Tag: touch ID

An iOS 8 update has been pulled after new software caused dropped calls.

After releasing its newest version of its iOS 8 Apple software earlier this week, the electronics giant had to withdraw its mobile update when a great number of its iPhone customers experienced a loss in cellular service, preventing them from making calls with their smartphones.

Some customers even reported the Touch ID feature stopped working due to the update.

While most iPhone users who downloaded the update experienced a drop in calls, some complained that the Touch ID feature, the fingerprint reader, would also not work. In a statement, Apple said that it has received reports of these issues linked to the latest mobile operating system update, which is known as iOS 8.0.1. However, the company did say that customers can still use iOS 8 in spite of the issue.

Trudy Muller, a spokesperson for Apple said that “We are actively investigating these reports and will provide information as quickly as we can.” Muller added that “In the meantime, we have pulled back the iOS 8.0.1 update.”

Since its release, the iOS 8 Apple software has had more than one problem.

According to data from analytics firm Crittercism Inc., iOS 8 causes apps to crash roughly 3.3% of the time. To put this into greater perspective, compared to last year’s version of iOS, the latest version crashes apps 67% more. Since its release last week, popular applications from Dropbox and Facebook have been failing regularly and the company had to delay the release of its HealthKit apps – the company’s much anticipated health and fitness-monitoring application – due to unexpected software bugs. Customers have also said that they have had to delete data such as apps, videos and photos from their phones to make space for the latest software.

Frank Gillett, a Forrester Research analyst said, “that’s the danger with all these updates: if you get it wrong, it goes wrong big, bad and fast.” Gillett added that “There’s a fundamental question of how it got out in the first place.”

iOS is the Apple software that powers all of the company’s mobile devices, including the iPhone, the iPad and the iPod Touch. It is estimated by Apple Inc. that as many as 46% of devices that connect to its App Store run iOS 8.

Apple gathers more momentum in the wake of recent event

Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering Craig Federighi recently spoke at the WWDC keynote event, where he brought a great deal of attention to Touch ID, the company’s fingerprint scanner that was introduced last year. Touch ID is part of the iPhone 5S and is meant to add an extra layer of biometric security to the mobile device. This biometric system has created a significant deal of hype around Apple’s potential foray into the mobile payments field, and this hype has only increased in the wake of the WWDC event.

Touch ID could help make mobile shopping more secure

During the event, Federighi noted that developers would soon be able to take advantage of the Touch ID API, allowing them to integrate the features of Touch ID into their applications. This could soon lead to the emergence of a new generation of mobile payments services that are much more secure than their predecessors. Security has been a major challenge for the mobile payments field, with many services falling prey to malicious groups that seek to access the financial information of consumers and businesses. Biometric technology could help alleviate the security problem by make services more resilient against the threats they are exposed to in the mobile space.

Apple continues to move away from NFC

Apple has been somewhat outspoken with its security concerns when it comes to the matter of mobile payments. The company had initially shown interest in the use of NFC technology, but NFC has since become unattractive from Apple’s perspective. Instead, the company is focusing more heavily on Bluetooth and cloud technology, with biometrics service as a security barrier that is meant to offer consumers better protection.

Company has yet to make a definitive entry into the mobile payments field

While Apple has been growing more aggressive in the mobile payments field, the company has yet to make a decisive entry into the marketplace. Though iOS devices can be used for mobile shopping and payments, Apple has not yet introduced a service that is specifically designed for payments and is not likely to do so for some time.