Updated to add instructions for removing iOS 8.0.1.
A software update Apple sent on Wednesday did the opposite of what the company intended, disabling cellphone service on untold numbers of iPhones, among other problems.
Twitter and tech news sites quickly overflowed with reports of people who encountered the problems after downloading and installing the update, iOS 8.0.1, which was intended to fix various bugs in the operating system for Apple’s mobile devices. Apple responded by withdrawing the update.
This isn’t the first time a software update from Apple has caused, rather than fixed, problems on devices. But it appears to be one of the first times the company has pulled such an update. “We are actively investigating these reports and will provide information as quickly as we can,” Apple said in a statement. “In the meantime we have pulled back the iOS 8.0.1 update.”
The problem appeared to mainly affect users of the latest iPhones, the 6 and 6 Plus, and not older iOS devices. Users on Twitter reported that the update also disabled the Touch ID capability on their devices, which lets people unlock their phones with fingerprints.
The problem with the update is one of the few blemishes on an otherwise hugely successful introduction of new products by Apple. The company sold 10 million of the latest iPhones last weekend, making them huge hits. The product remains in short supply in stores.
Over the weekend, though, reports began to surface on technology blogs of the iPhone 6 Plus bending permanently after users kept it in their pockets for long periods of time. On Tuesday, a video blogger posted the results of his own “bend test” on YouTube, in which he successfully bows an iPhone 6 by applying significant pressure with his hands.
Early buyers of the new plus-size iPhone may have to take care to protect their devices in their pockets. As for Apple’s software update, the lesson may be that it’s better to wait before installing.
Still, the problems don’t seem to have reached the critical mass that greeted the cellphone reception problems of Apple’s iPhone 4, a controversy that became known as “antennagate.” Even that problem, caused by the antenna design of the iPhone, did little to diminish the sales of the iPhone 4.
People who have already downloaded iOS 8.0.1 can revert back to the previous version by connecting to iTunes on a computer. Details can be found at iMore.com, a site dedicated to Apple news.