Apple Offers Fix for iPhones Affected by iOS 8 Problems

2 minute read
By Alex Fitzpatrick

Apple posted an official fix for iPhone owners affected by problems with Wednesday’s iOS 8.0.1 update, which many users reported caused a total loss of cellular service as well as issues with Touch ID on iPhone models that support the feature. The tech giant pulled the update after complaints about those issues quickly spread over social media, but for many users it was too late.

Apple’s fix is essentially a way to revert affected iPhones back to iOS 8.0.0, a process the company typically doesn’t officially endorse.

From Apple’s support website:

Follow these steps to reinstall iOS 8.0.

  1. Make sure that you’re using the latest version of iTunes.
  2. Connect your iPhone to iTunes.
  3. Back up your iPhone in iTunes on your Mac or PC. iCloud backups won’t restore to earlier versions, including iOS 8.0.
  4. Download the file below that corresponds to your device:
  5. Select the file you just downloaded by doing one of these in iTunes:
    • Mac: Press the Option key and click Check for Update.
    • Windows: Press the Shift key and click Check for Update.
  6. Press Update to install iOS 8 on your iPhone.

The Health app won’t work in iOS 8 after these steps. It will be fixed in our upcoming iOS 8.0.2 software update.

The iOS 8.0.1 problems seem to only affect the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices. TIME installed the update on an iPhone 5C and experienced none of the reported issues. Apple told The Verge that it apologizes “for the great inconvenience experienced by users,” and promised to quickly issue an iOS 8.0.2 update that would fix the issues addressed by 8.0.1 without causing new problems in turn.

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