Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Identifies Issue With GasBuddy App Causing Some iPhones to Become Unresponsive [Updated]

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
67,488
37,763



Apple has identified an "issue" with the GasBuddy app that may result in some iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max devices becoming "unresponsive," according to an internal announcement shared with Apple Stores today. The memo was obtained by MacRumors from a reliable source.

respring-iphone-gasbuddy.jpg

Apple says affected iPhones will have a black screen with an endlessly spinning wheel--aka a respring loop. In its memo, Apple says it is working with GasBuddy to "resolve" the issue, which started "sometime after October 18, 2018."

If a customer reports the issue at an Apple Store, Apple has instructed its Genius Bar employees to force restart the iPhone, and then ask the customer to uninstall the GasBuddy app. If the device is still unresponsive, Genius Bar employees are instructed to continue with the standard service process.

It's unclear why the GasBuddy app is crashing some iPhones. A spokesperson for GasBuddy said its team "has been and continues to investigate," and delayed further comment until the company has more insight about the matter. A spokesperson for Apple did not immediately respond to request for comment.

GasBuddy is a popular app for locating gas stations with the lowest-priced gas in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. The app, which boasts 70 million users, relies on users submitting gas prices when they fill up to help alert others. GasBuddy also provides alerts when gas prices are set to increase.

According to GasBuddy's release notes, the app was updated on October 17 with support for iOS 12. The update also "fixed some crashes." On October 19, the app was again updated with bug fixes, including one that caused some location-based information to not appear, and another related to gas station details.

Update: A spokesperson for GasBuddy has issued the following statement to MacRumors, indicating that it is "rapidly preparing an update" that it believes "solves the underlying issue." In the meantime, GasBuddy will be temporarily removing its app from the App Store to limit exposure.
On Friday (October 19), Apple approved the latest version of the GasBuddy app. This was subsequent to our app going through Apple's typical, thorough review process that, as you know, Apple requires before releasing any app into its store.

Over the weekend, we heard from a single user that encountered an issue that resembles the one you described.

We had not heard anything from Apple about GasBuddy causing unresponsive phones, or that a new app build would be required, until maybe 10 minutes before we received your inquiry.

We absolutely regret any association with a poor user experience. We are committed to doing our part to address this quickly and completely.

Thus, we are rapidly preparing an update we believe solves the underlying issue and are making our app temporarily unavailable for download to limit the number of potentially affected users.
Click to expand...
GasBuddy has also tweeted about an incoming fix:
We are aware that some people are encountering issues with our iOS app. We're rapidly preparing an update we believe solves the issue and are making our app temporarily unavailable for download to limit the number of potentially affected users. - GasBuddy (@GasBuddy) October 22, 2018
Click to expand...
Update - 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time: GasBuddy has returned to the App Store with an update that "resolves an issue that was causing some devices to crash."
They have an update out pic.twitter.com/gDDiGlzDrX - Mike Quinn (@mikequinn_) October 23, 2018
Click to expand...

Update: In a statement issued to MacRumors, GasBuddy attributed the issue to an Apple framework: "The version of the app released on Oct 18 was built using a particular framework service in a documented way, approved by Apple, but with unexpected consequences. You would need to speak directly with Apple for more details."

Article Link: Apple Identifies Issue With GasBuddy App Causing Some iPhones to Become Unresponsive [Updated]
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/10/22/unresponsive-iphone-gasbuddy-app-issue/
works on mine...








On my Android phone.... guss my 300 dollars Android phone is better...for gasbuddy
[doublepost=1540243240][/doublepost]
netdudeuk said:
Shouldn't 'the world's most advanced mobile operating system' be immune to that sort of thing ? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Except it is not.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_2018-10-22-17-17-08-026_GasBuddy.png
    Screenshot_2018-10-22-17-17-08-026_GasBuddy.png
    316.6 KB · Views: 648
  • Like
Reactions: mi7chy
My wife had to remove it from her 7 last January. Even with it having background updating OFF, it was solely responsible for repeatedly killing her battery.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Craiguyver
HowEver said:
Sure, if you only want a few dozen Apple apps. But if you want a billion third-party apps writing software, think again.
Click to expand...

Not even one of those 'billion third-party apps' should be able to run away with the device.
[doublepost=1540243552][/doublepost]
LovingTeddy said:
works on mine...








On my Android phone.... guss my 300 dollars Android phone is better...for gasbuddy
[doublepost=1540243240][/doublepost]

Except it is not.
Click to expand...

I know that it isn't. Timmy keeps on telling us otherwise though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: motulist
Same issue with the Whisper App. Spinning circle for as long as an hour(!!). Hard reset needed. Doesn’t happen always, but enough to let me figure out which app was causing it.

Really frustrating error.
 
Baymowe335 said:
Yeah, love paying $40,000 for a civic that can't go on a road trip and needs to be charged for 12 hours using power plant emission producing electricity that isn't free.
Click to expand...

Bolt for $37K - $10K credit. So $27K for a very modern nice riding well appointed car.

I pay slightly less for power 100% generated by wind than a mix of "emission producing" sources. It is incredibly easy and much cheaper per mile in energy and maintenance than a traditional car.

And on the rare occasions I have to go on a road trip more than 200 miles I use the money I save to rent a car.

Electric cars aren't the right answer for everyone and for every situation, but it would be good if we actually used updated facts and information when they do come up in discussion, whether in jest or seriously.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BiscottiGelato, Jimmy James, joeblough and 1 other person
Doesn't Apple really mean that there will be a mandatory Xcode update for all apps in the store? Hard to believe that gas buddy is writing arbitrary code.
 
  • Like
Reactions: V.K.
How is this even possible? If an app starts misbehaving and sucking down all available resources in the background, the system should kill it.

Hell, my legitimate SSH app often gets killed in the background, making me have to log in again even though it's doing nothing but keeping a single idle TCP socket open. How did Gas Buddy get away with hanging the damn phone?
 
  • Like
Reactions: jeabraham, Craiguyver, motulist and 5 others
Might be time for Apple to activate that system on iOS that allows them to remote disable/remove an app that is misbehaving or has malware that got through their screening. Not sure if they've ever had to activate this system, but I know that it exists because they talked about it a long time ago not long after the App Store launched. You guys know what I'm talking about? I don't know if it has a name.
 
epirali said:
Bolt for $37K - $10K credit. So $27K for a very modern nice riding well appointed car.

I pay slightly less for power 100% generated by wind than a mix of "emission producing" sources. It is incredibly easy and much cheaper per mile in energy and maintenance than a traditional car.

And on the rare occasions I have to go on a road trip more than 200 miles I use the money I save to rent a car.

Electric cars aren't the right answer for everyone and for every situation, but it would be good if we actually used updated facts and information when they do come up in discussion, whether in jest or seriously.
Click to expand...
Credits are going away. They are still a step backward in terms of utility and are still expensive.

Anyway, to be on topic, Gas Buddy actually saves you money on the road by sort of being a slickdeals of gas stations. The other benefit is, after a 5 minute fill up, I can go another ~400 miles and there are literally thousands of gas stations.
 
  • Like
Reactions: doctor-don
kaycrystal626 said:
Just buy GasBuddy and integrate it to Apple map already!
Click to expand...

No, you do NOT want to see that happen.

farewelwilliams said:
solution: get an electric vehicle.
Click to expand...

What's the point in buying an electric vehicle when the range is so limited? And if you want to commute in major cities in an electric vehicle, you better have a hybrid that can run on gas when the traffic crawls to a snail pace. There goes the battery power.

LovingTeddy said:
works on mine...

On my Android phone.... guss my 300 dollars Android phone is better...for gasbuddy
[doublepost=1540243240][/doublepost]

Except it is not.
Click to expand...

Sure it works on my HTC phone.
However, the programmers have all left the building because links do not work on the desktop version, and nobody knows how to remove the non-functioning links. Why on earth would a Discuss link remain there (for the weekly opinion poll - The GasBuddy forum feature has been discontinued.) when that option is no longer supported?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back