Third-party iPad software to blame in delay of American Airlines planes

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 41
    pfisher wrote: »
    I wonder how many iPads they have for testing.

    ALSO, can an install of one app affect another? Are these iPads unlocked? Is there any kind of control over the iPads so that they are used solely for flight information only? What if Jeppeson had tested the app on 20 iPads and found no problems? Also, are they using the right OS's?

    Many questions. Will be interesting to find out what happened. If it was a particular iOS that wasn't tested with the Jeppeson software.

    It's not the app that's the issue, but the data file the is updated regularly. This one was, allegedly, corrupted so that when the app is launched it would crash.

    Depending on the airline, some iPads are locked down by the airline via the management software and some are wide open requiring that certain apps be present and kept updated.

    Each airline and the FAA office that oversees them have their own setup.

    AA is moving to FD Pro and I really doubt we'll see this again.

    BTW, we're not allowed to update the iOS and apps until the company gives us the go ahead. They test the updates first. In this case it wasn't the app it was the data file. That's not tested.
  • Reply 22 of 41
    konqerrorkonqerror Posts: 685member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by DewMe View Post

     

    Apple will still be considered guilty by association, just like Windows got lambasted whenever faulty device drivers or application extensions crashed the OS.

     

    This is a very serious change management/application lifecycle management (ALM) black eye for Jeppesen, a subsidiary of Boeing.  


     

    You're considering Jepp guilty by association. AA customizes the charts that come out of Jeppesen (or they have Jepp do it for them). For example, they delete all the data that concerns Cessnas, and can add specific operational limitations or company routes. Jepp's standard data update came out last Friday. The reason why it only affects a specific chart and a specific fleet now is likely due to a error somewhere in the data customization process.

  • Reply 23 of 41
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleFanPro View Post

     

    "Third-party iPad software to blame in delay of American Airlines planes"

     

    That would be an acceptable excuse for Android, but all iPad apps are supposed to be vetted by Apple


    (Deleted; a few others have schooled this poster).

  • Reply 24 of 41
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by dasanman69 View Post

     
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mjtomlin View Post





    You're an idiot... Enterprise apps DO NOT GO THROUGH THE APPSTORE, they're served up by institutional servers.




    Easy with the name calling. Not everyone knows that. Explain it with some diplomacy, and teach someone instead of insulting them.

    I am not excusing the name-calling in the least, but the original poster was making a bald assertion, rather than asking a question or expressing wonderment.

     

    Big difference.

  • Reply 25 of 41
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    I am not excusing the name-calling in the least, but the original poster was making a bald assertion, rather than asking a question or expressing wonderment.

    Big difference.

    We've all been guilty of that. A response like that should be reserved for a obvious troll, and not to someone ignorant of a fact.
  • Reply 26 of 41

    The probable truth is that the 3rd party software was the MDM software (SOTI). The pilots have been know to uninstall the software because they seem to think their device can be accessed via the camera. The problem with doing this is that it makes the device non-compliant. Essentially, taking away the MDM app prevents access to the "Approved" Jeppesen app. Hence, if there is an update available the device won't receive it. Within this same scenario, the iPads are much easier to compromise and in some cases they are reported as stolen/misplaced. Without the MDM software installed a location can't be ascertained and the pilots are not in the habit of enabling Find My iPhone. The other ongoing issue is the lack of adequate wifi availability in close proximity to the planes. American Airlines has been aware of this issue and even the impending crutch it will eventually lend to the pilots. I am surprised that Jeppesen allowed themselves to be thrown under this proverbial bus. The hardware was/is fine and I can guarantee the device didn't crash. Ask the Flight Attendants about the wifi problems they constantly experience with their Samsung devices. Airport Automation is another entity that is going through similar constraints. Do a Twitter search for: #AAwifiGate.

  • Reply 27 of 41
    freerangefreerange Posts: 1,597member
    Hey AI, that's the headline that should have been on this news yesterday. Nice way to cover up your bonehead mistake without even an apology or clarification.
  • Reply 28 of 41

    I am willing to bet that the truth goes something like this: Pilot is issued iPad. According to policy the devices have to to be managed by an MDM for security measures. In this case, SOTI is their MDM of choice. A client is necessary to be present for the devices to be managed. The pilots don't like this because they seem to think that their cameras can be accessed and they don't have any privacy, so they remove the MDM client from the device. Now when they attempt to get an update they can't because the device is no longer active with SOTI. I can all but guarantee that the devices didn't crash and there wasn't a problem with the hardware at all. I am surprised that Jeppesen is allowing themselves to be thrown under the proverbial bus. The other issue is with the wifi infrastructure and the lack of adequate connectivity near the planes. American Airlines has been aware of this for quite some time and have been additionally aware of this being problematic and subsequently impact the pilots negatively. The Flight Attendants experience this in-flight with their Samsung devices. The Airport Automation crews also experience and complain often about their poor connectivity. So, either the lack of consistent wifi connectivity or attempting updates with a non-managed device is what caused the delay.  Unfortunately, you have a very non-technical person issuing statements before consulting internally, thus you get multiple iterations of this one story.

  • Reply 29 of 41
    fallenjt wrote: »
    Look around these websites; they all say iPad glitch caused this sh.t. These idiots just couldn't wait to jump on Apple even though it's nothing related to iPad, but the fucking third party app. It's like to blame BMW car performance when you put crappy gasoline into the tank.
    Because allowing a third-party app to crash the whole OS (the linked article says it caused the device to power down) is not a bug for an operating system in 2015?
  • Reply 30 of 41
    dasanman69 wrote: »

    We've all been guilty of that. A response like that should be reserved for a obvious troll, and not to someone ignorant of a fact.

    And we've all been swatted down in various ways when were guilty of that.

    We suck it up, and move on. (It's uninterrsting to continue with this, so feel free to have the last word.)
  • Reply 31 of 41
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Durandal1707 View Post





    Because allowing a third-party app to crash the whole OS (the linked article says it caused the device to power down) is not a bug for an operating system in 2015?



    Crashing usually reboots the OS, not power down. It also depends what kind of access to resource this app has, if it has API access to all resources it can do whatever it wants (like most root, system apps).

  • Reply 32 of 41
    foggyhill wrote: »

    Crashing usually reboots the OS, not power down. It also depends what kind of access to resource this app has, if it has API access to all resources it can do whatever it wants (like most root, system apps).
    Without seeing the glitch in action, it's hard to determine whether the person quoted in the article (who himself was paraphrasing a statement by the pilot, from memory) may have misspoken and said "powered down" when what actually happened was that the device restarted.

    As for getting root access, I'd be pretty surprised if any iOS app were allowed to do that. Feel free to correct me (or call me an idiot, compare me to Hitler, grow 100 feet tall and green and go on a rampage, etc.) if I'm wrong and apps distributed through the enterprise portal are able to get root access, but I really, really doubt that that would be possible without a jailbreak or something, especially since there's little reason an app like this would need it. I'd be just as surprised if the app were intentionally using root access to send the device a shutdown signal (why on earth would anyone do that?).
  • Reply 33 of 41
    lightknightlightknight Posts: 2,312member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post

     



    Why did you have to bring in that "right-wingers" slur? That's irrelevant. The point is any and every web site is eager to spread lies about Apple because it means page views.




    Note from Europe: seen from here, Americans are pretty much all "right winger's". It seems the leftist part of American politics stands somewhere between our extreme-right and the right of our moderates, though it's probably impossible to map politics point-to-point an ocean apart ^^

  • Reply 34 of 41
    lightknightlightknight Posts: 2,312member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Durandal1707 View Post





    Without seeing the glitch in action, it's hard to determine whether the person quoted in the article (who himself was paraphrasing a statement by the pilot, from memory) may have misspoken and said "powered down" when what actually happened was that the device restarted.



    As for getting root access, I'd be pretty surprised if any iOS app were allowed to do that. Feel free to correct me (or call me an idiot, compare me to Hitler, grow 100 feet tall and green and go on a rampage, etc.) if I'm wrong and apps distributed through the enterprise portal are able to get root access, but I really, really doubt that that would be possible without a jailbreak or something, especially since there's little reason an app like this would need it. I'd be just as surprised if the app were intentionally using root access to send the device a shutdown signal (why on earth would anyone do that?).



    Yesterday, Apple's health app on the Apple watch restarted it. I've also seen the iPhone and iPad reboot on some third party apps crashing (fast reboot, btw, less than 5 seconds, not complete reboot, but still shows the Apple logo).

    I'm still wondering what is really going on, because it feels like some security feature that kicks in after a "dramatic os event". I'd bt on the UI layer crashing, being detected as frozen and restarted, like you can restart Finder (or even the Mac UI if it crashes, so you'd have to have set up a special key shortcut... I know I have).

    We don't have much information, apart from the obvious fact that the media, again, went for "sensational headline" instead of "verified information". The media includes "Ai".

  • Reply 35 of 41
    lightknightlightknight Posts: 2,312member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post

     

    I am not excusing the name-calling in the least, but the original poster was making a bald assertion, rather than asking a question or expressing wonderment.

     

    Big difference.




    I appreciate when someone else makes the well-deserved name-calling. Prevents me from getting banned while still providing satisfaction :p

  • Reply 36 of 41
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,730member

    Why did you have to bring in that "right-wingers" slur? That's irrelevant. The point is any and every web site is eager to spread lies about Apple because it means page views.

    Note from Europe: seen from here, Americans are pretty much all "right winger's". It seems the leftist part of American politics stands somewhere between our extreme-right and the right of our moderates, though it's probably impossible to map politics point-to-point an ocean apart ^^

    Yes, all things are relative. You are correct, you can't map point to point. Most centrists i know from originally from the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada here in the US find this out the hard way. This is mainly, IMHO, due to the ever increasing polarization over here as the right has moved ever further right in the last 20 years.
  • Reply 37 of 41
    brucemcbrucemc Posts: 1,541member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by lightknight View Post

    ...

    We don't have much information, apart from the obvious fact that the media, again, went for "sensational headline" instead of "verified information". The media includes "Ai".


    Although perhaps we didn't appreciate it at the time, I am sure missing what we used to call "journalistic standards".  While headlines in the past on traditional news sources have taken a "sensationalist" approach, it didn't used to be deliberately misleading.  This is a perfect example, where all of article titles/headlines clearly made it appear as though it was "iPad software" or "iPad" issues that grounded the flight, when in fact as most here expected, it was a 3rd party app (with corrupted data).

     

    The Apple Watch headlines regarding issues with the tactic engine part are same - implying that shipped watches have a defect (ala the infamous Intel Pentium 4), rather than it is affecting supply & thus potentially a reason for the limited availability of product.  

     

    We all know "why" they are doing it - click bait - but there is just something wrong in my mind when we get to the point where we have to assume that almost all media are lying to us.  That can't be a good future.

  • Reply 38 of 41
    lightknightlightknight Posts: 2,312member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by brucemc View Post

     

    Although perhaps we didn't appreciate it at the time, I am sure missing what we used to call "journalistic standards".  While headlines in the past on traditional news sources have taken a "sensationalist" approach, it didn't used to be deliberately misleading.  This is a perfect example, where all of article titles/headlines clearly made it appear as though it was "iPad software" or "iPad" issues that grounded the flight, when in fact as most here expected, it was a 3rd party app (with corrupted data).

     

    The Apple Watch headlines regarding issues with the tactic engine part are same - implying that shipped watches have a defect (ala the infamous Intel Pentium 4), rather than it is affecting supply & thus potentially a reason for the limited availability of product.  

     

    We all know "why" they are doing it - click bait - but there is just something wrong in my mind when we get to the point where we have to assume that almost all media are lying to us.  That can't be a good future.




    That's why I still read the paper version of the IHT, the FT, Le Monde, Les Echos, and generally every newspaper that can't compete on speed with the Web and has to offer something more than "first to report"...

  • Reply 39 of 41
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by fallenjt View Post

     

    Look around these websites; they all say iPad glitch caused this sh.t. These idiots just couldn't wait to jump on Apple even though it's nothing related to iPad, but the fucking third party app. It's like to blame BMW car performance when you put crappy gasoline into the tank.




    Same as the idiots at AppleInsider with their first coverage of this story. Thankfully, they've published something more responsible with this one, but the other one is still there to continue to proliferate throughout the Internet, with the validity and extra weight of an Apple biased news site. Isn't it ironic?

     

    Just pondering...

  • Reply 40 of 41
    damn_its_hotdamn_its_hot Posts: 1,209member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Junebug172 View Post



    Now that was a well written and accurate article.



    I agree. Too bad no apologies for AI misrepresentation in the first story. The headline blamed on the iPad.

     

    It may have been a third party app but being a pilot myself, I would now take the extra step of having a couple folx that tested the new pages. Too many lives on the line to not double, triple check this. I am amazed that Jeppesen let this get thru - bugs happen but someone in QA needs to seriously rethink there testing.

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