, including a fix for a bug that kept Apple from releasing any HealthKit-compatible apps in the App Store, as well as one that promises to make the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus' reachability feature more reliable. The full list includes many others:

  • Fixes an issue in iOS 8.0.1 that impacted cellular network connectivity and Touch ID on iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
  • 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

It remains unclear what exactly went wrong with iOS 8.0.1's release. Users proceeded to do an update through iTunes (before Apple removed it) reported no problems. However those who installed it using the over the air update feature ran into the issues immediately.

Sam Byford contributed to this report.