Facebook SDK issue reportedly causing problems with several iOS apps

Last week, iOS users encountered issues wherein certain third-party apps on their devices couldn't launch properly. While many immediately presumed that Apple was to blame, tech industry pundits quickly uncovered exactly what caused it. It appears applications that rely on Facebook for certain functionalities were affected. So far, there were no reports of similar problems for those on Android. Many attempted basic troubleshooting, which did not work, but developers eventually communicated on social media to inform users to wait instead.

Experts who are familiar with what was indicated reveal that it is similar to what previously happened in May. It appears the bug lies in the Facebook SDK, which many other apps integrate with for analytics, ads, and account logins. As reported by 9to5Mac, once an error occurs at this level, programs that use it such as TikTok, Pinterest, Spotify and more will be affected as well.

Facebook confirmed that it will investigate the issue and come up with a server-side fix immediately. Until the developers resolved the problem from their end, iOS users had no way to access their favourite apps. "We are aware and investigating an increase in errors on the iOS SDK which is causing some apps to crash," wrote a representative from the company.

Surprisingly, some supposedly attempted to uninstall then reinstall the apps to no avail. Meanwhile, there were a few who claim that Airplane mode allowed certain apps to launch successfully albeit with limited functionality. With almost every other game or service available tied with Facebook's platform, anytime an SDK-level glitch occurs, it is likely to cascade down to the rest.

Eventually, it was fixed with a statement from Facebook that read: "Earlier today, a new release of Facebook included a change that triggered crashes for some users in some apps using the Facebook iOS SDK. We identified the issue quickly and resolved it. We apologize for any inconvenience."

Other recent issues with Apple's devices involved the iOS 13.5 update, which apparently caused iPad Pros to be stuck in a boot loop. Another alarming bug that has been identified is with Apple Music, which purportedly drains the battery faster even after it has been uninstalled. Unfortunately, a full factory reset is the only way to fix the latter for now.