iOS 6.1 was released just a few weeks ago, and Apple has had to squash a couple high-profile bugs already. Now add to the list another potentially scary-sounding glitch: with a few well-timed button taps, it appears anyone can bypass the iPhone’s lock screen, assuming it’s been updated to the latest version of iOS 6.1, according to several reports.

A YouTube video showing how it can be done, posted by user videosdebarraquito, was spotted by The Verge on Thursday. Basically, he found that by attempting and canceling an emergency call on the iPhone, holding the lock buttong and then taking a screenshot took him past the stage where he should have had to enter a password to access the phone. In the video he shows he’s able to place a call to one of the phone’s listed contacts.

He also claims that he was able to see and edit the “contacts list, list of recent calls, favorite contacts, and even make a call to any phone number on the hacked device and erase the log.”

An Apple spokeswoman said in a statement the company is working on a fix: ”Apple takes user security very seriously. We are aware of this issue, and will deliver a fix in a future software update.”

This is yet another thing for Apple to address as part of the iOS 6.1 release. Earlier this week it released iOS 6.1.1 that targeted a bug causing some users of the iPhone 4S to experience degraded 3G connectivity. And some corporate iPhone users are still waiting for Apple to release a fix for an acknowledged bug causing syncing with Microsoft Exchange to go haywire.

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Crashlytics wrote on the company blog Monday about their plans for mobile app development in tandem with Twitter:

We built Crashlytics to deliver the world’s most powerful and lightest-weight crash reporting solution. With us, developers gain instant visibility into the precise line of code that caused a crash, enabling them to more easily fix issues. Since our iOS launch, we’ve had the privilege of working with thousands of incredible app developers, from those building independent passion-projects to many of the top iOS apps available today – Twitter, Vine, Yelp, Kayak, TaskRabbit, and Waze, to name just a few.

Going forward, we’re thrilled to work with the incredible team at Twitter. We share a passion for innovating on mobile and building world-class applications. Joining forces will accelerate our build-out, allowing us to leverage Twitter’s infrastructure to deliver new features faster than ever.

The Crashlytics team hails from Cambridge, and the Boston Globe profiled the company in April 2012, where the founders discussed their motivation for starting the company to help other startups understand what was causing crashes on mobile. Presumably Crashlytics will be working on Twitter’s mobile app to improve performance, which is crucial as Twitter tries to improve reliability and scales out the company going forward.

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Here’s the statement in full:

The recent iOS software update addressed many of the battery issues that some customers experienced on their iOS 5 devices. We continue to investigate a few remaining issues.

So Apple appears to be saying that the leftover problems are being seen by a smaller percentage of the originally affected group, according to its information. That’s likely the case, but users who are still experiencing poor battery life, or who are seeing it for the first time since the update, likely won’t take much comfort from the statement. At least Apple was quick to respond, which should mean we’ll once again see it move swiftly to quash remaining bugs missed by the 5.0.1 update.

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The mute bug

Now that the talk around the battery problems has died down at the Apple Support discussion forums, the new star of the show is a flaw with outgoing calls that sees them often automatically muted. It doesn’t seem to be limited to any one carrier, so the problem seems to be something specifically with the 4S’s hardware or software. I’ve also experienced this myself, though only a couple of times near the beginning of my time with the device. Still, I don’t often make outgoing calls without a headset, so I may just not have noticed since then.

While users wait for an official fix, you can get voice working again by turning speakerphone on and off, or by using a headset to call as I mentioned I usually do anyways. This hasn’t been acknowledged by Apple in any official documentation yet, but it does seem like the kind of thing that could be addressed in a future update, so you may want to pause before scheduling an appointment to make a return.

The 3G or network data drop

Another common complaint at Apple’s support discussions is that the iPhone 4S drops network data connections seemingly at random. Besides being well represented on Apple’s forum, it’s also something I’ve heard of a lot personally from other 4S owners I know. The problem isn’t something that totally disables your device; often data just drops from 3G to EDGE and eventually goes back to normal after a few hours. But sometimes, data can be dropped altogether, which means you won’t know about new voicemail, or get push emails, and measures like turning Airplane Mode on and off are often required to get a connection back.

I’ve seen this on my own iPhone 4S, too, and as mentioned, it’s hard to identify a cause. It seems to happen most frequently when I get or make a call, but not exclusively during those activities. Also, just opening Safari and browsing can sometimes re-establish a connection if you’ve only dropped 3G but still have EDGE.

Again, this one hasn’t been officially acknowledged by Apple, but if it’s happening to you, it’s probably not worth exchanging your device just yet. The problem seems widespread enough, based on the discussion threads related to it, that a replacement will just display the same issue, so waiting to see if a forthcoming software update is the least inconvenient option.

The Siri volume bug

Siri has a nasty habit of maxing out the volume just after use. You’ll notice if you activate Siri, and then press the home screen button to cancel your request, then lock the device. After a short time, the volume goes back to wherever you set it, but for a little while, the volume is ear-splitting, and this applies system-wide. There are many threads in the Apple Support Communities about this issue.

Mostly minor, but majorly irritating

All the bugs listed here are actually quite small, which is why a lot of users report not having returned their devices as a result of encountering them. I, too, have run across each but have yet to ascribe it to hardware fault, since each seems pretty likely to be a software problem. It’s troubling, however, to see no mention of these apparently common problems in any of the information circulating about Apple’s upcoming bug-busting iOS 5.0.1 release. Hopefully they’re filed under the category of “general bug fixes” and do arrive with that update. Otherwise, Apple will have to tackle them head-on sooner or later.

Anyone else seeing these or other persistent problems?

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New owners of the latest Air and Mac mini will find fixes for issues related to flickering screens, booting problems when the power cord is attached, and slow running SD cards. Specifically, Apple says the update will:

• Address an issue that may cause the system to become unresponsive when playing a video in Safari
• Resolve an issue that may cause system audio to stop working when using HDMI or optical audio out
• Improve the reliability of Wi-Fi connections
• Resolve an issue that prevents transfer of your data, settings, and compatible applications to a new Mac running OS X Lion
• Resolve an issue where MacBook Air may boot up when MagSafe Adapter is attached
• Resolve an issue causing intermittent display flickering on MacBook Air
• Resolve an issue that causes the SD card slot in Mac mini to run at reduced speed with SD and SDHC media

If you have Lion, but not on one either the Mac mini or the Air, you’ll get a separate update that only pertains to the first four issues listed above.

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Google+ is offering its users the ability to have IM conversations through a Google Talk integration that’s very similar to the way the service is integrated within GMail. Part of that integration is regular contact with Google’s IM servers, which seems to be the core of this particular bug. Here’s how it works:

Let’s say Peter logs into GMail and Google+, then leaves both windows open on his computer. Peter’s Wi-Fi connection goes out for a minute, causing his Google Talk session within Google+ to lose sync and wait a few minutes to reconnect. Mary now borrows his computer, logs Peter out of GMail and logs into her own GMail account. The Google Talk session within Peter’s Google+ page finally decides it’s time to call home – and then automatically reconnects under Mary’s Google Talk account.

Mary logs out of her email, closes the browser window she used and hands the computer back to Peter. He’ll find now that he is still logged into Mary’s Google Talk account within his Google+ page. To make matters worse, any IM message Mary sends from a different device automatically gets relayed to Peter on his machine.

A Google spokesperson told me today that this looks like a rare bug that is currently being addressed. He also said that Google generally recommends to always log out of your Google account if you share a computer. However, this wouldn’t have helped Mary, since she dutifully logged out of GMail at the end of her session, unaware of the fact that her IM session persisted within Peter’s Google+ page. Correction: Turns out that logging out of your GMail account actually does force the Google Talk session to disconnect a few seconds later. However, Mary’s Google Talk session will persist if Mary simply closes her browser window and Peter uses another login screen instance to access his GMail account. In fact, Peter will be able to access both his and Mary’s Google Talk account simultaneously without still being logged into her GMail account.

To be fair, it’s unlikely that many people will run into this issue — even though it happened to me yesterday, resulting in some very confused IM exchanges between me and my wife’s work colleagues before we finally figured out what had happened. But a Google+ user has told us that the same has happened to him with his own multiple GMail accounts, suggesting that Google may have to find a way to unify multiple accounts under one Google+ identity.

Google+ users have already been vocal about the inability to access the service with enterprise Google accounts, forcing users to revert back to their personal emails for Google+ usage. Google has said that it will add enterprise support to Google+ in the future, but hasn’t given a timeline for doing so.

It might be a good idea for Google to take the roll-out of enterprise access one step further, allowing people to link their personal and professional accounts under one Google+ identity. This would not only allow users to share content with contacts across their multiple Google accounts, but also simplify the discovery of Google+ users within the network, many of which now show up with multiple but separate Google accounts.

Update (08/11/2011): A Google spokesperson told me that the bug in question has since been fixed.

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Me, I play it safe. Mac users like everything to work out to the box and a new OS simply doesn’t. Do you really want to spend your weekend messing with a “better” operating system? Ask these guys about that.

I may be a lonely voice among the chorus of praise for Snow Leopard, but here are five reasons why I’m going to wait a bit before hearing this new cat purr.

1. It’s a Point 0 Release

Maybe it’s because I’m married to a Quality Assurance engineer, but I worry about unfixed bugs. I remember 10.5 having a critical data loss bug. Will 10.6 have it? I hope not. What other bugs will be discovered that first weekend? Several. Some could make your Mac virtually unusable, while others will be merely annoying.

Which ones will I face? None. I’ll wait for you all to find them while I sit back and read about your trials and tribulations. Online forums are already full of posts noting the prevalence of software-based kernel panics in Snow Leopard, and undoubtedly there are many bugs waiting to be discovered in the days ahead as the rough edges get sanded down.

2. My Programs May Not Work Properly

In theory, the code has been in hands of developers for a long time and they should have been able to update for full compatibility. However, Apple changes aspects of Snow Leopard after each build, and some builds can introduce bugs very late in the game. Do I have time to check each and every app and make sure it’s Snow Leopard compatible? Some incompatibilities might even prevent an install. 10.5 early adopters ran into big problems with “haxies.” What should we avoid with a 10.6 install? I’ll find out next month I’m sure.

Should I even mention Quicken 2007? If your business relies on Quickbooks, would you trust it in Snow Leopard, especially with older versions Intuit no longer supports? How about old versions of Creative Suite left over from your PowerPC days? Adobe says you’re on your own with that. Programs not designed for Intel-based Macs are the most likely candidates for problems.

If you don’t care about productivity, have fun this weekend. If you use your Mac to help put food on the table, your biggest risk is to lose your primary money maker for a few days. If you can afford the down time in this economy, go for it. I sure can’t.

3. Hardware Could Fail, and Fail Hard

A long, long time ago…I can still remember… How my Mac would start up with a smile. I can’t figure out how to change the words of American Pie to include the day AppleTalk died, but die it does in Snow Leopard, after outlasting System Enablers, floppy drives, and SCSI. That trusty laser printer you connect via AppleTalk becomes a big huge paperweight under Snow Leopard according to most reports. Someone might develop a workaround, but that isn’t going to help you with your deadlines.

Your printer isn’t the only casualty in Snow Leopard. An old Palm Pilot or Palm-based phone is no longer supported, and you’ll be required to buy third party software such as Missing Sync. As of this writing, Missing Sync isn’t fully compatible with Snow Leopard. What other hardware might have problems? Scanners are my next guess. Hopefully your manufacturer will develop a driver if your product is still supported. Speaking of support…

4. Lack of Support by Vendors

A vast majority of the support people you talk with will be completely flummoxed if you’re running Snow Leopard. They already treat you like a second-class citizen because you’re on a Mac. If they ask which version of the OS I’m running and I say 10.6, I suspect their brain will explode right then and there.

Snow Leopard will be blamed, not their product. Cable modem down: Snow Leopard. Printer making grinding noise: Snow Leopard. Health care claim denied: Snow Leopard. You’re probably laughing, but maybe not, if you’re one of many who’s run into something similar.

5. I’m Cheap

Sure, I’ll only pay $10 for the Up-To-Date program and others will only have to pay $29. However, my new iMac works great. Even $10 is an unneeded expense. Why mess with something that’s working well? My system works, I get things done. The last thing I need is to change everything. I’ll give it a few months until 10.6.1 comes out and the early adopters have done the hard work of finding problems.

Who else is going to skip curling up with a new cat this weekend and wait for someone else to find the sharp claws?

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“The overflow appears to have occurred a few months back, and Facebook’s amazing growth has resulted in anyone who signed up after June being touched by the bug,” according to LuckyCal’s blog. “The impact is that no Facebook Connect-ed iPhone applications will work for those users.” Of course, this assumes that app developers haven’t independently patched the code. To be clear, I have not been impacted myself yet. Have you been affected? Do let us know.

Update: Facebook spokeswoman emailed us to let us know that “the bug in the Facebook Connect for iPhone SDK has been fixed. Developers can download an updated, more scalable code from here. iPhone applications integrated with Facebook Connect will continue to function as normal.”

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Click image to see detail

Apparently, the MacBook Air was tired of its bulkier cousins getting all the negative attention. Recent reports from users indicated Apple’s ultra-portable is also experiencing problems associated with graphics output. Machines are being returned to Apple because of “laid” displays, a problem in which faint, horizontal or slightly angled gray lines appear, spanning the entire width of the notebook’s screen. Luckily (or maybe unluckily, depending on your perspective), the lines are said to appear immediately after booting, so you’ll know right away if your machine’s affected. The photo to the right shows what to look for if you’re unsure about your own Air.

TidBITS estimates the spread of the issue to be significant, based on the number of views and posts on the subject at the Apple Support forums. Apple still hasn’t officially acknowledged the problem, although given its similarity to the issues found in the new unibody MacBooks, expect an official investigation announcement soon.

When you consider the common element of the introduction on Nvidia chips in all Apple notebooks, reports of video problems begin to take on ominous connotations. Nvidia chips, after all, are behind video problems on older model MacBook Pros, a problem which was acknowledged to be the fault of the chip maker shortly before the release of Apple’s new machines. It may be that a firmware fix will solve everything, as many hope, but the spectre of a persistent hardware problem and massive recalls could soon sour the growing Apple-Nvidia relationship.

Are you experiencing problems? Let us know and/or post images for comparison below.

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In the meantime a torrent of nervous-looking new arrivals joined the App Store, so it’s time for me to line a few of them up and judge which are fit for action and which should be sent home on indefinite leave.

This week I’m looking at Wallpapers by Gelaskins, Star Trigon Lite and EuroTalk.

Wallpapers by Gelaskins (free) – Where does one find a raft of beautiful wallpapers, all designed by internationally acclaimed artists and proportioned perfectly for the iPhone? Step up Wallpapers by Gelaskins, packed to the very brim with seriously high-quality papers. The selection of artists on offer is nothing short of jaw-droppingly impressive, including, I’m pleased to note, Alien-artist H.R. Giger. The app is free and if you’re iPhone is in need of a makeover this should be your first stop.

Star Trigon Lite (free) – Japanese game shop Namco – you’ll know them from classics such as Soul Calibur, Tekken and Pac-Man – have brought their game-design skills over to the iPhone with Star Trigon. It’s simple one-click play: as the cutesy spaceman circles planets, tapping the screen catapults him round the galaxy catching Uchujin in the process. No, I don’t quite understand either, but the full game costs a few bucks and this free demo is quite strange but great fun.

EuroTalk (free) – Simple ideas, executed with flair and polish, can often be the most effective, especially on the iPhone. Created by EuroTalk, a company specializing in language learning, this app teaches you how to say hello in one hundred and fifteen different languages. For such a simple concept, it’s ultra-polished with an integrated map, search functionality and even a cute little greetings mini-game.

It seems that we’re all out of time for another week’s App Store perusing. But, as always, I’ve managed to spare a moment to tell you all about some interesting iPhone-related goings-on. Purchasing buggy apps from the App Store will never cease to be frustrating, so it’s gratifying to see that this week, one developer is doing something about it (either that or they got their wrists slapped by Apple).

Released a couple of week’s back, Gameloft’s Guitar Rock Tour was an ultra-polished pretender to Tap Tap Revenge’s iPhone rhythm-action throne. The game featured multiple instruments, a selection of (none too shabby) sound-alike hits – including Message in a Bottle and Rock You Like A Hurricane – and even a story-based tour mode complete with wacky awards.

Unfortunately, the game featured a show-stopping bug that meant songs became almost impossible to play as they disappointingly drifted out of time. As the reviews rolled in, most noting this awful bug, Gameloft kept schtum and didn’t comment. Despite the fact that they’ve released some pretty poor titles on the iPhone already, this was quite a let-down for such a large and well-respected publisher.

At some point over the past week, Guitar Rock Tour disappeared without a trace, leaving purchasers of the bug-ridden Rockband-wannabe somewhat in the lurch. Did Apple pull it from the store amidst a kerfuffle of complaints, or did Gameloft make an executive decision to reign the title back in and polish over that awful bug?

Before we could finish pondering this thought, the game returned to the store with the promise of, “Increased stability.” It seems Gameloft heard the masses and made some changes. And yet surely, with a little bit of testing and some more time in development, Gameloft could have avoided this whole mess. Never mind though, it’s the weekend, time to kick-back, chill and grab some new apps.

I’ll be back next Saturday with more apps and more recommendations, in the meantime, drop by the comments and let me know what apps you’ve tried this week (and your thoughts on the Guitar Rock Tour situation too).

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