iOS 9.3 - Safari/Mail freezes after clicking links on iPhone 6S

Guys, I believe I found a workaround to fix this situation, at least it worked on my 6s.

It is based of the workaround suggested here by Rosyna Keller

From the Xcode -> Devices I choose my iPhone connected vis USB to my Mac and I enabled the Console.

From the Console logs is pretty much evident the crash loop interesting the daemon

com.apple.swcd (shared web content)

it crashes every 10 seconds because the "launchd" process tries to run it again and again.... It crashes due to out of memory issue because is visible a crash report from the JetSamEvent.

The speculation is the daemon crashes because the Database is using is too big due to the fact the Booking.com application uploaded too much data.

The problem is still visible if you uninstall the Booking.com application, because in this situation IOS automatically should remove the data added by the Booking.com app on the SWCD database, but unfortunately it doesn't because the SWCD daemon is in a crash loop!

The trick is to remove the application before the SWCD daemon starts the crash loop.

To achieve the goal I followed these steps:

1) Connect your device via USB to your PC/MAC

2) Turn on AIRPLAN mode

3) Uninstall the Booking.com application

4) Go to "Settings->Safari

5) Set "Search Engine" to Bing

6) Disable "Search Engine Suggestions"

7) Disable "Safari Suggestions"

8) Disable "Quick Website Search"

9) Disable "Block pop-ups"

10) Disable any "Content Blockers" enabled (Example AdBlock plus)

11) Disable "Fraudulent Website Warning"

12) Go in "Advanced" and disable "Javascript"

13) Stil in airplane mode, reboot your device.

14) Keep the airplane mode. Re-Install from I-Tunes the "Booking application"

15) Keep the airplane mode. Run the Booking application.

16) After you didn't allow the Booking application to send you notification and to use the GPS, kill the Booking application using the IOS task manager (double click on the home button and swipe away the app).

17) Uninstall the Booking.com application

18) Exit from the AIRPLAN mode

19) Now the problem should be fixed and you can re-enable javascript and the other settings in Safari

Hope this will help :-)

Cheers

Raffa

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Thanks. Caveats, folks, per the OSX page at the link below:

"Note: Do not tap the security information link in the update screen, that will crash the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch until this bug fix release has been installed."

Inadvertenly validated that...Clicked the weblink on the Settings>Update page to see more about what the update did...and of course that link didn't work

...and momentarily my phone wouldn't accept my passcode after the screen timeout!!!

Went looking for the build (because....I wanted to be sure I saw something that made sense) and Google had no hit on Apple, but found this OSX page...

Per http://osxdaily.com/2016/03/31/ios-9-3-1-link-crash-bug-fix-ipsw-download/ -

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"Apple has released iOS 9.3.1 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, the new version directly addresses the problem where tapped links would crash or freeze Safari, Messages, Mail, and other apps on iOS devices. This update is particularly important to install if you have been experiencing the URL crashing problem as it fixes the bug and stops tapping links from crashing the device, though users who haven’t been impacted by the bug may find it less urgent to update.

The iOS 9.3.1 build arrives as 13E238 and if downloaded as a delta update it is quite small, arriving at roughly 35MB, making it a quick install.

Updating to iOS 9.3.1

The easiest way to update to iOS 9.3.1 is through the OTA mechanism on the iPhone, IPad, or iPod touch. Be sure to back up the device before beginning.

Note: Do not tap the security information link in the update screen, that will crash the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch until this bug fix release has been installed.

Another option is to update to iOS 9.3.1 through iTunes using a Mac or Windows PC. This necessitates connecting the device to a computer, launching iTunes, and choosing the “Update” button within iTunes.

iOS 9.3.1 IPSW Firmware Download Links

Direct download links to iOS 9.3.1 in IPSW firmware format are available from Apple servers below, using IPSW to update is generally considered advanced but is not too complicated."

[ed. note: I cut those links out of sequence in the quote - see the actual page if you need them.]

iOS 9.3.1 Release Notes

The brief release notes attached to iOS 9.3.1 state the update “Fixes an issue that caused apps to be unresponsive after tapping on links in Safari and other apps”.

To be perfectly clear, installing iOS 9.3.1 completely fixes the link crashing bug, so if you have Safari crashing or freezing when links are clicked, or if other strange URL behavior is noted, install this update to fix the problem. Because the update fixes the problem, it voids the need to follow this set of relatively complicated set of steps that can fix the URL crashing issue. This means you can also re-enable Javascript if you turned it off as a troubleshooting step with the prior iOS update version. If you did not have any problems with the iOS 9.3 update, you still may want to update to iOS 9.3.1 to be current anyway, but it’s likely less pressing compared to users who are unable to access Safari, Mail, Messages, and other apps without them crashing."

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iOS 9.3 appears to be buggy in general, but there does seem to be a specific issue with 6S (and perhaps 6S plus) with regards to not being able to click on hyperlinks in Safari, Mail, and other apps where the hyperlinks link to the Safari browser. Interestingly, some Google-related links on my Safari seem to work when clicked on. But all other regular websites don't. And, as other posters have noted, when using another browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Dolphin, etc, clicking on website hyperlinks doesn't seem to work either...but a "long click" and opening the link in a new tab works.

I hope this is fixed soon, but I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the 3D touch feature as that's one of the biggest differences between the 6S and other iOS devices.

Okay I called them and did the typical procedures where I restored to new iPhone. It was working for me after I started fresh. I then restored a backup and the issue happened again. I am going to have to start from scratch.

Same here, iPhone 6 64 Gb. It began soon after I upgraded to 9.3. Also tried @AppleSupport on Twitter. After I informed them that a full restore worked but the backup brought the issue back I got this message:

That's good to hear. In that case, it indicates there may have been a potential software issue on your iPhone previously, or an issue with the update. You can try restoring the backup again if there's data you still need. One thing to keep in mind, backups are very thorough, and can sometimes bring the issue back as well. If the issue does come back with the backup, you'll want to go through and make sure all of your data is saved on the computer, and then set your iPhone up as new once more. Make sure to make a fresh backup from there and then you'll be good to go. Let us know if you have any questions or issues with getting your iPhone setup again

I gave it a try and restored again (third time). After trying another backup (also made after the upgrade I got the problem back. Answer this time was:

Thanks for the update, at this point if restoring the backup caused the issue to come back then the best option would be to do the restore and setup as new.

At least they didn't say the best option would buy another device... 😕

I have had this problem with Safari and not opening links in both google search and links in mail, which also froze the mail app. I have reverted to 9.2.1 using this process http://osxdaily.com/2016/03/22/downgrade-ios-9-3-back-to-ios921/ be aware, you have to press the option/Alt button to get to where you have downloaded the ipsw. I have reverted to 9.2.1 and will not update to 9.3 until I hear it is fixed.

I've been working with Apple support via Twitter and phone calls. On the phone they told me to turn off Javascriptin Safari - and that actually allows links in Safari to work now. They did acknowledge its a proble with JavaScript but they haven't developed a fix for it yet, and you can't turn off JavaScript in Messages or Mail. See below response I got from their Twitter account.

"Thank you for providing us with those details. We’ve heard reports of the issue and it’s currently under review. We don’t have a solution at this time but we’d like to get your case to a Senior Advisor so they can collect some data to assist with the investigation. To get started we’d just need to gather your name, phone number, time zone, and the best time to reach you. We can set up a callback to have an advisor contact you directly.

You can also reach out to our chat support: apple.co/GetSupport"

Problem:

Some apps, like "Booking.com" app (that is a repeatedly verified reason casuing the bug for me and my wife) seem to be incompatible with iOS 9.3 and Safari. Most probably it has a Safari plug-in in the app bundle that make it (and the whole iOS URL opening system) hang. So this way any app that tries to open a link will hand - Mail, all browsers and some third party apps are affected.

Solution:

(A) if you did not have installed crap apps (e.g. "Booking.com", "Wikipedia", some other "Wiki..." apps) and have backups:

1) reset all content and settings

2) restore from iTunes/iCloud backup

3) enjoy

(B) if you have crap apps (like "Booking.com") installed in your backups:
1) reset all content and settings
2) set up as a new iPhone

3) DO NOT INSTALL "Booking.com" app
4) enjoy

PS. Will post updated list of apps that may cause the bug.

PPS. Simple settings reset, deleting apps that cause the bug, rebooting won't help - only solutions posted as (A) and (B) work for now.

Confirmed in my case!! iPhone 6s Plus 64Gb

1.- Refresh install - Factory settings - 9.3

2.- Links working. Many apps installed.

3.- 3 days perfect and links working

4.- Backup

5.- Links working - After installing Booking - THE PROBLEM APPEARS. Links does not work.

I will try now: uninstalling, back up, fresh install and restore... let see

Hy all, I got this answer from Apple right now:

"We know how important it is to have your links working. We’ve heard reports of the issue and it’s currently under review. In the meantime, we have two workaround options. Restarting the phone may allow links to work, but only temporarily. You can also go into Settings > Safari > Advanced and turn off "Javascript.” That should allow links to work, but some websites may not function properly without Javascript."

Update Easter Sunday iPhone 6S 128G All Links in Safari and via Apple Apps Working iOS 9.3

1) Bing Fix did not work

2) JavaScript disable / re-enable did not work

3) Turn on / off Content Blocking did not work

4) Multiple Hard Reset(s) no change

5) Never had Booking.com app can't remove

What worked is A Complete Factory Reset using with NO BACKUP. Meaning using an iPhone 6S 128g is not a hardware issue. It is not an Apple update issue per se, it is some 3rd party apps that change or affect initialization of Safari via hyperlinks. It is a 3rd party App issue that was not caught in QA. Phone is restored with Keychain, but no 3rd party apps added. Did not restore, simply factory reset, and running iOS 9.3 all is working great...

I still believe it may be something to do with content blocking/apps, but not sure. I just can't believe you can have 3rd party apps update how pop-ups and code displays without causing a glitch after a significant upgrade...

Will begin slow process of updating app by critical app to see what did it. GOOD LUCK!

Same issue here with IPhone 6s + IOS 9.3

I'm not able to click any link in Safari after a search.

Mind that I have experience of this issue starting from today, when I upgraded my iphone to IOS 9.3 some days agoo everything worked fine that's very very weird.

I already tried to:

1) reset the safari settings (wiping the cache and cookies)

2) reset the iphone (pressing home button + power button)

Nothing of the previously attempts worked.

Same issue is visible also using another browser (I tried Firefox).

These workarounds WORKED for me:

1) Disabled javascript from safari settings

OR

2) Change the search engine to Bing (strange, if you use "Duck Duck Go" still doesn't work, didn't try "Yahoo").

Altough the problem is still visible if you go to "google.com" and you start a search there.

I spotted the question to the Apple Support Twitter channel, le't keep in touch.

I have been following this whole thread and I am happy to report that Inhave fixed the issue. I waited for 24h before posting to make sure this still works.

You do not need to revert to a previous version or lose any backups. I have 300 apps on my phone and I kept all of them (except 3), including my full backup.

No iTunes.

The process I followed:

1. Create an iCloud backup.

2. Erase all content and settings.

3. Follow the process to restore from the iCloud backup once the phone has been wiped.

4. As soon as your applications show up greyed out (which means they are queued to be downloaded), click and hold any app so you can delete the offending applications BEFORE they install. In my case, and I suspect for many other people, the offending apps I deleted were:

- Booking.com

- Triparvisor

- Yelp

The rest of my apps downloaded and the issue did not return.

Let me know how you get on.

Hi,

I followed exactly the steps from here; https://infinitediaries.net/how-to-fix-ios-9-x-safarimail-link-bug/ and the problem went away. There are a good description of the problem here; https://bencollier.net/2016/03/unable-to-open-links-in-safari-mail-or-messages-o n-ios-9-3/

If you don't want to use iTunes for syncing the booking.app, you can use xcode. Open xcode and choose window->devices. Then choose your i-device and press the '+' button under installed apps.

-oyKris

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After spending hours of searching how I can fix this problem I have decided to reset my iphone. Apparently this decision turn up to be a lifesaver!.

SO what you can do:

Go to settings->general->reset->Erase All content and Settings.

Once you have done that then SELECT set up a new iPhone and do not do any restore from backup. I have tried the latter one and nothing happened. The glitch still exists.

This solution is time consuming since you have to installed all the applications from the beginning. PLEASE avoid installing trip advisor cause this app create all the problems in my case.

Below I have listed the apps that I have installed after the restore and I know for sure that they did not create any problems in my iphone.

—viber

—whatsapp

—snapchat

—facebook

—googlemaps

—dropbox

—google translate

—tuneIn Radio

—sygic gps

—instagram

—shazam

—skype

—hangouts

—sych.me

HOPE SO THIS SAVE YOU A LOT OF TIME !!!

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