4 ms·

Can apps cause iOS to reboot? That's a bit shocking. I don't own an iPhone.

ayuvar 10y ago
It's not isolated to iOS. Snapchat does something funky in userland. I think on the Nexus 4, Snapchat still ships with a warning that it doesn't work properly. Mine would reboot about every second time I took a picture.
- ansible 10y ago
  I haven't investigated the issue, but I've heard that it was indeed a bug with the Nexus 4 drivers that caused the crash. Still, I've got to wonder, what are they doing that's so different than other camera apps that seem to work fine?
  - snuxoll 10y ago
    Not using the Camera API for starters, last I checked they still took a screenshot of the viewfinder on Android.
    - mi100hael 10y ago
      lolwut
- stonecodegump 10y ago
  Interesting. I had similar problems on my Samsung several years ago when I was trying Snapchat out. I uninstalled and never returned..
blowski 10y ago
Just occasionally yes, but it has happened very rarely to me (an iPhone user since 2009). I assume it's a bug in iOS combined with a bug in the app.
jafingi 10y ago
It doesn't reboot. It resprings. Big difference.
hyperpape 10y ago
There still are kernel panics, they're just very rare.
LoSboccacc 10y ago
psh, iOS can be rebooted from safari by web pages - just send them enough images with 3d transform + filters and watch the memory allocator kill the whole system trying to compose the thing.
Splines 10y ago
I've seen a test version of an app cause issues such that the launcher would crash (i.e. "respring"). Probably some intersection of particular api usage and OS bugs. To the unobservant user it looks like the OS is rebooting, although it's much quicker than a real reboot.
- brazzledazzle 10y ago
  I've seen the same thing with an ActiveSync bug. Much quicker but you lose the running context of any apps just the same.
wnevets 10y ago
I know apps cause my ipad to reboot all the time.
mulmen 10y ago
Yes, I believe they can. I haven't had my iPhone (6S) crash more than 5 times that I can recall in the 14 months I have had it. Every time it has rebooted I have been in a third party app. The phone begins acting strange, gestures may stop for a few moments then it goes black and the Apple logo shows up on the screen as it reboots. Two of them have been in the last month or so. Unfortunately the phone doesn't just reboot. It shuts down completely and refuses to boot back up with a low battery warning. I believe this is actually hardware related but I have had it crash when trying to call an Uber. I think Facebook may have caused a crash too. Uber was especially painful because hailing taxis in my city (Seattle) is essentially impossible and pay phones are not a thing that exist in 2016. Luckily I was near a bus stop and know how the lines work without my phone. It was a shocking illustration of how dependent I have become on my smartphone.
coleca 10y ago
Evidently they can. I witnessed it myself, even did a cold start (hold power and home until you see the Apple logo) and it still happened on a completely up to date iPhone 6.

It's not isolated to iOS. Snapchat does something funky in userland. I think on the Nexus 4, Snapchat still ships with a warning that it doesn't work properly. Mine would reboot about every second time I took a picture.

ansible 10y ago
I haven't investigated the issue, but I've heard that it was indeed a bug with the Nexus 4 drivers that caused the crash. Still, I've got to wonder, what are they doing that's so different than other camera apps that seem to work fine?
- snuxoll 10y ago
  Not using the Camera API for starters, last I checked they still took a screenshot of the viewfinder on Android.
  - mi100hael 10y ago
    lolwut
stonecodegump 10y ago
Interesting. I had similar problems on my Samsung several years ago when I was trying Snapchat out. I uninstalled and never returned..

blowski 10y ago

Just occasionally yes, but it has happened very rarely to me (an iPhone user since 2009). I assume it's a bug in iOS combined with a bug in the app.

jafingi 10y ago

It doesn't reboot. It resprings. Big difference.

hyperpape 10y ago

There still are kernel panics, they're just very rare.

LoSboccacc 10y ago

psh, iOS can be rebooted from safari by web pages - just send them enough images with 3d transform + filters and watch the memory allocator kill the whole system trying to compose the thing.

Splines 10y ago

I've seen a test version of an app cause issues such that the launcher would crash (i.e. "respring"). Probably some intersection of particular api usage and OS bugs. To the unobservant user it looks like the OS is rebooting, although it's much quicker than a real reboot.

brazzledazzle 10y ago
I've seen the same thing with an ActiveSync bug. Much quicker but you lose the running context of any apps just the same.

wnevets 10y ago

I know apps cause my ipad to reboot all the time.

mulmen 10y ago

Yes, I believe they can. I haven't had my iPhone (6S) crash more than 5 times that I can recall in the 14 months I have had it. Every time it has rebooted I have been in a third party app. The phone begins acting strange, gestures may stop for a few moments then it goes black and the Apple logo shows up on the screen as it reboots. Two of them have been in the last month or so. Unfortunately the phone doesn't just reboot. It shuts down completely and refuses to boot back up with a low battery warning. I believe this is actually hardware related but I have had it crash when trying to call an Uber. I think Facebook may have caused a crash too. Uber was especially painful because hailing taxis in my city (Seattle) is essentially impossible and pay phones are not a thing that exist in 2016. Luckily I was near a bus stop and know how the lines work without my phone. It was a shocking illustration of how dependent I have become on my smartphone.

coleca 10y ago

Evidently they can. I witnessed it myself, even did a cold start (hold power and home until you see the Apple logo) and it still happened on a completely up to date iPhone 6.