AppleInsider Staff
An apparent bug in iOS 7's Background App Refresh implementation is causing users of certain third-party apps to be kicked out of login sessions, forcing them to reenter their credentials every few hours.
It is unknown at this time what exactly is causing the seemingly random logouts, though The Verge reports that app makers have narrowed down the culprit to a mechanism in Background App Refresh.
Of the more popular apps affected, Mailbox was "in crisis mode" to find a solution, but was unable to rectify the situation, saying Apple's Background App Refresh is the root cause of the issue. Consequently, an updated version of the app disabling access to the feature was submitted to the App Store on Friday.
AppleInsider can confirm that certain apps do require repeated log-ins when Background App Refresh is activated, including the aforementioned Mailbox, PayPal and Snapchat. Curiously, other titles like Facebook seem unaffected by the purported bug.
One of the highlights of Apple's iOS 7, Background App Refresh allows apps to receive dynamic updates without running in the foreground. The feature is extremely useful when using time-sensitive apps like Mailbox, or those that do not support push notifications.
Users experiencing continuous logouts can simply turn off global Background App Refresh in Settings or, if certain apps appear to be working, toggle the feature on a per-app basis.
Malcolm Owen
Andrew O'Hara
William Gallagher
17 Comments
A Gold release of an OS is really just the last Beta.
So it seems we have the Verge scouring the Apple discussion boards for iOS bugs to make up headline articles. Not a surprise considering one of their main advertisers is Samsung.
Bugs are an inevitable reality with new software, especially something with the scope of iOS7. Apple will fix it quickly I'm sure, no big deal.
Ok, I admit that I'm not entirely sure what they mean by repeated logins. Do they mean that when you're using the app you have to repeatedly log back in as the app throws you out? I'm assuming that that's what it means. The only app on that list I have is Paypal, and I haven't used it since I updated the OS.
So I just played with PayPal for about 5 minutes and didn't see a problem. That may be too short a time, but without anything that I had to do, it was getting pretty boring.