Incident: Facebook's iPhone App Update 3.4.3 Causes Major Performance Issues

Published Date: 2011-07-22

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident with Facebook's iPhone app occurred in June 2011. [6894]
System 1. Facebook's iPhone app version 3.4.3 [6894] 2. Lack of internal resources for maintaining the iPhone app [6894]
Responsible Organization 1. Facebook's development team, particularly the engineer working on the iPhone app full-time, was responsible for causing the software failure incident [6894].
Impacted Organization 1. Facebook users who rely on the site's iPhone app [6894]
Software Causes 1. The software causes of the failure incident with Facebook's iPhone app were related to bugs introduced in the 3.4.3 update, leading to crashes, freezes, slowness, and a non-functional chat mode [6894].
Non-software Causes 1. Lack of internal resources: Facebook had just one engineer working on its iPhone app full-time, which could have contributed to the issues [6894]. 2. Developer turnover: The original developer of the iPhone app, Joe Hewitt, switched to working on Facebook's Android app in late 2009 and left Facebook entirely in May, potentially impacting the app's development and maintenance [6894].
Impacts 1. Users experienced crashes, freezes, slowness, and a chat mode that didn't work after the 3.4.3 update to Facebook's iPhone app, leading to almost 19,000 one-star reviews in the App Store [6894]. 2. The reputation of Facebook's iPhone app suffered as loyal users expressed dissatisfaction and frustration with the latest update, causing bad blood among the faithful [6894]. 3. Facebook faced criticism for potentially neglecting its iPhone app, with reports indicating that the company had just one engineer working on the app full-time, possibly leading to the introduction of bugs and performance issues [6894]. 4. The software failure incident coincided with the rise of Google's new Google+ service, which was gaining traction and members, potentially impacting Facebook's competitive position in the social networking space [6894].
Preventions 1. Thorough testing before releasing the update could have prevented the software failure incident. Proper testing procedures could have identified the bugs and issues in the update before it was rolled out to users [6894]. 2. Maintaining a dedicated team of engineers working on the iPhone app could have helped in addressing and resolving any issues promptly. Having just one engineer working on the app full-time might have contributed to the lack of resources to handle the problems effectively [6894]. 3. Prioritizing the maintenance and updates of the iPhone app alongside other projects, such as the new mobile Web-based interface, could have prevented the software failure incident. Neglecting the iPhone app in favor of other projects may have led to the accumulation of unresolved issues [6894].
Fixes 1. Releasing a new version of the Facebook iPhone app (3.4.4) to address the bugs and performance issues [6894].
References 1. Financial Times 2. The Next Web 3. CNET

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization: The Facebook iPhone app update (3.4.3) was supposed to fix bugs but instead caused crashes, freezes, slowness, and other issues, leading to negative reviews and user complaints [6894]. This incident reflects a failure within Facebook's own software development process for the iPhone app. (b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization: There is no information in the provided article to suggest that a similar software failure incident has happened at other organizations or with their products and services.
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the case of Facebook's iPhone app update (3.4.3). The update was intended to fix bugs but ended up causing crashes, freezes, slowness, and other issues for users. This failure can be attributed to issues introduced during the system development and update process. Users reported problems with the chat mode not working and a host of other issues, indicating a failure in the design or development phase of the software [6894]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be observed in the complaints from users about the performance issues with Facebook's iPhone app after the update to version 3.4.3. Users experienced crashes, freezes, and slowness, which are indicative of issues arising from the operation or use of the system. The failure in the operation phase is evident from the user complaints about the app not functioning properly after the update [6894].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident related to Facebook's iPhone app was primarily within the system. The issues were caused by bugs within the app itself, leading to crashes, freezes, slowness, and a chat mode that didn't work. Users reported these problems after updating to version 3.4.3 of the Facebook iPhone app [6894]. Additionally, Facebook acknowledged that there were bugs in version 3.4.3 that caused performance issues, indicating that the failure originated from within the system [6894].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - The software failure incident with Facebook's iPhone app was primarily due to bugs introduced in the 3.4.3 update released on June 29, which led to crashes, freezes, slowness, and other issues [6894]. - Facebook acknowledged that bugs in version 3.4.3 of the iPhone app caused performance issues, leading to the need for a new version (3.4.4) to address these problems [6894]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - One potential factor contributing to the software failure incident was the lack of internal resources, with only one engineer working on Facebook's iPhone app full-time [6894]. - The departure of Joe Hewitt, the developer of the iPhone app, in May could have also impacted the app's maintenance and updates, as he switched to working on Facebook's Android app [6894].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) software (a) The software failure incident related to hardware: - The article does not mention any specific hardware-related issues contributing to the software failure incident [6894]. (b) The software failure incident related to software: - The software failure incident is primarily attributed to bugs and glitches in the latest update (3.4.3) of Facebook's iPhone app, causing crashes, freezes, slowness, and issues with the chat mode [6894].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident related to the Facebook iPhone app update (3.4.3) does not appear to be malicious. Users reported crashes, freezes, slowness, and other issues after the update was released, indicating that the failure was likely due to unintentional bugs or faults in the update [6894]. Additionally, Facebook acknowledged the bugs in the app and was working on releasing a new version (3.4.4) to address the performance issues, which suggests a non-malicious intent to fix the problems [6894].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions (a) The software failure incident related to the Facebook iPhone app update can be attributed to poor decisions made by Facebook. The article mentions that Facebook had only one engineer working on its iPhone app full-time, which could have contributed to the issues faced by users with the 3.4.3 update [6894]. Additionally, the decision to focus on a new mobile Web-based interface (Project Spartan) based on HTML5 instead of prioritizing the iPhone app may have also played a role in the failure [6894]. These poor decisions regarding resource allocation and priorities likely led to the software failure incident.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence, accidental (a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence can be seen in the case of Facebook's iPhone app update. The article mentions that the latest update (3.4.3) was supposed to fix bugs but instead caused crashes, freezes, slowness, and other issues, leading to a significant number of one-star reviews on the App Store [6894]. Additionally, it is highlighted that Facebook had only one engineer working on the iPhone app full-time, which could indicate a lack of sufficient internal resources dedicated to maintaining and improving the app [6894]. (b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is evident in the case of the Facebook iPhone app update as well. The article mentions that the bugs in version 3.4.3 of the app led to performance issues, indicating that these issues were not intentional but rather unintended consequences of the update [6894].
Duration temporary (a) The software failure incident related to Facebook's iPhone app can be considered temporary. The article mentions that the latest update (3.4.3) to the Facebook iPhone app introduced various bugs causing crashes, freezes, slowness, and other issues [6894]. Users were in an uproar over these problems, leading to almost 19,000 one-star reviews in the App Store. Facebook acknowledged the bugs and was working on pushing out a new version (3.4.4) to address the performance issues. This indicates that the failure was not permanent but rather a result of specific circumstances introduced by the update.
Behaviour crash, value, other (a) crash: The software failure incident related to the Facebook iPhone app update can be categorized as a crash. Users reported crashes, freezes, and slowness after updating to version 3.4.3 of the app [6894]. (b) omission: There is no specific mention of the software failure incident being related to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). (c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. (d) value: The software failure incident is related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly, as users complained about a chat mode that doesn't work and a host of other issues after the update [6894]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident is not related to the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The software failure incident can be categorized as a crash and also as a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly, such as crashes, freezes, and issues with specific features like the chat mode [6894].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence delay The articles do not mention any consequences related to death, harm, basic needs, property loss, or non-human entities resulting from the software failure incident with Facebook's iPhone app [6894]. The only consequence mentioned is related to delays caused by the software failure. Users experienced crashes, freezes, slowness, and issues with the chat mode, which led to frustration and negative reviews in the App Store. Additionally, the delay in releasing a fix for the bugs caused inconvenience to users who were eagerly awaiting a resolution to the issues.
Domain information (a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is related to the information industry. The incident involves Facebook's iPhone app, which is a platform for users to access and interact with social media and information on the Facebook platform [6894].

Sources

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