Is iOS 9 Causing Mobile Apps To Crash?

The release of iOS 9, the newest version of Apple’s iOS mobile operating system, has brought new features to owners of iPhones and iPads, including benefits such as longer battery life and a new and improved Siri experience. But alas, it appears that the latest update to iOS also comes with its own fair share of bugs.

It seems that users of Apple devices who have received their iOS 9 updates are complaining on public forums and on social media (especially on the Twitterverse) that their mobile apps have been crashing ever since they updated to the latest iOS version. For those not in the know, Apple just rolled out iOS 9 software last Wednesday this week.

The issues that Apple users are complaining about now are reminiscent of the same problems that plagued the rollout of the tech giant’s iOS 8 during the previous year. Some may recall that the release of iOS 8 caused selected Apple devices to experience unstable Wi-Fi capabilities and even weakened battery life. Apple managed to provide subsequent fixes, but unfortunately, those also ended up causing their own set of glitches. 

Now bugs and glitches are not altogether unexpected -- every new software update always comes with some sort of issue here and there, and it is true of any player in the mobile industry, even Apple. For instance, the iPhone maker even did not push through with its update for its WatchOS software (its operating system for the Apple Watch) because of some technical problems. 

But will this recent batch of bugs deter mobile users in general from using iOS 9. Since this newest version of iOS was launched, the adoption rate is just a bit over 20 percent, as reported by analytics firm Mixpanel. So far so good, considering that this is a quick rate compared to previous iOS versions. And as predicted by Gene Munster, analyst for Piper Jaffray, the latest bugs should not stop iOS 9 from attracting more new users. Also, Apple should be able to fix those bugs in due time anyway.

Still, in a world of increasingly vocal and demanding mobile users, the wave of negative feedback can not always be helped, especially now that we live in an era of social media, often the foremost (and most accessible) venue for airing grievances. Perhaps one positive thing about this for Apple is that people generally only have short term memory about their complaints -- in a week or two, they will forget about what they were griping in the first place, that is if Apple gets the problem fixed for good.