Apple working to fix app crashes
Hundreds of newly-updated iOS apps have been crashing on launch and functionally unusable.The problem seems to have been traced to problems with the App Store’s binary system and it’s FairPlay DRM. Reuters

It's been a rough week for Apple's iOS team.

In addition to Apple's first reports of a malicious program in their App Store, hundreds of newly updated iOS apps have been crashing on launch and functionally unusable.

The problem seems to have been traced to problems with the App Store's binary system and its FairPlay DRM. According to developer Marco Armet, apps that run perfectly for development teams are being corrupted when sent through the store to consumers.

I'll repeat my warning to developers: If you can help it, do not release app updates today. The corruption is widespread and ongoing, Armet posted on his blog.

Apple's engineering team seems to be working to correct the problems. TechCruch reports that Apple is aware of the malfunctions with updated apps and is working to fix the bugs. Apple responded to the complaints on their developer forums under the username iTunesConnect.

We are aware of the issue related to apps crashing after update. We are currently working on resolving the issue. Stay tuned for updates, the post reads.

While it was a quick fix to simply remove the malicious app from the store earlier Thursday, solving the problem at the root of the crashes seems to be a much bigger task. Developers have been aware of the problems for days, and yet no solution has appeared.

Apple has emailed developers with the following information:

If a customer reports receiving an error when downloading your app from the App Store, he or she can receive direct help from the iTunes Store Customer Support team: http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/

If the iTunes Store Customer Support team determines that the issue lies with your app and not with the App Store or the customer's account, Apple will contact you to resolve this issue.

Please let us know if you need additional assistance regarding your app.

TechCrunch also reports that at least one developer was aware of the problems since June, but did not know how widespread they would become.

Consumers are advised not to update their apps.

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