iOS 16.3.1 fixes major bugs for your iPhone — and introduces a new one

By Christine Romero-Chan Published February 13, 2023

Apple just released a new iOS update for your iPhone: iOS 16.3.1. There are also updates for iPadOS 16.3.1 and macOS 13.2.1. All of these are relatively minor updates, but they do patch up an actively exploited code execution vulnerability that was found in WebKit/Safari. A second vulnerability was also patched up, though this second one was not known to be actively exploited.

But that’s not all that iOS 16.3.1 brings. This update also fixes an issue with iCloud settings, where it became unresponsive. Another bug fix corrects an issue with using Siri with the Find My feature, where the request would end up failing. If you have a HomePod, there is a HomePod 16.3.2 OS update that will also resolve some Siri issues, where smart home requests would end up failing.

Lock screen widget for iOS 16. — Nadeem Sarwar / DigitalTrends

In addition, iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models with Crash Detection also got improvements with iOS 16.3.1. This update makes some minor adjustments to optimize Crash Detection, so hopefully this helps reduce the number of accidental calls to first responders, which seemed to happen with activities like riding intense roller coasters, skiing, and more.

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iOS 16.3.1 is bad news for Google Photos users

While all of this is great for the previous issues, iOS 16.3.1 also introduces a brand new problem: Google Photos crashes on launch. If you are a Google Photos user, then you should hold off on updating to iOS 16.3.1 until this problem is resolved.

If you have updated your iPhone to iOS 16.3.1 and use Google Photos, you may have noticed that the app just crashes whenever you try to open it. Rebooting the phone won’t fix it. Many users have complained online about it already, and Google has yet to acknowledge the issue. Even though it was Apple’s update that broke compatibility, it may end up falling on Google’s shoulders to fix it.

In the meantime, if you haven’t updated yet and need Google Photos, hold off on updating to iOS 16.3.1. And if you already did, then hang on tight for a fix, probably on Google’s side. Hopefully, things will be back up and working again sooner rather than later.

Christine Romero-Chan

Former Staff Writer, Mobile

Christine Romero-Chan has been writing about technology, specifically Apple, for over a decade. She graduated from California…

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https://twitter.com/markgurman/status/2108679134872490044?s=20