Considering iOS 9.3.1 was an emergency patch for the troubled iOS 9.3 release, it has performed pretty well (one minor security problem aside). But now unfortunately a nasty flaw has emerged...
‘Great Features’ and ‘Nasty Surprises’ are my regular columns investigating operating system updates for the best features / biggest problems hidden behind the headlines.
Owners of the extremely impressive iPhone SE have found iOS 9.3.1 is distorting audio on Bluetooth phone calls to the extent that it is unusable. Considering the number of people with headsets and in-car Bluetooth calling this has caused a great deal of anger. Resets, restarts and even factory resetting phones has not worked.
Consequently users are venting their frustration on heated threads at both
“In my opinion this makes the hyperlink link bug (fixed in 9.3.1) pale in comparison as a true safety issue is created for those now having to hold the device as opposed to hands free operation as in the case of operating an automobile,” argued one Forbes reader in an email to me.
Let me stress: if you suffer from this issue please do not revert to holding your phone for making calls while driving.
So when can we expect a fix? Hopefully soon. Apple is already beta testing iOS 9.3.2 and on the Support Communities thread user ‘skierrob2’ states the company has admitted to him it is aware of the problem and working on a fix:
"I got a call from Apple Support from an iOS Senior Advisor this morning. In the call, he stated he worked with his colleagues to test Bluetooth on the iPhone SE, and that Apple support has been able to reproduce this issue on more than one bluetooth device. They have already forwarded the information on to their engineers."
The Secret Fix
More positively one area where iOS 9.3.1 has secretly ridden to the rescue is addressing a recurrence of the infamous ‘date bug’ that could lock up an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch where the date changed to January 1 1970 (it became popular for practical jokes). Apple claimed this was fixed in iOS 9.3, but a loophole was found.
Security researcher Brian Krebs discovered the bug could still be exploited using a rogue WiFi connection allowing him to lock up any connected devices remotely. Thankfully Krebs took the responsible route of contacting Apple immediately and Apple patched it inside iOS 9.3.1 before it ever became public. Nice.
As such a familiar pattern to iOS updates continues: one step forward, one step back...
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