Apple released iOS and iPadOS 16.3.1 to fix small bugs

Apple last night released three software updates for its mobile devices. These are the new iOS 16.3.1, iPadOS 16.3.1 and watchOS 9.3.1 versions for phones, tablets and watches. It seems that this is an unscheduled update, being done just to fix serious security vulnerabilities and small bugs that will improve the user experience.

iOS 16.3.1 is a minor update that fixes UI bugs

One of the most serious bugs was related to the iCloud settings on your phone, which could crash when you accessed them. Then, users using Siri couldn’t also access Find My at the same time, and the auto crash detection feature on the new iPhone 14 models has been better optimized so that it doesn’t accidentally turn on when you’re doing other activities. Those who have been out skiing or on amusement park rides this winter noticed that the new iPhones thought sudden stops were caused by car accidents.

In the case of the Apple Watch, we don’t have a list of fixed issues, but it’s probably strictly a security update.

Here’s the list of changes in iOS 16.3.1

This update provides important bug fixes and includes security updates for iPhone, including:

• iCloud settings could become unresponsive or display incorrectly if apps were using iCloud
• Siri Find requests may not work
• Optimizations to “Crash Detection” functionality on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models

Do not update if you use Google Photos on iOS

Curiously, however, this update introduces a new bug that Google, not Apple, will probably have to fix. The Photos app, still used by many iOS users to save their photos to the cloud, can no longer be started after the iOS 16.3.1 update. Simply put, the app refuses to start and automatically closes as soon as it’s accessed. Such problems are usually encountered when upgrading from one major OS version to another for apps that have not updated to the new SDK. However, between iOS 16.3 and 16.3.1 no such changes were made.

Presumably the solution is a simple one, and Google usually moves very quickly when it comes to updates for its iOS apps. But if you use Google Photos daily on iOS or iPadOS, it might be a good idea not to update your phone or tablet’s operating system just yet until Google releases an update for Google Photos that fixes this issue.