Apple has posted a fix on its website for an iPhone 5 bug that has been found to eat through Verizon users' cellular data allotments even when they're only tapping into Wi-Fi networks.
"This carrier settings update resolves an issue in which, under certain circumstances, iPhone 5 may use Verizon cellular data while the phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network," Apple wrote on its site. Step-by- step instructions for a carrier settings update said to alleviate the bug are also provided on the site.
It's not yet clear whether the bug is only affecting Verizon users or those using other carriers as well, and Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
[Related: 17 Heavy Hitters On Apple's Security Team]
The user-discovered bug has become a hot topic of discussion in Apple's support forums over the past week, where many new iPhone 5 users have voiced complaints about overages on their cellular data allotments, even when they are primarily using Wi-Fi networks.
"My wife and I just received iPhone 5's yesterday, our first smartphones. We're enjoying them but then last night I noticed something strange," one user wrote on Sept. 23." Whenever the phone is on cellular data there is a constant data usage taking place. When I go into settings and look at usage of cellular data I can see it increase by a couple of KB each time I recheck it."
Some users have noticed discrepancies between their iPhone 5 data usage being tracked by Verizon and the usage being tracked by the phone itself.
"I've found that my data usage does not coincide with what Verizon is reporting. Now, I'm not sure if takes a while for Verizon to update, but my iPhone seems to be doubling the number Verizon is showing," another user wrote in Apple's forum. "Like most of you, I have WiFi on all the time, and even when I don't, I hardly use my data."
Apple's fix on its website comes just three days after the smartphone giant issued an apology for the error-ridden Maps app included in its newest mobile operating system, iOS 6. The new Maps app was built from scratch by Apple and replaced the Google Maps app included natively in all prior iOS releases. But, its debut was somewhat of a messy one, with users complaining of mislabeled landmarks, faulty directions and inaccurate imaging.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said in an apology letter on Apple's website that he was "extremely sorry" for the frustration caused by the new Maps app and that the company is working to improve the software.
PUBLISHED OCT. 1, 2012
