Apple has been forced to pull an update to iOS 8 after users complained that it stopped their iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models from connecting to their mobile network.

A number of iPhone owners vented their frustrations online after the iOS 8.0.1 update stopped their phones from making calls and disabled the TouchID fingerprint sensor for unlocking devices.

Apple confirmed to Mobile World Live that it has a workaround for “iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users who lost cellular service and Touch ID functionality”, in which they should connect their iPhones to iTunes and reinstall the original version of iOS 8.

Owners of earlier iPhone models who made the update did not experience the same problems, according to Apple.

The company did not say how many people had been affected but apologised for the “great inconvenience experienced by users” and said it is working to prepare a new iOS 8 (iOS 8.0.2) update for release in the next few days.

The original update was aimed at solving an issue with the newly-introduced Health app which pulls data from different third-party health and fitness apps using the HealthKit API.

However, apps that were connected via the API were removed from the App Store after a bug was identified by Apple.

The company is also dealing with the backlash from claims that the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus can be bent just from the pressure of people moving around with the devices in their pockets. Numerous pictures of misshapen iPhones have appeared online.

Apple previously had issues with the iOS 6 release in 2012, which included the all-new Apple Maps which failed to provide accurate mapping information. The arrival of the iPhone 4 in 2010 saw complaints about poor reception after a problem with the aerial built into the metal band surrounding the device.

Apple revealed at the beginning of the week that it had sold a record 10 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices in the first weekend of availability, despite the latest iPhone not yet being available in China, one of Apple’s biggest markets.