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Loafyleaf

macrumors newbie
Mar 27, 2016
19
5
Does anyone have booking.com app installed? After installing this app to check on some reservations I had made on my computer this started happening. Did a bit of searching on the web and found this youtube video showing the same problem. Someone said uninstalling app, clearing safari and rebooting phone worked for him, didn't work for me but its worth a try.


I have had booking.com installed for months, so I doubt there's a relationship. I have not upgraded to 9.3 (I'm on 9.2.1), yet I suddenly developed this problem yesterday morning (March 26). I will try deleting my booking app, but I am guessing I'll have the same results as you.
 

Revokelution

macrumors newbie
Mar 27, 2016
18
5
I have had booking.com installed for months, so I doubt there's a relationship. I have not upgraded to 9.3 (I'm on 9.2.1), yet I suddenly developed this problem yesterday morning (March 26). I will try deleting my booking app, but I am guessing I'll have the same results as you.

Weird it also started happening to me yesterday too, oh and the only thing I did yesterday was install the booking app which is why I thought that was it. I am still on 9.0.2 and I haven't updated or installed anything else.
 
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MrMister111

macrumors 68040
Jan 28, 2009
3,895
381
UK
iPhone 6 plus iOS 9.3 exact same. Links not working on safari, mail, apps etc. Was working fine beforehand.

What is going on? It's something to do with the update surely. I've restarted, reset, quit, etc but the same. My iPhone at the moment is nigh on useless.

Reported it to Apple, but standard "oh never heard of this issue..."

To the people who have reported it to Apple support what exactly have they said? What should I add to the case?

Is there anything in the meantime to try and help?

Thanks
 

ferjilo

macrumors regular
Oct 1, 2015
108
42
w Polska
I have had booking.com installed for months, so I doubt there's a relationship. I have not upgraded to 9.3 (I'm on 9.2.1), yet I suddenly developed this problem yesterday morning (March 26). I will try deleting my booking app, but I am guessing I'll have the same results as you.

Don't waste your time removing booking app. Safari is not working on my iPad Pro without booking app installed while my iPhone 6 Safari is ok and I have the booking app on my iPhone.
 
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Yptcn

macrumors 68020
Aug 24, 2012
2,156
1,190
Paris
ok. on phone with apple support now. this happens in both my apple email and safari. iPhone 6s 64gb. we have resolved the safari issue. SETTINGS - SAFARI - OPEN LINKS - (change to) in BACKGROUND (mine was not functioning with IN A NEW TAB). this resolved the hyperlink issue with safari. Apple mail still not functioning.

I'm already on Open new tabs in background , the word "Link" is nowhere
 

Revokelution

macrumors newbie
Mar 27, 2016
18
5
iPhone 6 plus iOS 9.3 exact same. Links not working on safari, mail, apps etc. Was working fine beforehand.

What is going on? It's something to do with the update surely. I've restarted, reset, quit, etc but the same. My iPhone at the moment is nigh on useless.

Reported it to Apple, but standard "oh never heard of this issue..."

To the people who have reported it to Apple support what exactly have they said? What should I add to the case?

Is there anything in the meantime to try and help?

Thanks

Chrome seems to work only with long clicking and opening in new tab for me regular clicks don't do anything.

I would caution against (publicly) blaming specific apps at this point. If and until an actual source of the bug is identified, blaming specific apps is quite unfair.

The only reason I said it was the app was because that is the ONLY thing I installed yesterday and I haven't updated a single app. I also seen the video I posted and the only thing he does is install the app also. Just trying to see if we have something in common other than the bug.

EDIT: Also happened the same day as the video, weird.
 
Last edited:
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CyberGene

macrumors regular
Feb 3, 2011
142
331
On my 6s it all started this morning. It was immediately after we switched to summer time here in Europe. I am wondering if that has anything to do with the bug. As far as I know summer time in US started two weeks ago. That could explain why some people started seeing the bug immediately after installing 9.3 and others are seeing it now.
 
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pavvel

macrumors regular
Jul 18, 2013
185
326
This is an absolute joke on Apples behalf. This as left the phone in a crippled state. Honestly Apple lately with there bugs is getting ridiculous and this is just embarrassing.
 

Yptcn

macrumors 68020
Aug 24, 2012
2,156
1,190
Paris
Same with me - just started this morning, been on 9.3 since the release. Only diff in the UK is daylight saving hours started overnight...???

I'm in France so DST started today also .
iPhone 6 working ... so far
iPad 3 has the link problem since this afternoon
 

C DM

macrumors Sandy Bridge
Oct 17, 2011
51,392
19,461
On my 6s it all started this morning. It was immediately after we switched to summer time here in Europe. I am wondering if that has anything to do with the bug. As far as I know summer time in US started two weeks ago. That could explain why some people started seeing the bug immediately after installing 9.3 and others are seeing it now.
Others are seeing it without 9.3 as well. Doesn't really seem to be tied to it all, although hard to say one way or another until Apple or someone figures it out.
 
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echo1877

macrumors member
Nov 10, 2015
82
107
I would caution against (publicly) blaming specific apps at this point. If and until an actual source of the bug is identified, blaming specific apps is quite unfair.
Agreed. As a long time iOS developer I think the chances that this is caused by a 3rd party app are quite slim. We're seeing built-in apps freezing left and right -- Messages, Mail, etc. We're seeing that Chrome is impacted. I'm not aware of a 3rd party app/extension that gets to run in the context of all of those apps when URLs are clicked.
 
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CyberGene

macrumors regular
Feb 3, 2011
142
331
Now that I think about it, daylight saving could really be the real problem. It seems the bug is noticeable on 3D Touch devices. It's plausible that 3D functionality relies on a timer, for example to detect for how long you've pressed with how much pressure in order to produce an average force. Now if the timer doesn't count for the daylight saving, a negative value for duration would be produced leading to negative average force applied which ultimately means no touch detected hence no link opened. I know it's some mad wild guess but it makes some sense :)
 
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echo1877

macrumors member
Nov 10, 2015
82
107
I'm curious: For those of you seeing this issue, if you go to Settings->Privacy->Diagnostics & Usage->Diagnostics & Usage Data, and review the list of crash dumps, do you also see a bunch of dumps titled "stacks+MobileSafari", "stacks+MobileMail", etc.? I believe these are the crash dumps that are generated when an app freezes due to tapping on a hyperlink.
 
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PeteS1963

macrumors 6502
Sep 19, 2014
480
356
I'm curious: For those of you seeing this issue, if you go to Settings->Privacy->Diagnostics & Usage->Diagnostics & Usage Data, and review the list of crash dumps, do you also see a bunch of dumps titled "stacks+MobileSafari", "stacks+MobileMail", etc.? I believe these are the crash dumps that are generated when an app freezes due to tapping on a hyperlink.

No, I don't see any of those.
 

Pagemakers

macrumors 68030
Mar 28, 2008
2,879
1,185
Manchester UK
Now that I think about it, daylight saving could really be the real problem. It seems the bug is noticeable on 3D Touch devices. It's plausible that 3D functionality relies on a timer, for example to detect for how long you've pressed with how much pressure in order to produce an average force. Now if the timer doesn't count for the daylight saving, a negative value for duration would be produced leading to negative average force applied which ultimately means no touch detected hence no link opened. I know it's some mad wild guess but it makes some sense :)
My iPad Pro has the problem and that doesn't have 3D Touch
 

PeteS1963

macrumors 6502
Sep 19, 2014
480
356
Now that I think about it, daylight saving could really be the real problem. It seems the bug is noticeable on 3D Touch devices. It's plausible that 3D functionality relies on a timer, for example to detect for how long you've pressed with how much pressure in order to produce an average force. Now if the timer doesn't count for the daylight saving, a negative value for duration would be produced leading to negative average force applied which ultimately means no touch detected hence no link opened. I know it's some mad wild guess but it makes some sense :)

But then why does my iPhone 6 Plus have the bug but my Air does not? Both on iOS 9.3, both upgraded within an hour of each other.
 

eyeseeyou

macrumors 68040
Feb 4, 2011
3,390
1,594
Not sure if this is connected to this issue or just 9.3 but my battery seems to have taken a hit also.
 

pacorob

macrumors 68020
Apr 8, 2010
2,118
507
the Netherlands
I'm also having this issue since today. I updated to iOS9.3 a few days ago on my iPhone 5s. I've also tried to use the Chrome browser instead of Safari but that has the same problem.

In the end I now switched within my Spark e-mail app to the in-app browser that doesn't have this problem to press links in e-mails. I did the same with Tweetbot 4 and also use the in-app browser there which works for pressing links to website.

I'm still looking for a browser that works just to start a website. Safari, Chrome, Documents 5 browser all seem to have this problem (Javascript bug?).
 

sdz

macrumors 65816
May 28, 2014
1,228
1,553
Europe/Germany
I'm curious: For those of you seeing this issue, if you go to Settings->Privacy->Diagnostics & Usage->Diagnostics & Usage Data, and review the list of crash dumps, do you also see a bunch of dumps titled "stacks+MobileSafari", "stacks+MobileMail", etc.? I believe these are the crash dumps that are generated when an app freezes due to tapping on a hyperlink.

Yes exactly!
 
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Yptcn

macrumors 68020
Aug 24, 2012
2,156
1,190
Paris
I also noticed like someone else that the name of my wife her iPhone has been changed to a name I gave it about 6 months ago when the iPhone was mine and I am 100% sure that I changed the name because I can see it in the Bluetooth settings of the car. This is very very strange.

After reading your post, I went to my iPad and noticed that the name I had given had changed to just iPad .
Then I had a look in iTunes to the backup I did on the 24th and the name I had given was there .
Really odd !
 

sdz

macrumors 65816
May 28, 2014
1,228
1,553
Europe/Germany
http://9to5mac.com/2016/03/27/some-...-when-tapping-links-in-safari-and-other-apps/

Interesting. It looks like 9to5mac updated their story after doing some of their own testing, and it seems they are also pointing to the booking.com app as a potential cause... Though as they mention themselves, and as confirmed by other users here, the issue is probably not limited to that app.

DONT DELETE BOOKING.com

It's absolute nonsense.

It has nothing to do with Apps.

IOS is a sandboxed Environment. Why should booking.com interfere with Mail App links???
 

echo1877

macrumors member
Nov 10, 2015
82
107
I think it's safe to say that no specific app is causing this, and also pretty safe to say that it is NOT, in fact, an iOS 9.3 bug (cause it's happening on other versions too).

I am betting on a cloud service issue -- either some Apple-specific Google servers, or in Apple's own cloud servers... The good news is that if I'm right this is going to get fixed without an iOS update.
 
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