Instant Alert: CNN is blaming Apple for a bug that spammed iPhone users with a barrage of the same push notifications

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CNN is blaming Apple for a bug that spammed iPhone users with a barrage of the same push notifications

by Kif Leswing on Jan 30, 2018, 7:23 PM

A glitch caused some iPhone users to repeatedly receive the same headline notification from CNN.
CNN says it's Apple's problem.

At about 5pm ET on Tuesday, numerous of people with iPhones received an Apple News push notification with a CNN headline about the false missile alarm in Hawaii.

Then they got the notification again. And again.

Some people on Twitter claimed that they got repeated alerts for a period of about 10 minutes.

Did CNN hire the worker because I've gotten this same push notification over and over again for the past ten minutes pic.twitter.com/urMZnShW45
— Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) January 30, 2018

listen @CNN, if i get one more push notification for the same story about the hawaiian missile button pusher getting fired i'm going to LOSE MY FUCKING MIND
— halez (@halle924) January 30, 2018

Please @CNN stop sending me the same push notification every 7 seconds. I get it. The guy in Hawaii got fired. I read the headline.
— adam♕scarangella (@adamscarangella) January 30, 2018

CNN killin it with apple news alerts about the same story right now
— Todd Haselton (@robotodd) January 30, 2018

CNN fired off a push notification of the story about the official behind the Hawaiian missile alert mishap being fired, and there's clearly something wrong because I've now received this notification 30+ times. How's that for irony?
— Evan (@EvanXDuckett) January 30, 2018

What happened here? Did a CNN producer accidentally press the wrong button. Is there a glitch with Apple News?

CNN is pointing the finger at Apple. In a tweet, CNN's PR department said that "our server logs shows CNN sent only one" alert and that they are "working with Apple to identify their issue."

Here's their full comment:

"We are aware that some Apple News users recently received multiples of the same alert. Our server log shows CNN sent only one. We are working with Apple to identify their issue, as users on CNN-owned platforms did not experience a problem. Apologies to those who did."

We are aware that some Apple News users recently received multiples of the same alert. Our server log shows CNN sent only one. We are working with Apple to identify their issue, as users on CNN-owned platforms did not experience a problem. Apologies to those who did.
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) January 30, 2018

Apple didn't respond to requests for comment.

CNN is a preferred partner for Apple News, an app that is preinstalled on iPhones sold in the United States. When an iPhone or iPad user boots up Apple News for the first time, they're given a chance to sign up for breaking news notifications from a couple of publications, including CNN.

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