Kevin Bostic
A number of iPhone 5s owners have taken to Apple's support pages to report that their devices are occasionally plagued by a Windows-like "Blue Screen of Death" that resets the device when they are using Apple's iWork suite of apps.
image via PCMag
Posts regarding the Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) began to appear on Apple's support boards in September, with users claiming that their iPhone 5s units would crash when using Apple's iWork apps. Some users have posted videos showing the problem occurring when accessing the multitasking function while using an iWork app, while others say the problem occurs after quitting one of the apps.
The issue, which has also been reported for the iPad, causes an iOS device's screen to show only blue. The device then resets. Some have reported that the issue has occurred even outside the use of Apple's iWork apps, including while using Siri and while switching between other apps.
Apple has yet to comment on the matter.
The iPhone BSoD issue could be seen as an ironic twist, as the name comes from a problem that has plagued Microsoft's Windows operating system since version 3.1. Windows' BSoD would display text informing users that their "PC ran into a problem and needs to restart." The bug was prevalent enough that the Blue Screen of Death has its own Wikipedia page.
One apparent workaround for the iPhone BSoD is to disable iCloud syncing for iWork apps. Other users suggest exiting from an iWork app to the iOS home screen before attempting to switch to another app.
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78 Comments
just be happy you have your 5s :P
I haven't seen a BSOD in aeons. Thanks for the memories, Apple.
It's happened to me a single time while using iPhoto on the 5S. Sudden solid blue screen and then, bam, the iPhone rebooted. I've used iPhoto several other times without issue. Mark
It's happened to me a single time while using iPhoto on the 5S. Sudden solid blue screen and then, bam, the iPhone rebooted. I've used iPhoto several other times without issue.Mark
On iPhoto launch, or were you interacting with iPhoto when it happened? Thanks
That's all the more reason I dodged a bullet in keeping my iPhone 5 locked on iOS 6. And no, I don't dare update my apps. They work. It's going to be this way until iOS 7 beta testing is finished, hopefully by next year.