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iOS 14.5.1
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Thorzdad
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May 3, 2021, 07:01 PM
 
FYI, there’s a .1 update to recently-released iOS 14.5 available now. It patches a 0-day vulnerability found in WebKit.
     
ghporter
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May 4, 2021, 10:29 AM
 
Ouch.

I wonder if it will also clean up the glitch that tells me “Application X needs to be updated” for random apps when there’s not only no update, but the same app works fine on my phone or my iPad. I had iOS 14.5 tell me that a solitaire game I’ve been using fine needed updating, though it runs spiffy on my iPad, and vise versa, my iPad said that the UPS app needed updating though that same app runs perfectly on my phone…

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Thorzdad  (op)
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May 4, 2021, 11:22 AM
 
I just discovered Apple has pushed out the same fix to older devices. My ancient iPad Air is now updating to iOS 12.5.3.
     
ghporter
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May 5, 2021, 10:02 AM
 
Even more ouch. Sounds like a hole that needed fixing but just sat there for a long time…. Not so good.

Somewhat rant-ish stuff to follow:

As for the issues I noted yesterday, they’re not at all related to the OS upgrade. The issues just happened to happen close to the upgrade, which makes it look like the OS upgrade broke stuff.

One of the apps that stopped working, called “Top Solitaire+”, was basically blocked by Apple. The developer says it’s because there’s a free version (called “Top Solitaire”) and having the paid version wasn’t allowed????? Anyway, it’s screwy, but my phone isn’t allowed to run the app, so I deleted it and now have the (otherwise nice but with some ads at the bottom) free game. Not cool.

The other app I had problems with was the UPS app. It looks like the app is identical to what’s on my phone - which runs fine - when in fact, the phone app was updated about a week ago. The iPad app that stopped working (its icon is very subtly different from the one on the phone) turns out to be an old (like 5 years old) iPad-specific app. And some research in the App Store reveals that UPS has basically produced an app that runs on both iOS and iPad OS.

All of this “let’s boot this app off the platform” and “let’s go to one app for both phones and tablets” all happening around the time of a major OS update just looks too sketchy without at least some notice to users - especially about the UPS app.

I think Apple should be a bit more transparent about things like evicting apps - particularly just blocking them from working when they were doing fine before. And of course app vendors could be a lot more obvious when they change their apps.

Now I’m off to upgrade my phone - and later my iPad because I’m using it right now.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Thorzdad  (op)
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May 5, 2021, 11:24 AM
 
I suspect a lot of what you're experiencing has a lot (if not all) to do with Apple's privacy stance that came in with 14.5. Just prior to 14.5, I started getting a lot of app updates that said it was being done to come into compliance with the new iOS privacy requirements. Apps that don't conform to the new privacy requirements won't appear in the App Store anymore (but, if you already have it on your device, it should keep working.)
     
ghporter
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May 5, 2021, 12:01 PM
 
Yeah, I’m sure that it’s more complex than the app writer said in his email. But however positive and appropriate these changes are supposed to be, if you aren’t a lot more open about what’s going on - or why something no longer works - you’re going to cause problems.

I’m not saying that Apple should be “in your face” obvious about policy stuff, but maybe they could do a lot better, like doing more than just a simple link to “the security content of this update.” Maybe they should also provide a link to structural and policy changes that are realized by the updates too.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
   
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