Skip to main content

How to stop Facebook’s iOS bug from crashing Spotify, Pinterest, Tinder, and other apps

How to stop Facebook’s iOS bug from crashing Spotify, Pinterest, Tinder, and other apps

/

A VPN app will help save the day

Share this story

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Facebook’s iOS SDK is causing a number of popular iPhone apps to crash today, including Spotify, Pinterest, and Tinder. You don’t even need to have the Facebook app installed for other apps to crash, as developers have implemented the Facebook login through their own apps. This is the second time the issue has occurred in recent months, but there is a workaround available to get the apps back up and running before Facebook fixes the problems.

Lockdown Apps, a firewall and privacy protection app on iOS, uses a VPN to block trackers and things like Facebook’s iOS SDK from loading in third-party apps. It will allow apps like Spotify, Pinterest, and Tinder to launch during a Facebook iOS SDK outage, and it’s completely free to use. Here’s how to get the app set up:

  • Download Lockdown Apps from the App Store
  • Launch Lockdown Apps, and follow the on-screen tutorial
  • Hit cancel when it asks you to sign up or log in
  • Tap the “firewall on” button at the top of the app
  • You’ll need to agree to set up a VPN profile on your iPhone
  • Once set up, you can toggle the VPN / firewall from within Lockdown Apps
  • Skip the trial and apps will now work freely

This is a good temporary workaround for the Facebook iOS SDK issues, and it should work with every app that is crashing today. If you no longer need Lockdown Apps after Facebook resolves the problems, you can simply remove the app, and it will also remove the VPN profile.