Bluetooth keyboard input freezes Safari on iPad with iOS 9.2.1

Hi

We currently have an issue with bluetooth keyboard input freezing and crashing browsers on iPad if you input a tab character.

The browser freezes completely, and will eventually crash if left open after 5 minutes.

The problem happens on both Safari and Chrome on iOS 9.2.1, as well as in the Beta 4 of iOS 9.3.


This issue was first found by a user of one of our application which they access using Chrome or Safari and was reported to us on the 12th of February after being used with no problems for a couple of years.

They have a bluetooth barcode scanner which is used to input multiple fields, the barcodes include some tab characters to jump between fields when scanned.

During my debugging what I found is that this does not only happen in our web application, but on any web site.

If I went to the google search page, put the focus on the input field and tried the bluetooth input it would freeze and eventually crash.

Also, when used in Notes or anywhere outside of a browser the input works fine.

Both Safari and Chrome have the issue.


I also eliminated the scanner itself as a possible source of the problem, I can reproduce it by using bluetooth logitech keyboard with the iPad and manually typing rapidly some characters along with tab characters. It will freeze up soon after I hit tab if I type quickly enough.

If I type slow then it doesn't freeze.

So the scanner is just more at risk because the keyboard input is very quick.


I removed all custom applications from an iPad mini 4 running iOS 9.2.1, connected the bluetooth keyboard and crashed Safari on my first try.

Installing the Beta of iOS 9.3 did not fix the issue, it still crashes the browsers.

I can reproduce this on clean devices.


To me this seems to be an iOS bug with bluetooth keyboard input in WebKit, with the time of the issue being reported to us it could fall around the release of 9.2.1

There are no actual crash logs I could see as it just seemed to freeze, and the web inspector doesn't give much information either.

Has anybody else had this kind of issue?

Any suggestions on what could be causing it?

Confirmed: Same behavior noticed with iPad air 1, iOS 9.3.1, both Chrome and Safari show the problem. UPDATE: blows up on iPad mini also, iOS 9.3


Attached device is Socket mobile bluetooth barcode scanner. Works great in all other applications, but scanning a barcode with tab character completely freezes and then crashes the browser.


REPRO #1:

1. Pair bluetooth barcode scanner with iPad

2. Print barcode that contains tab character for multi-field input

3. Launch Chrome or Safari and scan barcode that contains tab character

== ERROR: BROWSER FREEZES AND HANGS UNTIL IT EVENTUALLY CRASHES AND RESTARTS ==


REPRO #2:

1. Pair bluetooth keyboard with iPad

2. Visit website with form and multiple input:text fields

3. Rapidly enter data (nothing too extreme even, the way a data entry person would do it) and tab from field to field. If done quickly enough...

== ERROR: BROWSER FREEZES AND HANGS UNTIL IT EVENTUALLY CRASHES AND RESTARTS ==


UPDATE: I submitted this bug report to the Safari team. Bug ID is 25578174

https://bugreport.apple.com/problem/viewproblem

Hi there. Have you heard anything new on this issue?


Been struggling with this bug myself. Can't pull back to a previous version of IOS to make our software work on new ipads. Would be happy to join in discussions with apple tech team if it would help resolve faster. Or at least add my voice to the chorus of complainers.


Thanks!

Bluetooth keyboard input freezes Safari on iPad with iOS 9.2.1
 
 
Q