Level 1

20 points

In iOS 7, Safari crashes often, especially with YouTube videos

Since iOS 7 upgrade, Safari crashes on a regular basis. I notice this especially when going to a page with embedded YouTube videos. Sometimes it happens just by going to the page, and if not then almost always when trying to play the video. I have tried rebooting, resetting, turning off iCloud, etc., all to no avail. I have an iPhone 5 and an iPad 2, and this problem occurs on both.

P.S. I updated to iOS 7.0.2, and this problem, which was happening before, still happens.

iOS 7.0.2

Posted on Sep 27, 2013 8:15 PM

72 replies

psmyth

Level 1

19 points

Nov 4, 2013 12:30 PM in response to Tulkinghorn

This issue has been on several threads. Please repot it to Apple. Post on FB and Twitter, especially Apple/ipad related FB and Twitter.

The problem belongs to Apple and apparently has to do with WebKit which is under the Safri hood.

We want this fixed.

Workaround a are not acceptable.

Nov 8, 2013 7:05 AM in response to Tulkinghorn

Same exact problem here with my iPad 3. Browsing through the youtube site is a bad experience on the iPad. It's slow, scrolling through the comments is quirky, and the videos sometimes won't play without poking at the screen several times. It really surprising how something so widely used like youtube doesn't work properly on the iPad. You would think it would be one thing they would have regression tested with iOS 7.

Granted, I do understand there is an Apple vs Google war going. This just ticks me off giving how much money I've spent on Apple devices.

Tulkinghorn Author

Level 1

20 points

Nov 20, 2013 8:38 AM in response to Chandler06021998

The issue is not just about watching YouTube videos. Rather, it's about the (dis)functionality of the Safari browser and also its apparent tendency to interact badly with other apps. The problems with Safari crashing, etc., are not at all limited to YouTube videos or the YouTube website.

Nov 20, 2013 8:39 AM in response to Chandler06021998

Because if you read the thread it makes no difference.

Tulkinghorn Author

Level 1

20 points

Nov 20, 2013 8:44 AM in response to franzkaiser

Thanks very much for this link. That feedback link is exactly what I was looking for when I first came here and started this discussion. I was hoping to be able to give that feedback directly to Apple, but they do not make that feedback site easy to find. All I could find was this forum, so I posted hoping Apple would see my comment and that others would also chime in to report the same issue.

I have now sent feedback to Apple on this issue, and I hope others are doing the same.

***

In case anyone's wondering, getting a brand spanking new iPad Air does NOT solve these problems. I got my iPad Air last week, and I am still having these issues with Safari and iOS7. They seem SOMEWHAT mitigated (e.g., I have been able to play the occasional embedded video on some sites that crashed in the past, but then the same pages will crash at other times.) But these problems are still cropping up several times a day, which is several times to many. (And they persist even after installing the most recent iOS update. If anything, they may be a little worse on the iPad Air after that update than before.)

To recap, the main issues are:

Safari tends to crash on a regular basis, with no apparent pattern regarding particular sites or content thereon.

Crashes are especially common, though not limited to, sites that include embedded video, especially if you try to play said videos or just accidentally click on them.

Switching between Safari and certain other apps will cause Safari to "reset" itself, causing you to be logged out of any sites you happen to be logged into.

Switching between the above mentioned apps and Safari will generally also cause those apps to "reset" themselves, meaning lag time when multitasking back to them and losing your place in the other app, needing to start over.

Using a different browser does not necessarily avoid these problems.

It is very frustrating that these problems persist even after upgrading to Apple's latest and greatest hardware. I was always planning to get the newest iPad, and my excitement about it was already tempered by the idea that the new iOS seemed to make the upgrade necessary rather than just desirable. But to shell out the money for the iPad Air and STILL have these problems is getting ridiculous. APPLE, PLEASE FIX THIS!

Nov 20, 2013 5:07 PM in response to Tulkinghorn

I recently upgraded to the Ipad Mini Retina and I confirm the problem with youtube pages are still there. The problem is software related. It's pretty sad given I spent another $700 on a new Ipad version and the problem persists. But overall, I am happy with the new mini retina.

It also seems like this bug is not a high priority for Apple because it relates to their competitors product. It's almost as if they want to make the Youtube experience so annoying that you stop using it.

psmyth

Level 1

19 points

Nov 21, 2013 3:54 AM in response to codeweenie

It's not just YouTube. The Apple Niners I've talked wih are taking it seriously.

Tulkinghorn Author

Level 1

20 points

Nov 21, 2013 9:52 AM in response to codeweenie

As psmyth says below, it's not just a YouTube issue. The YouTube aspect seems to be just one part of a much broader issue with Safari/iOS 7. I now somewhat regret putting "YouTube" in the title of this discussion since it's really a broader issue, but that's the aspect that first really caught my attention and I originally came here searching to see if anyone else was reporting the same issue.

But I confess that I did have similar suspicions that Apple might have an ulterior motive to make their competitor's offerings seem unattractive. :-) If that's true, though, it may backfire--if my iPad experience doesn't get back to functioning smoothly, I for one might consider non-Apple alternatives that I would never otherwise consider. (On a related note, I have long suspected that glitches in running iTunes on a PC might be part of a plan to encourage people to switch to Mac.)

@psmyth: Thanks for the info. Glad to hear that Apple is taking this seriously. I'm still somewhat stunned and saddened that Apple would release a new iOS that runs with such glitches even on its newest hardware. It seems more like something Microsoft would do.

Nov 21, 2013 10:44 AM in response to Tulkinghorn

I'm probably pushing my luck and setting myself up for a pratfall, but since I've updated my iPad2 to IOS 7.0.4 I haven't had any Safari crashes whist perusing the comments on the Guardian CiF website. Also the lagging whist scrolling seems less pronounced. I can't speak for other websites people here are having trouble with but the Guardian website seems OK now. Is anyone else who has updated to the latest IOS finding this as well?

Tulkinghorn Author

Level 1

20 points

Nov 23, 2013 7:42 AM in response to Tulkinghorn

UPDATE: After a week now of using iOS 7.0.4 on iPad Air I can report that the Safari crashing problem is, amazingly, EVEN WORSE than before. This is unacceptable and needs to be fixed, and Apple needs to keep hearing from us until it is fixed. I hope every iOS user who has experienced this problem will report it to Apple feedback: http://www.apple.com/feedback/

Nov 25, 2013 9:56 PM in response to Tulkinghorn

Safari crashes every 1-8 minutes for me.........everyday....I'm using Lion on a Mac Mini......any solutions out there?

Katuak

Level 1

5 points

Dec 6, 2013 10:01 AM in response to Tulkinghorn

I have a new iPad air. Bought a week ago. It freezes, crashes or quits all the time when I am using the Guardian website, particularly using Safari. The Apple Store ran a diagnostic test and found that the processor is pulling too much power, which is causing it to quit. They suggested that I use Chrome instead (!) which has helped slightly but the problem is still there. I have done 2 Restores on the iPad as they insist that it is a software issue.

They seem pretty fond of blaming the users' own data on the iPad or third party apps for what is a problem that only seems to occur using an iPad and their browser.

Question: do all diagnostic tests run in an Applestore that reveal a problem get reported directly to Apple themselves or not? This iPad air air has replaced an iPad retina 3, which never crashed on the Guardian website even after updating to iOS 7.

Jacielvm

Level 1

0 points

Dec 9, 2013 8:06 PM in response to Tulkinghorn

You are not alone . My girl ( ipad 4) and i ( ipad 2 ) are having the same problem.

billmk

Level 1

12 points

Jan 2, 2014 10:51 AM in response to Tulkinghorn

I'm having the same problem on Espn website almost every time I try to expand a comment(click on read more).If there is an ad below where the comment expands to it will crash every time .Been doing this since the last update.

puhbah63

Level 1

14 points

Jan 12, 2014 4:38 PM in response to Tulkinghorn

My iPad2 crashes with any game, face book, reading an email. I have cleared cache, history etc

I believe the crashing is worse with the ios 7 update. I have lost purchases through the App Store..takes my money but I don't get the items. Crashes at the right time

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In iOS 7, Safari crashes often, especially with YouTube videos