Apple addresses corrupt App Store binary bug
Apple has issued a statement concerning new App Store app installs and updates that were crashing on load for users over the last 48 hours. You can read the full text over on The Loop, but here's how Apple explained it:
We had a temporary issue that began yesterday with a server that generated DRM code for some apps being downloaded
When cast against hundreds of thousands of apps and billions of downloads, the issue might indeed seem statistically negligible. Yet, if you read the original report from Marco Arment, for users who experienced the problem and developers who received negative reviews because of it, it mattered a great deal.
If you've been experiencing crashes with apps installed or updated in the last 48 hours, delete and re-install them. Then head on over to the App Store and leave a fair review -- given how many 1-star reviews these apps have received for something entirely outside their control, the developers could certainly use them.
Update: Apple has apparently removed not just the 1-star reviews, but all reviews pertaining to the version of an app afflicted with binary corruption, and pushed out the update again.
Update 2: Marco Arment has elaborated on the nature of the fix, and how it benefited developers by burying misdirected negative reviews, and users by protecting app data.
Source: The Loop
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Sounds like Apple is defending the developers, which is great, considering that the developers didn't cause this problem. Does Google defend it's developers in this manner? Can't recall hearing of an instance where they did but I'd love to hear about it if it's ever happened.
This particular issue could not happen on the Google Play store, because developers submit and publish their apps themselves, without Google as an intermediary like Apple is with the App Store.
Interesting..just went to the app store and my updates page had 5 updates that I've downloaded over the past few days. I wonder if they are doing this to get people to redownload the broken updates.
Never mind. Just saw update 2 above.