Apple Working on a Fix for iOS 9.3 Web Links Crashing Issue

by

Apple has confirmed that it is aware of an issue causing web links to crash in multiple iOS apps like Safari, Mail, and Messages, reports TechCrunch. Following multiple complaints about the bug over the past few days, Apple says it is working on a fix that will be released "soon" via a software update.

Shortly after the release of iOS 9.3, iPhone and iPad users began complaining about a bug that causes multiple built-in and third-party apps to crash or freeze after a web link is tapped or pressed using a long press. The issue does not affect all users, but based on threads in the MacRumors forums and the Apple Support Communities, it is impacting a wide range of iOS users and a long list of iOS devices including the iPhone 5, 5s, 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, iPad Air 2, and iPad mini.


The specific cause for the issue is still unconfirmed, but there is speculation that it is related to Apple's Universal Links feature. According to mobile specialist Ben Collier, the Shared Web Credentials daemon, which allows apps and websites to share login credentials for Universal Linking purposes, may be a factor.

Apps with large deep linking files for use with Universal Linking could also be causing the problem, as many users who had installed the Booking.com app have experienced crashing and freezing issues. The Booking.com app, though now fixed, was originally using an overly large 2.3MB deep linking file.

While there is no fix for the crashing issue, some users have had success turning off JavaScript in the Settings app by going to Safari --> Advanced, but this is a suboptimal option because it will degrade the web browsing experience. Force closing affected apps and restarting the iOS device does not solve the problem.

The web links fix may be bundled into iOS 9.3.1, which Apple is already working on. Over the last few days, we've seen an increasing number of visits from devices running iOS 9.3.1, suggesting Apple has sped up testing on the update.

ios_9_3_1_traffic
The web linking bug is the second major bug to affect iOS 9.3 users. The first rendered some older devices unusable due to a problem with Activation Lock, which required customers to enter the information originally used to set up their iPhone or iPad. Apple issued a new version of iOS 9.3 on Monday to fix the issue.

Tag: iOS 9.3
Related Forum: iOS 9

Popular Stories

iOS 26 on iPhone Feature

Here's When iOS 26 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: Out Now!]

Monday September 15, 2025 12:00 am PDT by
Update 10:06 a.m.: iOS 26 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Today's the day! Apple is about to release iOS 26, which will deliver the biggest redesign since iOS 7 and bring a range of new features and improvements to iPhones worldwide. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at last week's iPhone event that...
Read Full Article • 95 comments
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Reportedly Plans to Launch These 10 Products in 'Coming Months'

Sunday September 14, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple's annual September event is now in the rearview mirror, with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and AirPods Pro 3 set to launch this Friday, September 19. As always, there is more to come. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple plans to release many products in the...
Read Full Article • 81 comments
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

Apple Says Installing iOS 26 Might Impact Battery Life

Monday September 15, 2025 10:56 am PDT by
In the iOS 26 release notes, Apple is warning iPhone users that installing the new software might have a temporary impact on battery life, which is normal. A new support document explains that major iOS updates require background setup like indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps. Further, Apple says that new features could require more resources,...
Read Full Article • 118 comments
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 Get iOS 26 Features With New Firmware Update

Monday September 15, 2025 10:50 am PDT by
Apple today released updated firmware for the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4, introducing support for the new AirPods features that are included in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. The firmware has a build number of 8A356, and it replaces the current 7E93 firmware. With Apple's new software updates, the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 support better audio quality for phone calls and...
Read Full Article • 67 comments
iphone 17 lineup

iPhone 17 Models Launch on September 19 With These New Features

Friday September 12, 2025 7:58 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 lineup and ultra-thin iPhone Air in stores on Friday, September 19, and the company has already shown off the new devices at its fall event, which ran with the the tagline "Awe dropping." The iPhone 17 series brings a host of new features and enhancements. Here's a rundown of the biggest upgrades and changes: iPhone 17 Display Changes The iPhone...
Read Full Article • 17 comments
apple n1 chip

Apple's New N1 Chip in iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Has a Wi-Fi 7 Limitation

Saturday September 13, 2025 10:01 am PDT by
The latest iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air models are equipped with Apple's all-new N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity. However, the chip has a Wi-Fi 7 bandwidth limitation. According to FCC documents reviewed by MacRumors, the N1 chip in all of the new iPhone models supports up to 160 MHz channel bandwidth for Wi-Fi 7, short of the...
Read Full Article • 105 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Air Boxes

iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Boxes Revealed

Sunday September 14, 2025 1:36 pm PDT by
T-Mobile President Jon Freier today shared real-world photos of Apple's boxes for the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 models, which launch on Friday. Image Credit: Jon Freier Apple has typically included iPhone box renders in its product environmental reports, but it did not do so for the latest models. However, Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program page does offer some images of the boxes, ...
Read Full Article • 74 comments

Top Rated Comments

Asarien Avatar
Asarien
124 months ago
Their quality continues to decrease. Apple is on the verge of becoming Microsoft; too big to do everything right.
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tbayrgs Avatar
tbayrgs
124 months ago
Give Apple some credit. It takes time to perfect code, and its not always easy to write in the first place.

Yes, they should have kept it in beta longer or worked on it more exclusively, but thats another story.
And yes, these things can appear after release rather than in the beta process.
Why? Writing code isn't new---Apples been doing it for a very long time. My issue is that these types of problems are becoming the norm vs. the exception. This release has been in beta for months yet we first see a bad version on 9.3 for older devices and now this.

Apple's reputation for polished software is getting a bit tarnished in my opinion.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cjducasse Avatar
cjducasse
124 months ago
For as long as this has been in beta, it's really unacceptable. I'm not affected, I hardly use bookmarks because I can navigate manually faster than I can scroll through a list of links to identify the page I want… but geez.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sirious Avatar
Sirious
124 months ago
Give Apple some credit. It takes time to perfect code, and its not always easy to write in the first place.

Yes, they should have kept it in beta longer or worked on it more exclusively, but thats another story.
And yes, these things can appear after release rather than in the beta process.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C DM Avatar
C DM
124 months ago
Give Apple some credit. It takes time to perfect code, and its not always easy to write in the first place.

Yes, they should have kept it in beta longer or worked on it more exclusively, but thats another story.
Might not have been found there either even with a longer beta. Some things just surface when they surface. Most people don't realize that about software or don't want to believe it, but that's the reality.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IPPlanMan Avatar
IPPlanMan
124 months ago
There were issues of all kinds in previous versions of iOS and iPhone OS as well. With the OS becoming more complex and larger and the list of supported devices growing and growing along with the apps and the number of users, all that will contribute to more potential issues being present and/or noticed. It's not to say that there isn't something in addition to that as far as Apple needing better/more development and quality control, but even that won't make it so that there aren't issues present, including some big ones sometimes, or that various people will still complain about this or that.
Apple needs to stop adding features and start adding reliability.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments