Apple to patch Australian/NZ iOS DST bug
updated 11:05 pm EDT, Thu October 7, 2010
Caused some iPhone owners to run late
A strange bug discovered when eastern and southern Australia (excluding Queensland) changed to Daylight Savings Time last weekend will be patched by the company in an upcoming software update, Apple told Australian media today. The bug caused iOS devices with recurring alarms set to go off an hour earlier than they should, ignoring the time change. Some users reported their alarms simply didn't go off at all.
Australian Mac forums were flooded with users complaining about the issue, though a easy workaround was soon discovered: setting the alarm manually, rather than recurring, caused the iOS to recognize the time change properly. Users also reported success "tricking" the recurring alarm by setting it one hour later than intended.
In a poll conducted by Australian newspaper The Age, about half of 6700 respondents said they were affected by the bug, resulting in stories of missed outings or being late to work.
Similarly, iOS users in New Zealand and parts of Indiana were also affected by the bug due to their non-standard times for changing from standard time to DST.
The newspaper obtained a statement from Apple that they were "aware of this issue and [have] already developed a fix which will be available to customers in an upcoming software update." [via The Age]
