Apple says it has solved an issue that caused several apps to immediately crashing when users updated them. The problem affected only a small number of users, Apple told Macworld, and it was caused by a server that generated DRM code for some of the apps users downloaded.
Marco Arment, developer of the Instapaper app, noticed the issue on Wednesday. He received numerous complaints from users saying his app was crashing immediately upon launch after they downloaded the latest update. He identified more than 90 apps affected by the issue, including GoodReader, Yahoo! Search, and Angry Birds Space HD Free.
The issue has been rectified now and Apple says it doesn’t expect the problem to occur again. Apple is not offering any details of explanation. If you have downloaded any of the affected apps and experienced constant crashing upon opening, deleting the app and downloading a fresh copy from the App Store should fix the problem.
Two Problems in One Week
It hasn’t been a good week for Apple’s App Store. Besides the problem with the crashing apps, Kaspersky found a new malicious app made its way in the App Store, apparently overlooked by Apple’s army of reviewers apparently overlooked (a first). The app, called Find and Call, uploads your entire contact list to a remote server and then spams all your contacts with SMS messages.
“The Find & Call app has been removed from the App Store due to its unauthorized use of users’ Address Book data, a violation of App Store guidelines,” an Apple representative told Macworld. The Find and Call app also made it through Google Play, and it has now been removed from both stores.
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