Apple appears to have responded to the issue, posting a message on a developer forum saying the company is aware of the issue and is working on a fix.
The problem first received widespread attention Wednesday after Instapaper creator Marco Arment posted about it on his blog. Many users of his app began complaining on Twitter after installing an update that posted to the App Store Tuesday evening -- right before the July 4 holiday. Once installed, the app would not launch, only crash.
Since then, the same problem became apparent on many other apps. Although Apple does not appear to have responded directly to any inquiries about the subject, someone from Cupertino, Calif. (where Apple is based) posted to developer forum under the user handle "iTunes Connect." Here's what that person wrote:
Mashable contacted Apple to confirm it was indeed a company representative who posted the message; we have yet to hear back.
Some of the apps that had previously exhibited the corruption have been fixed, such as Instapaper and Pair. In most cases, fixing the issue will require deleting the corrupted version of the app and re-installing the clean one.
If your app contains essential in-app data, the developers behind GoodReader for iPad have posted a way to recover it.
The corruption problem appears to be rooted in whatever Apple does to apps after developers submit them -- possibly something to do with the FairPlay DRM (digital rights management) Apple adds to all media offered for download.
It's reported to be affecting both the iOS and Mac App Stores, and it may have been exacerbated by lighter staffing on the July 4 holiday.