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Apple nurses HealthKit apps back to life, discharges iOS 8.0.2

If you look closely, that .2 looks an awful lot like a bent .1 #bendgate #bendghazi

Apple has released iOS 8.0.2 to iPhones, iPads and iPods a couple of days after its botched 8.0.1 deployment.

The iGiant said the .2 update addresses a high-profile bug that broke apps using the operating system's new HealthKit feature – those applications were removed by Apple from the App Store when 8.0.0 was rolled out, but are now being returned to the shelves for use with 8.0.2, we're told.

The update, which can be downloaded and installed via iTunes or over the air through the iOS Software Update tool, also fixes a flaw that disconnected some wireless keyboards. The broken Touch ID and cellular support in 8.0.1 – which prevented some iPhone 6 owners from unlocking their devices and making calls – is fixed up in .2, for those who hadn't downgraded to 8.0.

Other patches in the update allow third-party applications to access photos on handsets. The update also addresses glitches in the Ask to Buy control and iCloud storage, and a bug in the "reachability" feature that shuffles the screen down so you can use the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus from one hand.

The 8.0.2 release comes just two days after Apple unleashed the disastrous iOS 8.0.1 package. That update was live for only two hours on Wednesday morning, California time, before the company abruptly pulled it amid complaints the update disabled their cellular connections.

Even before Wednesday's debacle, iOS 8 was off to a dubious start. Released two days ahead of the launch of the two new iPhones, iOS 8 hit the streets with key features, most notably the HealthKit platform, disabled.

Apple's hardware hasn't fared much better. Just days after the company delivered its eagerly anticipated iPhone 6 Plus with a 5.5in screen, some people moaned their phablet had a nasty habit of bending when subjected to the strains of being kept in a tight pocket.

While the issue was downplayed by Apple and its loyal supporters, the news caught fire in the press. Getting the 8.0.2 update out the door without any further hiccups may alleviate the negative headlines. ®

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