Facebook iOS SDK flaw linked to onset of Spotify app outage blighting Apple device users

Facebook has confirmed it is investigating a fault within its iOS Software Development Kit (SDK), which is understood to have left iPhone users across Europe unable to access a number of popular apps.

A brief post on the Facebook for Developers website states the firm is “aware and investigating an increase in errors on the iOS SDK which is causing some apps to crash”.

The Facebook Software Development Kit (SDK) is known to be relied upon by multiple firms so users can access apps using their Facebook login credentials.

Concurrently, there are numerous reports on social media from Apple device users, claiming they are unable to access the music streaming site Spotify, as well as the app-based versions of social media sites Pinterest and TikTok, suggesting the issues might be linked.

In the case of Spotify, iPhone users have flooded the social media site Twitter with reports of being unable to open the iOS version of the app, with one suggested workaround being that users should set their devices to Airplane mode.

spotify is down and I am LOST, what is this SILENCE ???

— Eve Cornwell (@Evecornwell) July 10, 2020

Am I the only one that’s having a problem opening my @Spotify on @Apple ??? It keeps going into force shutdown without completely opening the app, and I’ve redownloaded it twice... someone help.

— Brennan Keaton (@brennan_keaton) July 10, 2020

According to the Downdetector internet outage tracker website, the Spotify issue appears to be predominantly affecting users in the UK and mainland Europe, and – potentially – users on the East Coast of America, at the time of writing.

The website also states the issues began around midday, while the Facebook for Developers site confirms the SDK issue started at 11.20am UK time.

The Spotify customer care page has made no reference to the Facebook iOS SDK issues, but has sought to assure subscribers to the service that its developers are working to find a fix, but – at the time of writing – it has nothing to share about the root cause of the issue.

“We don’t have a specific timeframe to share, but rest assured our tech folks are working at full speed, and they won’t stop until they’ve got this sorted for you. Thanks for sticking with us,” the company said, in response to a customer query about when it expects to be up and running again.

The emergence of the issue also coincides with the roll-out of an update to the iOS version of the Spotify app, which – according to its supporting documentation on the Apple App Store – was released earlier today to address performance issues and fix bugs.

Spotify users who access the app via Android devices are unaffected by the issue, with the Google Play store confirming that version has not been subject to any updates since 30 June 2020.