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

Hi

I have iPhone 5s 64gb with Booking.com installed. Installed OS 9.3.1 this am still having issues with email locking on opening web sites and opening links in Google. Temporary fix for me is to change search engine in Safari to Bling as mentioned above. Still can't open links in emails without it crashing. I've left the Javascript on!

Eagerly awaiting the next bug fix software from Apple.

My advise is don't install OS 9.3

Regards

Leonie

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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<Links Edited by Host>

Hi PAperson

Please explain why when upgrading to 9.3.1 ITs STILL NOT WORKING!!!!!

Your having a laugh saying its fixed!

Regards

Leonie

Well, I read almost the entire thread. My issue wasn't mentioned. I got up yesterday and found dictation was not working in some areas, some it was. For example in an ongoing text, I could see the microphone and use dictation. However in other areas such as Twitter, I could not, what I did have was a very strange button for gifs and other assorted emoji's. I did the reset, everything worked fine until I woke up this morning with the same issue. So I sure hope my issue was fixed. I don't use Safari, I use Chorme, and this only affected my iPhone 6, not my iPad air. One other thing, after the original update when I tried to upload video from an app called Catastic, the app kept crashing. After updating to 9.3.1 that issue is still present.

IOS 9.3.1 update has fixed mine

I'm sure it's not the iOS 9.3 problem. I had the same issue with Safari and hyperlinks from Mail last days before I've updated my iPhone 5s from iOS 9.2.1 to 9.3 (it was just the reason I did it). I supose the problem appeared after update one of following applications (from last 3 days before update iOS): LinkedIn, Messenger, YouTube, WD My CLoud, Brother iPrint&Scan, Dropbox, or Booking.com. I've read somewhere in net an article how to fix Safri problem, deleting Booking.com app., but I'm not convinced. Has somebody any idea which app among mentioned above could be a culprit ?

Everything's work fine now! Lessons learnt: never install an update immediately...

Decided if it was small, to cross fingers and update OTA.

notes while I watch....

"Request" noted, and then almost immediately started downloading, so servers must not be overloaded yet.

Standard

About 40 sec to download.

about a minute to "prepare"

gave "install not or later" message, but started installing and verifying update by itself anyway while I was typing one-handed

auto-rebooted the phone

reboot/install is taking awhile...

reboots again...going faster this time...

asks for the latest password for my current Apple ID in Settings, but when that window opens it is prefilled with the old ID and a notification that the old password needs updated. (I am going to have to concntrate on how to do that now, and see if the existing notes in Support about that work.)

Input the current password (which, I think probably should work, but without the ecosystem dependency diagram, I have no clue what to use... a few old ones don't work)

"Verfication Failed An unknown error occurred" - same as before 9.3.1

OK" to that, and it asks for an update to the old ID again...so I am in a loop, perhaps

Cancel that, which leaves me on the ICloud page as though I am logged in (as before 9.3.1) despite the alert about the failed verification, with a "Sign out" link at the bottom.

Give that up for now, try turning on Safari, using Google for images, clicking the first image...that worked.

That's as far as I am going for now.

Cheers.

I would look and see if there is a page elsewhere on the web about your dictation issue, and a thread already started here in Apple Support specifically on that.

Any more on something that looks like a URL or link issue in Safari or Mail is good to know here. That might include the attempted upload that doesn't seem to work for you.

FIxed my iPhone 6 Plus. Links open from all search engines. Also from Mail and OmniFocus.

Hi

Plugged in phone to iTunes and it asked to reload OS 9.3.1 as an update and now works fine. Must have been an error when loading it this am was telling me that it had upgraded already. Sorted now so happy 🙂

Thanks all

Leonie

Yeah, with 9.3.1 everything works fine again!

I would like to thank all of you in this thread for all the information and support you provided,

it helped me through the last 6 days!

Have a great bugfree time

Regine from Germany

Installed 9.3.1 now. Problems fixed.

For now I don't install booking.com, I'll wait some days.

How can I stop getting email from this list?

For me this is also fixed (for now).

I would like to thank you veeeeeeeeeeeeeery much Apple. It is so great that my iPhone 6s is again a smartphone!!! You are so AWESOME!

Btw.: is this a forum for complaining users either maybe an official forum of Apple support...? This is very sad.