iOS 9.3: links in safari not clickable anymore

[koolzero]

I'm wishing I hadn't updated mine. Mine is a work iPad too so I could be in for a hurtin. Come on Apple we need you!

Something else I remember about my iPhone is that it didn't start happening immediately after installing 9.3 but a day or two later. Has that been what others have experienced?

 

[tatabox34]

I'm wishing I hadn't updated mine. Mine is a work iPad too so I could be in for a hurtin. Come on Apple we need you!

Something else I remember about my iPhone is that it didn't start happening immediately after installing 9.3 but a day or two later. Has that been what others have experienced?

Yes exactly, it happened on my iPad a day later than my iPhone. Both were updated the same night.So maybe it has something to do with usage time, I use my iPhone far more than my iPad.

 

[eyeseeyou]

I'm wishing I hadn't updated mine. Mine is a work iPad too so I could be in for a hurtin. Come on Apple we need you!

Something else I remember about my iPhone is that it didn't start happening immediately after installing 9.3 but a day or two later. Has that been what others have experienced?

Also same experience

 

[eyeseeyou]

Similar thread on the apple forums:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7505840?start=30&tstart=0

 

[marlen_bbbb]

Mine is the same. Was
about to throw the phone, Strange but looks that it is not safari nor chrome issue. When I use bing seach engine everything works

 

[Orion205]

I'm relieved to know that I am not crazy and that this is a known issue. I read the post in the forum you linked to and it's crazy because there is no pattern. I have a 128GB LTE & WiFi iPad Air 2 which had every 9.3 beta installed and to this date i've never had the issue. Meanwhile, some people in the forums have had the issue with their iPad Air. I have a 128GB iPhone 6s and I've have the issue since the 9.3 betas. I have reinstalled the OS 4 times and 2 of those times I didn't install the 9.3 beta. I've always setup the phone as new with no backup information being copied back. All four times everything was fine and dandy and out of the blue, the problem started. One thing I did notice is that most people who's iPhone was affected had an iPhone 6s with 128GB. Maybe it's only affecting these devices? Who knows. All I know is that it's an annoyance. It affects News links in spotlight, links in Mail, Links when Google is used as the search engine in Safari, Links in text messages, links in Whatsapp, Apps that try to open a web page for you to sign in. Basically, it's affecting enough aspects of the operating system to make it painful to use my phone. As a work around for now, I am using Bing as the search engine in Safari and i'm using Outlook as my mail client since I can set Chrome as the browser to open links. For any text messages I get with links, I forward them to my gmail account and open them in the Gmail app. More work than I wish, but it's the workaround that works for now. It's worth notting that I tried to use Chrome as my browser. Even in Chrome though, if you have Google set as your default web search service, links will not open when you perform a search so it's not just affecting built in iOS apps.

[doublepost=1458947934][/doublepost]I would check out that page but I can't link to it from here on Safari.... SMH .... #nicemoveapple

I'm relieved to know that I am not crazy and that this is a known issue. I read the post in the forum you linked to and it's crazy because there is no pattern. I have a 128GB LTE & WiFi iPad Air 2 which had every 9.3 beta installed and to this date i've never had the issue. Meanwhile, some people in the forums have had the issue with their iPad Air. I have a 128GB iPhone 6s and I've have the issue since the 9.3 betas. I have reinstalled the OS 4 times and 2 of those times I didn't install the 9.3 beta. I've always setup the phone as new with no backup information being copied back. All four times everything was fine and dandy and out of the blue, the problem started. One thing I did notice is that most people who's iPhone was affected had an iPhone 6s with 128GB. Maybe it's only affecting these devices? Who knows. All I know is that it's an annoyance. It affects News links in spotlight, links in Mail, Links when Google is used as the search engine in Safari, Links in text messages, links in Whatsapp, Apps that try to open a web page for you to sign in. Basically, it's affecting enough aspects of the operating system to make it painful to use my phone. As a work around for now, I am using Bing as the search engine in Safari and i'm using Outlook as my mail client since I can set Chrome as the browser to open links. For any text messages I get with links, I forward them to my gmail account and open them in the Gmail app. More work than I wish, but it's the workaround that works for now. It's worth notting that I tried to use Chrome as my browser. Even in Chrome though, if you have Google set as your default web search service, links will not open when you perform a search so it's not just affecting built in iOS apps.

 

[amnesiaQTR]

Same issue.

Disabling Java helps some links on safari.
Opening link in mail causes app to freeze

I'm on 9.0.2 this just started

iPhone 6s

 

[cwosigns]

Same issue.

Disabling Java helps some links on safari.
Opening link in mail causes app to freeze

I'm on 9.0.2 this just started

iPhone 6s

Hmm...if you're on 9.0.2 and this is happening, does that mean that this is something that Apple can fix on the back end, or will this require a software update to fix the issue?

 

[Lyubo]

Hi, it could be JS. Disable JavaScript for Safari as a workaround until new version comes out. This is a solution only for Safari, though.

 

[jeremy3721]

Going to try to get to the Apple Store this weekend. Has anyone had a chance to do so yet to find out what their response is to the problem. Love my iPhone but I need a device that works.

 

[franksfotos]

I experience this is exact issue on an iPad 4 (32G) with 9.2.1. This iPad has never seen any beta firmwares. Only "solution" is restoring the device as new. Recovering from backup instantly breaks this crucial functionality.

Problem exists in Safari, Mail, Chrome, Firefox. Interesting fact: links that lead to the same domain work fine, error occurs with every link leading to a different domain. (E.g. Search results).

Some guy from Stack Overflow found out it has to do with swcd process.
http://openradar.appspot.com/25259569

Mega annoying, makes device unusable.

 

[slavskvadim]

I see the same in my 5s. If i switch off the JavaScript in Safari options then everything works fine and links can be opened in new window but searching page looks a bit different. So I think that problem must be solved somhow...

 

[maximiliansong]

I see the same in my 5s. If i switch off the JavaScript in Safari options then everything works fine and links can be opened in new window but searching page looks a bit different. So I think that problem must be solved somhow...

Thank you so much for your hint! I just turned off the JavaScript in Safari options and everything works fine for safari. Now I even can open a link in the same tap in safari.
However, some issue still exists. In Chrome, I still cannot open any link in the same tap. The Mail App still doesn't work; it simply gets stuck whenever I try to open a link.

6s

 

[fullauto]

Same thing here, 6S Plus 128gb. Google search results not loading, macrumours front page comments not working / trying to get to forums via the drop down freeze safari up completely. I have to force quit the app and then it takes about 3 taps on safari to launch the app again. It's been happening for the last 4-5 hours.

 

[tatabox34]

Still no word from Apple. They made a statement for bricking ipad 2's. How is this different from that? I can't use my brand new iPhone 6s as it should be and I don't even know if it will get fixed or not.

 

[tatabox34]

Same thing here, 6S Plus 128gb. Google search results not loading, macrumours front page comments not working / trying to get to forums via the drop down freeze safari up completely. I have to force quit the app and then it takes about 3 taps on safari to launch the app again. It's been happening for the last 4-5 hours.

Yes that's how it exactly happens. Bad thing is it also started happening on my iPad Air 2 which is also updated to iOS 9.3 I think this has something to do with usage time, because it doesn't start to happen right after the update, it took 2-3 days for my iPhone to get effected and a day more for my iPad Air 2. Given that I use my iPhone far more than my iPad, I have evidence to believe it correlates with usage time. But ofcourse I don't have enough evidence.

 

[hstankus]

I have a few Apple devices updated to iOS 9.3. iPhone 6S, iPad 4 behave normally, but links on iPad Air 2 do not work. Strange.

 

[fullauto]

Yes that's how it exactly happens. Bad thing is it also started happening on my iPad Air 2 which is also updated to iOS 9.3 I think this has something to do with usage time, because it doesn't start to happen right after the update, it took 2-3 days for my iPhone to get effected and a day more for my iPad Air 2. Given that I use my iPhone far more than my iPad, I have evidence to believe it correlates with usage time. But ofcourse I don't have enough evidence.

Yeah same on usage, certainly wasn't happening straight after updating to 9.3.

 

[slavskvadim]

is there any "feedback service" in apple corporation? Can we send report there?

 

[nightstalkerz]

Are you guys using iCloud Keychain/safari saved password on those devices?

 

[tatabox34]

Are you guys using iCloud Keychain/safari saved password on those devices?

Yes I am, on both devices.

 

[nightstalkerz]

Yes I am, on both devices.

Could you try turning those off and see it it helps.

 

[Villigeu]

Since I use iOS 9.3 (I was a public beta tester), in some betas links were not clickable in safari anymore. Beta 4 wasn't working, beta 5 was fine and now since beta 6 the problem got back.

Problem mostly exist when I try to google something from the search bar in safari. When I then try to click on a search result, safari dont respond and start to freeze. Then the app is closing and when I try it again, it freezes again.

I hoped on a solution with the official release of 9.3, however its still present. Its super annoying and I can't find a solution.

I already tried to delete data from safari and also did a hard reset.

Also problem seems to exist in Chrome and whatsapp as well (when someone sends me a link).

Who knows a solution?

Has anyone tried downloading the 9.3 ipsw and restoring their phone as a new phone? (Apple had a nice long document for you stating that by installing pre-release software you may have to restore your phone to factory settings)

I've had issues like this in the past with other pre-release software and doing this has fixed my issue 100% of the time. I'm sure there are legitimate people in here who were testing the application but Apple explicitly says use this at your own risk and do not use it on a production device (or a device that you solely rely on). Especially if you don't pay for cloud storage for your pictures and documents.

One thing about pre-release software that some people may not know is that if something is broken in one seed, it will probably carry to the next seed and be apparent in the final release due to a broken configuration file that it assumes is correct. Delta seed updates only update the items that have changed not the entire OS. That's how you've been getting away with 130 MB updates instead of 1.9 GB updates.

In settings of Safari change the search engine from Google to any other like yahoo or bling.

Install Google now app.
It's not a solution. Just a workaround.

 

[tatabox34]

Could you try turning those off and see it it helps.

It didn't work.

Also changing the search engine doesn't help.

 

[fasuin]

same problem here on my Ipad2 air

For google search, I found a quick workaround by requesting the desktop page instead of the mobile one.
Click on the "send to" icon near the address bar, and then select "get desktop page" or whatever it is (I'm using Italian as main language )

This fixes the google search page, but not all other website