iOS 13.5 issues wreaking havoc on iPhones and iPads

News
By Roland Moore-Colyer
published

iPads are getting stuck in reboot loop and MP4 playback is screwed up on iPhones and iPads

iOS 13
(Image credit: Apple)

Apple iOS 13.5 and iPadOS 13.4.1 are causing serious issues for iPhone and iPad users with reports that they are causing boot loops for iPad Pro and not playing MP4/MPEG-4 files on iPhones. 

AppleInsider flagged that iPadOS 13.4.1 is causing the 10.5-inch iPad Pro to suffer recurring reboots that happen some 30 to 45 seconds after someone logs into the tablet. And a full factory reset isn’t solving the problem. There are reports that this problem is also popping up on iPhones running both iOS 13.4.1 and iOS 13.5. 

iOS 13.5 causing iPad reboots

On Apple’s support forums, the latest post on the iPad problem comes from May 31, with a poster reporting that no suggested steps to fix the problem work, such as a hard reboot. The poster said the bug “renders the iPad useless."

It also looks like Apple hasn’t started working on a fix, as there’s been no official response to the bug or acknowledgement of its existence in the support forums. Nor are there any clues as to why such reboots are happening. However, the bug seems to have only affected a reasonably small amount of iPad Pro users, so it doesn’t seem to be a prolific problem. 

iOS 13.5 issues on iPhones

On the iPhone side, the major issue that seems to have annoyed Apple fans centers around the problems playing MP4/MPEG-4 encoded content, which now seems to not work on some phones running iOS 13.4 and iOS 13.5. Again, there’s no word on whether Apple is working on a fix for this.  

Apple has, however, fixed a flaw in iOS 13.5 that was causing apps to stop opening. And Apple had to tackle a bug that affected the ‘sign in with Apple’ feature in third-party apps that lets users potentially exposed to cyber attacks due to improper security implementation, potentially allowing for account takeovers.  

It also looks like Apple is busying itself with fixing a zero-day vulnerability that means iOS 13.5 is easier for people to jailbreak iPhones. When combined with other flagged problems such as the reported high battery drain that happened to some iPhone users after they upgraded to iOS 13.5, it would appear the release of iOS 13.5 has been a turbulent one.  

But iOS 13.5 is still worth your attention as it natively supports the framework for coronavirus contact tracing apps and services. And Face ID can now recognize users even if they are wearing a face mask.  

As such, if you’re an iPhone user and have say an iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone SE 2020, then it’s worth upgrading to iOS 13.5. But you may want to wait for Apple to work out the kinks.

Roland Moore-Colyer
Roland Moore-Colyer

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.