Apple’s iOS 26.2.1 Update Said to be Causing App Crashes, System Reboot and Connectivity Issues on iPhone

Apple recently released iOS 26.2.1 for iPhone, and while it added a key new feature, it is said to be causing some problems as well. The update brought support for the second-generation AirTag alongside fixes for several bugs, but a report suggests that users are facing system crashes and connectivity issues on their iPhone units since updating to the latest software version. The Cupertino-based tech giant, however, is yet to acknowledge the issue.

iOS 26.2.1 Update Causing Crashes

According to user posts across Apple's Community forums, users are experiencing persistent app crashes, system freezes, and connectivity failures since installing the iOS 26.2.1 update. (via MacWorld)

For one user, the update rendered their iPhone “unusable”. Describing the issue, the user wrote that iOS 26.2.1 requires approximately 30GB of free storage, and the issue persists despite deleting apps and files repeatedly. Almost all of their apps crash, freeze, or become completely unresponsive. As per the post, the only temporary workaround is rebooting the iPhone, but the same problems return within 10 minutes.

“iOS 26.2.1 has significantly reduced functionality and usability, and I strongly urge Apple to address this issue or roll back to a more stable version,” the user wrote on the community forum.

Multiple comments below the post, along with other threads, revealed that this is not an isolated incident. In another instance, a user wrote that despite spending a significant amount of time deleting large apsp and files to free up the storage space, it repeatedly became full again shortly afterwards. They also faced instances of apps crashing and freezing unexpectedly.

Connectivity problems have also been highlighted in community discussions, with some users reporting difficulties maintaining mobile network connections or experiencing unpredictable behaviour with wireless services like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth after the update. In several threads, users stated that certain network functions became unreliable or stopped working correctly after installing iOS 26.2.1.

Apple has not yet publicly acknowledged the reported problems or offered a specific resolution. After the update was released, the tech giant stopped signing older versions of iOS 26. This means that downgrading from iOS 26.2.1 to a previous release, like iOS 26.2 is no longer possible for most users.