iOS 8.1.2 Issue: Dark English QWERTY keyboard shows question marks instead of letters

[Maniamac]

I initially downloaded iOS 8.1.2 as an OTA update. After installing this update on my 6+, the dark iOS QWERTY keyboard (the one you see in Spotlight search or the password prompt in the iTunes and App Stores) consisted of all question marks. And the emoji pages were mostly blank in the dark keyboard. Not jailbroken or anything.

I downloaded the iOS 8.1.2 IPSW and did a manual update in iTunes. The emoji issue is now resolved, but the dark iOS QWERTY keyboard still consists of all question marks.

Is anybody else experiencing this? I'd like to know whether I can hold tight for a forthcoming fix from Apple or I will have to blow my day tomorrow doing an erase+restore.

I have to say, this is becoming an all-too-frequent occurrence. Apple pushes an update that screws up one of my devices and nonchalantly suggests an erase+restore as a remedy. When you have a big app library like I do, an erase+restore is a royal pain. Apple should take better care not to put its users in this situation. I'm not a troll--I've owned every generation of iMac, MBP, iPhone, and iPad. In MY experience (your mileage may of course vary), software stability has taken a complete nosedive since Mavericks and iOS 7.

Thanks, all.

 

[Cryates]

Did the update earlier to my 6. No such issue here.

 

[Maniamac]

Thanks for responding.

I almost wonder whether this issue is related to the one in which the 6 Plus crashes a lot when many apps are installed on it. I also experience that issue.

I say this because I jumped the gun saying that the emoji issue is resolved. I'm again experiencing blank pages on that keyboard.

I know that users with crashy 6 Plus phones have also experienced missing folder containers on the home screen and other weird graphics issues.

Maybe too, this problem is a manifestation of the springboard having to deal with just too much stuff when many apps are installed.

 

[kioko91]

Updated my plus as well. No issues either, yet. Will report back if otherwise.

 

[azhava]

I did the manual update through iTunes. No issues on my 6+.

When you say you have "many" apps installed, how many is "many"? (I have 77 installed apps on mine). Just curious, I'm not sure that it contributes anything to your issues unless you have 30 or 40 apps open in the background at once or something.

 

[Maniamac]

I did the manual update through iTunes. No issues on my 6+.

When you say you have "many" apps installed, how many is "many"? (I have 77 installed apps on mine). Just curious, I'm not sure that it contributes anything to your issues unless you have 30 or 40 apps open in the background at once or something.

If I close all running apps and restart the phone, all pages in the dark emoji keyboard are populated correctly...for a while. It seems that after using the phone some, the problem rears its head again.

The issue with question marks instead of letters on the dark English QWERTY keyboard is constant.

I currently have about 300 apps on the phone. Over time, I've played with the size of my app library. I've noticed that the phone generally destabilizes as I add more apps.

Does it make much sense to have many more apps on the phone than you can use? Not really. But I see my app library, which is full of the App Store's best, as like a library of great novels. I may not read most of them every day, but as I sit in my library, to my right are my bookshelves full of these wonderful novels. If someone told me that I'd have to leave much of my bookshelves bare because they can't bear the weight of my collection--even though my books weigh less than the weight limit that the contractor promised, I'd feel gypped. Furthermore, if that contractor then proceeded to tell me, "You have too many books. You couldn't possibly read all of them," I'd feel downright insulted.

That last bit wasn't directed to you--I appreciate your response. It's an attempt to reason with Apple's most ardent fans who are ready to tell me that I must be an egomaniac to argue that iOS 8 is screwed up just because *I* am having a problem; to remind me that most iOS 8 users are as pleased as punch; and to imply that I did something to cause the problem myself, because the Hand of God guides Apple's engineers, so it surely can't be Apple's fault. Believe it or not, I'm a huge Apple fan--I spend thousands on Apple hardware, software, and services every year. I just want them to do better. The crashing 6 Plus is a real issue for many: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6550902?start=0&tstart=0 . While most people don't experience the issue, enough do to make Apple's inaction or laggardness troubling.