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Apple iOS 9.3.2 Will Terminate The 'White Screen of Death' Bug

This article is more than 7 years old.

This week Apple released the third beta of iOS 9.3.2 for developers and public beta testers. To access beta versions of Apple's operating systems, you will need to sign up for the Apple Beta Software Program. iOS 9.3.2 appears to be a minor update that primarily contains bug fixes.

Why will iOS 9.3.2 be important when the final version is released to the public? Several reasons. iOS 9.3.2 is reactivating the ability to run Night Shift and Low Power Mode simultaneously. This option was disabled in iOS 9.3.1 for whatever reason, but now it will be turned on again. More importantly, AppleInsider reported iOS 9.3.2 includes a fix for a bug that caused game apps with Game Center integration to crash and show a blank white screen -- which became known as the "White Screen of Death." This essentially makes many games unplayable.

Below is a video that technology journalist Craig Grannell put together demonstrating the problems caused by the bug:

Apple Game Center is an app that allows users to track points, invite friends to multiplayer gaming sessions and monitor leaderboards. Since Apple Game Center is crucial for multiplayer gaming on iOS, it has been frustrating for users whenever it crashed on their devices.

The "White Screen of Death" bug has been consistently causing problems following the launch of iOS 8. And there has been instances where iOS users experienced the bug dating back to December 2013.

iPhone game reviews TouchArcade has a forum post that was created in December 2015 with over 750 comments in regards to the "White Screen of Death" bug. When Apple released the last beta version of iOS 9.3.2, users in the forum were thrilled that the bug appeared to be fixed. “I installed iOS 9.3.2 beta on 3 devices…an iPad Air 2, an iPad Mini 1, and an iPhone 6 Plus,” said TourchArcade user Cccee in a forum post. “It’s been a few days now and Game Center has been working on all devices. I did not delete any apps, old or new. I have all the same apps I always had. So far so good!!! Keeping fingers crossed.” 

iOS 9.3.2 will also include a fix for a bug associated with Quick Actions. Quick Actions are contextual menus that appear when using 3D Touch on the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. When iOS 9.3.2 is released, Quick Actions should be smoother with less lag while using your iPhone 6S Plus in landscape mode.

The first beta of iOS 9.3.2 was released on Wednesday April 6th — which was within one week of the iOS 9.3.1 release. Apple has been rolling out patches and updates at a rapid pace. Unfortunately, iOS 9.3.1 had a number of bugs upon launching. For example, many users that upgraded to iOS 9.3.1 experienced problems with Safari where the browser became locked up after hyperlinks were tapped and long pressed. Apple quickly resolved that issue, but then another bug was discovered where hackers were able to bypass the PIN and Touch ID lock screen security features without knowing the credentials. Apple resolved that problem without having to roll out a new software update.

iOS 9.3.2 will most likely be the last notable iOS 9.x.x revision until Apple reveals iOS 10 at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June. But there will likely be several more iterations of iOS 9.x.x until iOS 10 ships with the “iPhone 7” in September or October based on Apple’s previous release schedule.

What are your thoughts about the "White Screen of Death" bug? Have you experienced this problem? Leave a comment with your thoughts.