iOS 16.3.1 Breaks Google Photos App
As many iPhone and iPad users are undoubtedly aware, Apple released iOS 16.3.1 yesterday. The update included a fix for a serious security flaw that had been exploited in the wild.
However, it seems that the update has caused another problem. According to numerous reports, the update breaks the Google Photos app on iOS devices.
The issue seems to be caused by a change in how Apple handles HEIF images. Google Photos relies on Apple’sImageIO framework to handle HEIF images, and it appears that the update to iOS 16.3.1 has broken this compatibility.
As a result, users who try to open the Google Photos app on their iPhone or iPad are greeted with a blank white screen.
At the moment, it is unclear if this is a deliberate change on Apple’s part or a simply a bug that slipped through the cracks. However, given that the company just released a fix for a serious security flaw that was exploited in the wild, it seems unlikely that they would intentionally break compatibility with a major third-party app.
We have reached out to Apple for comment and will update this post if we hear back.
In the meantime, if you rely on the Google Photos app on your iOS device, you may want to hold off on updating to iOS 16.3.1 until this issue is resolved.
