Apple update repairs crash bug related to dates

If you awoke Saturday morning to find your iPhone or iPad crashing when you get notifications, there’s a fix waiting for you: a major update from Apple that also adds features.

iOS 11.2 was released early Saturday morning Central time. Typically, Apple releases major software updates at midday on weekdays, but this one also fixes a nasty bug that causes some iPhones to crash repeatedly when they receive a certain type of notification after Dec. 2.

The bug causes a crash when you get a local notification, which comes directly from an app, rather than a service over the internet.

Apple advises everyone currently using iOS 11.1 on their devices to upgrade as soon as possible, even if an iPhone or iPad has not crashed. A local notification could be triggered well after Dec. 2, causing the device to go into a reboot loop.

iOS 11.2 also adds Apple Pay Cash, which lets you send money directly to other people; support for faster wireless charging for the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X; and a slew of other new features.

Last week was a bad one for Apple’s Quality Assurance team.

On Nov. 28, a bug was disclosed that allowed anyone to log into a Mac running macOS 10.13.x (High Sierra) with the highest privileges without using a password.

Apple fixed that in less than 24 hours with a patch, which came with an apology and a promise to audit its development process.

But that patch brought its own issues, breaking file sharing. A patch for the patch came the next day.