What causes random crashes in Objective-C release builds but not debug builds?

Updated May 17, 2026

Short answer

Differences in optimization, memory timing, and disabled debug checks cause release-only crashes.

Deep explanation

Release builds enable compiler optimizations, which change execution order and timing. This exposes race conditions, uninitialized memory usage, and weak pointer issues that are masked in debug builds. Also, NSZombie and assertions are disabled.

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