It looks like Game Center is finally behaving itself under iOS 9.3.2
Have you noticed Game Center acting a little, well, unresponsive under iOS 9? You're not alone. Indeed, a significant number of iOS gamers have found that Apple's social network for gaming has been largely unresponsive since iOS 9 hit our handsets. However, the recent beta release of iOS 9.3.2 brings good news: it seems, at long last, that Apple has fixed this issue for Game Center users, rendering the app usable once again.
The issue at hand actually spans all the way back to iOS 8, but it started affecting more users once iOS 9 was publicly released back in September last year. The bug sees the Game Center iOS app freeze upon launch, depicting a so-called “white screen of death” and remaining entirely unusable. This has been a big problem for avid iOS gamers, many of whom use Game Center to tick off achievements and check on their progress.
TouchArcade now notes that it seems Game Center is back up and running as of iOS 9.3.2, the minor software update Apple released for public beta testers a few days ago.
Well, community members of ours who are brave enough to install beta iOS system updates have reported that Game Center is once again working for them in the iOS 9.3.2 beta. Now, before getting too excited, it's important to have a hefty dose of realism with all this: The Game Center bug is a vicious beast, and many people on our forums have thought they slayed it, only to have it return inside of a couple days. I'm cautiously optimistic, but by no means ready to strike up the band and declare the Game Center bug fixed.
It all looks promising so far (though my own iPhone, running iOS 9.3.1, doesn't seem to be affected by the bug, so I've been unable to test whether the public software update does fix the issue as believed).
Though we don't usually recommend for users to download beta software onto their iOS devices, this news could persuade gamers desperate to access Game Center to take the plunge, be brave, and sign-up for Apple's Beta Software Program. Mind you, given that this is a minor, “point” update, rather than a major release, I don't think it'll be long at all until iOS 9.3.2 leaves public beta and launches for the rest of us. And when it does, it indeed looks like the white screen of death will be a thing of the past … we hope.
