Apple has apologised for pushing an update its iOS operating system that left owners of its new iPhones unable to make phone calls or use the built-in fingerprint sensor.
The update, iOS 8.0.1, was pushed to iPhones at 6pm on Wednesday. It was intended to fix a bug in the company’s HealthKit software that had resulted in a number of health-and-fitness-themed apps being pulled from the App Store, but a number of owners of the two new iPhones reported that it also disabled calling functionality and broke the TouchID sensor.
On Wednesday night, Apple pulled the update, and issued instructions on its website telling affected users how to downgrade back down to iOS 8.0.
“We are also preparing iOS 8.0.2 with a fix for the issue, and will release it as soon as it’s ready in the next few days,” the company said, adding in a statement that it apologised “for the great inconvenience experienced by users” and was working “around the clock” to fix the flaw.
While the Apple employees are working overtime right now, they’ll soon get the chance to relax: in the aftermath of the company’s biggest opening weekend ever, CEO Tim Cook announced that all employees would be getting Thanksgiving week off.
“Our people are the soul of our company, and we all need time to refresh and renew,” Cook wrote in an all-staff email. “To provide that time, and to recognise all of these achievements – as well as your boundless talent and dedication – I’m happy to announce that we’re extending the Thanksgiving holiday this year. We will shut down with pay on 24, 25 and 26 November so our teams can enjoy the whole week off.”
While the launch of the iPhone 6 was undoubtedly a success, with the company selling more than 10m iPhones over the first weekend, the cheers rapidly faded over the last week. As well as the broken update, reports have trickled in of users’ iPhones bending in their pockets; the company has yet to respond to calls for comment on that issue.
The 8.0.1 update is no longer available, but users who have updated already and not experienced any problems should be alright to hold on until 8.0.2 is released. For those on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus who are experiencing issues, Apple’s full instructions for downgrading to iOS 8.0 follow.
Follow these steps to reinstall iOS 8.0.
Make sure that you’re using the latest version of iTunes.
- Connect your iPhone to iTunes.
- Back up your iPhone in iTunes on your Mac or PC. iCloud backups won’t restore to earlier versions, including iOS 8.0.
- Download the file that corresponds to your device: iPhone 6 iPhone 6 Plus
- Select the file you just downloaded by doing one of these in iTunes: Mac: Press the Option key and click Check for Update. Windows: Press the Shift key and click Check for Update.
- Press Update to install iOS 8 on your iPhone.
- The Health app won’t work in iOS 8 after these steps. It will be fixed in our upcoming iOS 8.0.2 software update.
