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mizmantha Author

Level 1

28 points

Safari won't open any links and then freezes/crashes

HELP! The Safari on my fairly new iphone 6s has gone haywire. Safari opens fine, and if you type in a direct URL, it will go to the website just fine. However, if i attempt to search any subject it will pull up the pages of websites, but will not allow me to connect to any of the links and when I select a link it then freezes and crashes safari. Additionally, if i try to open any weblink imbedded in an email, it again freezes and crashes both mail AND Safari. SO FUN!

And just to test general connectivity and function, i downloaded Google Chrome to see if I can search and connect there, and I can. The search works fine, pulls up the pages, and strangely, I can't access the pages direct, but it will allow me to open the page in another tab. I feel like this should be a clue for someone smarter than I. 😝

I have been tinkering for about an hour with it and I am at a loss.

Things I have tried:

1. Resetting the phone - both just by powering off and a hard reset (Power + Home)

2. Turning off Safari Suggestions (and browser suggestions) - this was a fix that I found for a bug that seemed similar from earlier this year.

3. Changing the search engine from Google to Yahoo and back, nothing.

4. Private Browsing (again a "fix" I found on the interwebs...)

5. Downloading and upgrading my iOS to 9.3. Still nothing.

6. Banging my head on my computer and cursing very loudly at the phone.

PLEASE, if you have any suggestions, i am all ears... I am going bananas and can't let it go.

THANK YOU!!!

iPhone 6s, iOS 9.3, Prob started while on 9.2.1

Posted on Mar 22, 2016 3:35 PM

Top-ranking reply

GALACTICPROTON

Level 1

4 points

Posted on Apr 11, 2017 1:09 PM

First thing a human should do after receiving an iPhone or iPad is download Google Chrome then download Google Maps then download Gmail and possibly download Google+ if you have a business.

Google Chrome is the best web browser in the world plain and simple. Sure you could use Safari or Firefox or Opera or IE or Egde But why waste time when you have a gem available to you with the push of a couple buttons.

Safari is a joke made by Apple so they can say they have a browser on their devices when you purchase them.

Firefox is a nonprofit group that has no money

Anything made by Microsoft is worse then Apple

Opera is so old but kinda funny in my opinion. I would actually recommend Opera just because most people have never heard of it and it's only used by about 1% of the worlds devices.

Put it this way, I bet you've seen a google car driving around at some point in your life. I have seen quite a few of them loaded up with cameras and gadgets. What's my point? Google has a lot of money and they usually spend it in the right places like having Chrome up to date with all coding and new stuff.

I think Safari is a disgusting browser. When I look at the news widget on my iPhone and click on a story to read it opens a new window everytime which is a pain in the azz. I have to close a bizzillion windows weekly just from reading some news articles. Great work Safari team.

Any unbiased web developer would most likely recommend using Chrome.

View in context

325 replies

Mar 27, 2016 3:43 AM in response to mizmantha

Some interesting theories and attempted solutions going around here but nothing convincing. I don't have the time or interest to mess around with deleting and restoring and resetting and clearing and goodness knows what else. I just want my iPad to work, and that's going to require a fix from Apple, probably in the form of a software update. Let them figure out how.

I invite other forum participants to use the Feedback Assistant and any other means to contact Apple and help create a critical mass of complaints to get this problem fixed.

Ems27

Level 1

4 points

Mar 27, 2016 3:45 AM in response to Tommacgr

I now realize that this is only a partial fix - I can now open a link but cannot open anything further on a link page.

All very frustrating-I feel a trip to the apple store coming on!!!

Millemm

Level 1

9 points

Mar 27, 2016 3:59 AM in response to mizmantha

The same thing happened to me. In addition to Safari, it impacts Chrome and my email. I believe it is an Apple issue and they need to apply a fix. One interim thing that Infound works on Chrome is to hold down on the link until a pop-up allows you to copy the link and then paste the new link in google search space.

Also, it seems limited to the mobile version, so if you can get to the desktop version of a site, it seems to work normally. Very annoying!

Mar 27, 2016 4:02 AM in response to Obrechtstraat

Well I went through some logical steps to narrow it down and with the help of Brushton confirming his Google Maps update. So for me, my fix is convincing because it has worked. I'm not going to wait days/weeks for a fix from Apple and now I can use my safari without a problem. Brushton is also trying this out now so we will see if it's just coincidence on my 6S or if it is related to the Google Maps app.

adeal3

Level 1

12 points

Mar 27, 2016 4:11 AM in response to Ems27

It's a total joke and apple should be ashamed. We buy apple kit because it just works and when this is no longer true why should we pay a premium. Iphone 6 worked fine before an update to 9.3 and after a hard reset and another download it's still useless for web browsing. Turning off javascript does not work but why should we disable this because apple have made a massive error. It'd be better if there was anyway to contact them or if they actually released and news on this issue but instead they wait for the internet to fill with negative stories. Android for me next.

able_ape

Level 1

15 points

Mar 27, 2016 4:19 AM in response to adamb0703

I'm not convinced. Why?

I don't have Google Maps installed. Safari/links still don't work.

Mar 27, 2016 4:23 AM in response to able_ape

When did you update to ios 9.3? Did safari stop working straight away?

adeal3

Level 1

12 points

Mar 27, 2016 4:26 AM in response to adamb0703

My update was Fri eve and despite a hard reset and second download of IOS 9.3 (on Sat) still nothing working on an iphone 6 and it's nothing to so with passwords etc. It's simply a case of apple doing a very poor job.

Mar 27, 2016 4:31 AM in response to adeal3

when you say "nothing is working" do you mean just Safari or are you having other problems?

Mar 27, 2016 4:32 AM in response to mizmantha

After deleting all data and setting, and restored with the last icloud backup, everything came back to normal

Mar 27, 2016 4:35 AM in response to mizmantha

Deleting Google Maps app worked for me.

able_ape

Level 1

15 points

Mar 27, 2016 4:38 AM in response to adamb0703

Updated to ios9.3 on Friday, links stopped working immediately. Press and hold in Safari will crash the browser. If you use Chrome you can still press and hold and then open a new tab with the chosen url. The error is probably in the webkit (used by other browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Mail etc.)