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Google Firebase bug causes widespread iPhone app crashes
A widespread technical failure in Google’s Firebase infrastructure caused thousands of iPhone and iPad applications to crash immediately upon launch on September 28, 2026. The issue specifically affected apps utilizing the Google Analytics for Firebase SDK.
According to Google software engineer Nick Cooke, the root cause was an incorrectly formatted server payload. Specifically, a nil key in the payload triggered an NSInvalidArgumentException within the iOS runtime environment. This error occurred during the initialization phase, causing apps to terminate instantly when users attempted to open them.
Google implemented a server-side fix, which was fully rolled out by 19:52 US/PDT on September 28. Because the patch was applied at the infrastructure level, app developers did not need to release new SDK updates or binary files to resolve the issue. However, due to local caching behavior, some app instances continued to crash for up to four hours following the deployment, with all remaining instances expected to resolve automatically by late evening PDT.
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Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 9 SOURCES] Developers do not need to release new SDK updates or binary files to fix the crash. www.hwupgrade.it · www.schmidtisblog.de · 9to5google.com · www.elnacional.cat · seucreditodigital.com.br · +4 more
- [● 6 SOURCES] Caching behavior caused some app instances to continue crashing for up to four hours after the fix was deployed. www.hwupgrade.it · www.schmidtisblog.de · 9to5google.com · www.teknoblog.com · www.telefonino.net · +1 more
- [● 11 SOURCES] Google completed the rollout of a server-side fix by 19:52 US/PDT on September 28, 2026. www.hwupgrade.it · www.schmidtisblog.de · 9to5google.com · www.the-miyanichi.co.jp · www.elnacional.cat · +6 more
- [● 10 SOURCES] The incident caused thousands of iPhone and iPad applications to crash immediately upon launch. www.hwupgrade.it · www.schmidtisblog.de · 9to5google.com · www.elnacional.cat · seucreditodigital.com.br · +5 more
- [● 9 SOURCES] An incorrectly formatted payload sent by Google's infrastructure caused the issue. www.hwupgrade.it · www.schmidtisblog.de · 9to5google.com · www.elnacional.cat · seucreditodigital.com.br · +4 more
- [● 2 SOURCES] A nil key in the server payload triggered an NSInvalidArgumentException in the iOS runtime environment. www.schmidtisblog.de · multiplayer.it