Apple Releases iOS 9.3.1 To Fix Universal Links Issue On iPhones, iPads

Apple has released iOS 9.3.1 to fix a bug on iPhones and iPads that crashes Safari and other apps when users tap on a link.

Many users first experienced the bug when they updated their devices to iOS 9.3, which was released on March 21.

However, it seems that the bug was also found on devices running older versions of iOS 9, according to TechCrunch.

The main reason why the bug suddenly popped up across iOS 9 devices is because some third-party app developers were abusing the universal links feature.

The universal links feature allowed developers to bypass Safari or any other Web browser to open their app.

For example, when a user taps a YouTube link on Safari, it will open the YouTube app instead of opening the Web page itself.

Developers abused this feature by registering too many domain names which caused universal links to be overwhelmed. it seems that developers from Booking.com were the source of the bug itself, according to Apple Insider.

Simply put, Apple did not set a limit to how many domain names developers can register when using universal links.

In order to get the software update, users must go to Settings on their iPhone or iPad, tap on General then Software Update.

Users can also get the update by connecting their device to a Mac or PC and download and install iOS 9.3.1 via iTunes.

Once a user has updated his or her iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, crashing and unresponsiveness of apps when tapping links will cease, proving that the update works, as reported by GSM Arena.

The update doesn't include new features, and it simply serves as an emergency update to resolve the issue. Apple first promised a fix for the bug this Tuesday.

Design & Trend also reported earlier this week that Apple re-released iOS 9.3 for the iPad 2 and older devices.

Older iPad models suffered an activation issue when users updated to iOS 9.3. Apple re-released the software specifically for the iPad 2 and older devices to fix the issue.