Apple halts iOS 9.3 updates for older iPads, iPhones after activation issues [u]

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 44
    I hesitated downloading the new update on my 5S, given the weird things that happened to the phone after the last update.  But I figured, wth- I'm gonna get me one of them there SE's anyway.  Initiated the update via wifi, and it installed flawlessly.  My 5S was purchased much later after it was introduced.  Maybe that had something to do with it installing without a hitch.  I'm not a techno geek, so if something was to go wrong, it certainly should have.  Probably dumb luck.  Sincere condolences to the bricksters.
  • Reply 22 of 44
    Bull!!!! This happened to me on my iPad Air 2 It says you have to connect it to iTunes and then iTunes tries to download 9.3. THE FIX I installed recboot on my Mac and took the iPad out of DFU mode. Success!!!! 9.3 was already installed on the iPad. Fix took 5 seconds. Apple needs to fix this. Users are not making any mistakes it's a bug.
  • Reply 23 of 44
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    I suspect being nearly out of storage space is a factor too.  On our older 32 GB iPads no problem, on an iPad Air 16 GB I had a hitch after a few moments of it trying to update,  I was advised on screen to connect to iTunes with the graphical 'plug me in' screen.  The entire update was done by iTunes backing up the iPad, updating it after wiping it and then restoring everything.  I didn't have to do anything but wait.  Pretty clever really.  As I use Windows a lot to it never ceases to amaze me after of thirty years they still have a Windows 10 OS that will work a way for ages copying and finally stop and tell you there isn't enough room.   They've done that from day one when a Mac Plus would look first and tell you that before wasting its or your time.
    edited March 2016
  • Reply 24 of 44
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    bobschlob said:
    What?!! A problem with new software from Apple?? I'm so shocked. All they're releases have been so rock solid over recent times. /s
    I don’t get the sarcasm tag because you are right. Compared to releases in the past the current releases are much better than in the past. What? You fell for the QA meme? I still remember a past release that disabled user’s third party DRAM. It took a hacker to figure out what happened and write a firmware patch for that third party DRAM. Then there were the constant conflict resolutions. Third party developers made millions with utilities to find and remove conflicting extensions. So stop the nonsense about Apple’s software QA. It’s better than it ever has been. Your memory must be very short term.
    edited March 2016
  • Reply 25 of 44
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Other sites are reporting that Apple has started pushing a new build of iOS 9.3 to older devices as of this morning.
  • Reply 26 of 44
    raz0rraz0r Posts: 28member
    foggyhill said:
    raz0r said:
    Apple is wrong thinking that the users are to blame (even partially)

    I have an ipad 2 among other devices. When the 9.3 update installed, it entered a sort of a setup loop for me (I had to go through the initial setup twice. Setup - everything done, restart, again with the Hello, setup - everything done, restart. I entered the password both times and no errors on each try). There's definitely a bug here and it's not related to not entering the password.
    Did Apple declare all users to blame, I don't think so.
    There is a way to recover through a factory reset and then redownloading everything (a pain in the ass but doable).

    But there are also dumb dumb out there; that's also a fact.

    I said "even partially" and went to describe a case that happens without user error. That was my point :)
  • Reply 27 of 44
    yoyo2222yoyo2222 Posts: 144member
    I bet the Apple call centers and stores are a mess right now. The problem is with the consumer on this one. After the update you are required to sign into your apple ID. Its very simple and it works flawlessly. Unless you don't know your apple ID or password. I work for a cellphone company and had 6 customer yesterday alone who couldn't even guess what their Apple ID email was. Not even a guess...... Sorry folks, Its impossible to reset a password if you don't know the email address nor can I figure out what that e mail address is. The phone is a complete brick at that point with absolutely no solution. Hope apple finds a way to help all those customers stuck with a bricked phone.
    Sorry, wrong. I have an affected iPad2 (3g/AT&T but not currently active) and I am never presented with the 'log into iCloud' screen. I get the "which WiFi" screen and clicking Next takes me to a screen where activation fails. I tried connecting to my Mac and not selecting the WiFi but the device never becomes available in iTunes until I select the WiFi network. Then iTunes tells me activation has failed, Contact an Apple Store. Others have reported the same thing
  • Reply 28 of 44
    yoyo2222yoyo2222 Posts: 144member
    I managed to activate my iPad 2 (after it failed activation after an iPad OTA update) with the following procedure:

    I put it in Recovery Mode (Hold down both buttons until the 'connect to iTunes' icon shows up on the screen)

    I connected it to a Mac and chose Update from the resulting iTunes notification window.

    iTunes downloaded the 9.3 installer and, after some time, updated the iPad. After completion and after unplugging and replugging the iPad I got an activation window in iTunes. When I tried using my Apple ID I got an error message saying it "could not be activated because an unknown error occurred (0xE8000013). Please try again later." The same failure occurred when I tried to activate it directly from the iPad. Both these were advances since I had never even been shown the iCloud login after my initial update.

    Because of another post suggesting removal of the device from iCloud (Settings) via iCloud.com might help, I did so.

    I again plugged the iPad into the Mac. This time my iTunes activation took. I then had to type my Apple ID password into the iPad and I am up and running without having to go through the pain of a Restore.

    I'm not sure this would have worked until now because as I read on Apple Insider today "Apple has pushed out iOS 9.3, build 13E236, for iPad 2 models affected by the authentication issue."

    Hope this will work for others stuck in Activation Lockup.
  • Reply 29 of 44
    The issue stung me, when I updated my iPhone 5.  It seemed to be that my AppleID email and password were required because it mistakenly thought "find my iPhone" had been activated (the phone claimed it was active, but it was not).  Probably because I did install and do use "find my friends" on the phone, which uses the same type of technology.  Anyway, since I don't walk around with minor passwords such as this in my head, I was suddenly locked out of my phone, which was very distressing.  It was NOT asking for my normal phone-lock passphrase.  

    It is easy to make snide comments about "stupid users" who don't remember passwords, but let me remind you this was a password that was set to my AppleID account years ago, and which I rarely if ever use.  An analogy is if you took your car in for a 50,000 mile servicing, and upon picking it up, you find that your ignition key won't work, and you need to supply the account number of the loan you used to buy the car.  Nobody expects that they'll need such information when taking a car to the service shop, and nobody expects to need rarely-used passwords to ancillary user accounts when they update software on their phone.  I don't know how many guesses the phone would have allowed before "bricking" (if at all), because I stopped guessing and went to the Apple support website and tried logging into my ID there, until I stumbled upon the right password.  Fortunately I did not have mission-critical business requiring my phone that day, until I had a chance to find the password. This could have been truly devastating to business users, and very disruptive to others.  Apple never should have made that password a requirement, or at the minimum should have warned users in advance that they would need it, possibly by requiring pre-entry of the password before making the iOS update. 
  • Reply 30 of 44
    The problem is with the consumer on this one. After the update you are required to sign into your apple ID. Its very simple and it works flawlessly. Unless you don't know your apple ID or password.
    It's really pretty arrogant to blame the users for not knowing the password to an ancillary account they never use.  It was arrogant to demand they establish accounts they never use in the first place.  But the real blame rests on Apple, for not telling users that they would need this information to complete the update, and for not requiring that they supply the email and password information before initiating the update.
  • Reply 31 of 44
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    Following reports of activation errors from users updating older iPhones and iPads to Apple's recent iOS 9.3 release, which rendered their devices unusable, the company on Thursday recognized the issue and temporarily paused downloads for affected models as it works on a fix.




    According to a statement provided to iMore, the problem lies in the password authorization phase of the iOS 9.3 setup process. The exact issue has not been revealed, though Apple seems to believe users are at least partially to blame.

    "Updating some iOS devices (iPhone 5s and earlier and iPad Air and earlier) to iOS 9.3 can require entering the Apple ID and password used to set up the device in order to complete the software update," Apple said. "In some cases, if customers do not recall their password, their device will remain in an inactivated state until they can recover or reset their password. For these older devices, we have temporarily pulled back the update and will release an updated version of iOS 9.3 in the next few days that does not require this step."

    AppleInsider was first to report on the iOS 9.3 issue earlier this week, noting certain device owners, specifically those with older generation hardware like the iPad 2, were unable to proceed past the password authentication stage after installing Apple's new software. Those affected usually see authentication error messages in line with Apple's statement.

    Some users found success in downloading iOS 9.3 through iTunes on a Mac and installing the firmware via a hardwired connection, suggesting there is an underlying issue on Apple's end. Others have found a full system restore also works, though the method is hit-or-miss.

    In conjunction with the announcement, Apple published a support document offering workaround suggestions. The company urges affected users to reset their password through iCloud, perform an iTunes-based installation and activation, or remove Activation Lock through iCloud.com. As reported on Tuesday, those who tried these methods have found limited success.

    Update: Apple has pushed out iOS 9.3, build 13E236, for iPad 2 models affected by the authentication issue.
    Thank you for forwarding Apple's statement.
    The problem is that nothing works.
    I posted a discussion on the Apple Community forum and they posted the same "info".
    After that I said that it did not work, they censored my post.
    This guy is the one who censored my post:
    He said that he does not work for Apple.
    Which is hard to believe...
    I did some research and found out that he works in that college:
    I called him and he did not respond.
    So are those methods from Apple loyal towards a full paying customer?
    On every blog, it looks like Apple is doing active community management.
    Which is understandable. But it is unfair that injured clients get censored.
    My iPad is bricked since tuesday. Since then I spent hours trying all the solutions.
    And it does not work, we even get insulted by other users telling that we are dumb.
    FYI I have a 12 years professional background in Technology.
    So please keep this kind of comments for you.

    I expect from Apple a rapid solution.
    If they don't manage to activate my iPad I'm going to organize a class action together with all the injured customers.
    A factory install, with a new Apple ID, like if you had given your device away to another person, doesn't work? (if doing a factory install under your own ID doesn't work).

    As for the rest, your over the top demeanor makes you doubt your words.
  • Reply 32 of 44
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,335member
    I'm experiencing failures on both an iPhone 4s and an iPad2 that are connected to the same AppleId. Another identical iPhone4s connected to a different AppleId updated without issue. In both of the failed cases the update image downloaded fine but when I try to install it fails verification saying the failure is due to "lack of an Internet connection" which is obviously not an issue. Neither device is "bricked" - I just can't update to iOS 9.3. It's a bug, not a cockpit error.

    Truthfully, for older devices the iOS 9.3 update doesn't really have much to offer other than somewhat better security and an iBooks app that almost works the way it should have in its first release. The night color shift feature doesn't even show up on older devices like the 4s, iPad Mini 1, etc. Few reasons to want to update in the first place - but it should still work as advertised because that's what Apple intended. 

    I kind of suspect these older devices won't be seeing any more iOS updates but it would be good to at least leave us with a final stable build before declaring end-of-life for these older devices. I'm okay with that approach for devices that are 5+ years out of the factory. Time to move on but leave us in a safe state.
  • Reply 33 of 44
    elijahgelijahg Posts: 2,753member
    dewme said:
    I'm experiencing failures on both an iPhone 4s and an iPad2 that are connected to the same AppleId. Another identical iPhone4s connected to a different AppleId updated without issue. In both of the failed cases the update image downloaded fine but when I try to install it fails verification saying the failure is due to "lack of an Internet connection" which is obviously not an issue. Neither device is "bricked" - I just can't update to iOS 9.3. It's a bug, not a cockpit error.
    Thats because Apple's stopped signing 9.3 for old devices so you can't install it and brick your device. Delete it in Settings > Storage > iOS update. When it's re-released you can update. 


    I kind of suspect these older devices won't be seeing any more iOS updates but it would be good to at least leave us with a final stable build before declaring end-of-life for these older devices.

    The iPad 2 and 4s sure, but I can't imagine they'd suddenly drop the 3 and first mini as they're a year newer. This affects the 5 and 5s too which is about 4 years newer than the iPad 2, so they won't be dropping the 5s anytime soon. 

  • Reply 34 of 44
    eightzeroeightzero Posts: 3,056member
    Umm...ok, I take back my no issues comment. I'm looking at my home screen on my iPhone 5s, and it is showing me yesterday's date (3/24). I open the calendar app, and it shows today (3/25) then when i go back to the home screen, the icon flicks from 3/25 to 3/24. 

    That is not a feature.
  • Reply 35 of 44
    eightzeroeightzero Posts: 3,056member
    There...a restart fixed it. Go figure.
  • Reply 36 of 44
    BgfBgf Posts: 3member
    Dhite
  • Reply 37 of 44
    I bet the Apple call centers and stores are a mess right now. The problem is with the consumer on this one. After the update you are required to sign into your apple ID. Its very simple and it works flawlessly. 
    The problem is not with (all of) the consumers. I was affected by this issue (iPad 2, 3G) and it never got to the point of asking for a sign in. We have 7 iOS devices and the iPad 2 was the only one that exhibited this (mis)behaviour. 
  • Reply 38 of 44
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    dewme said:
    I'm experiencing failures on both an iPhone 4s and an iPad2 that are connected to the same AppleId. Another identical iPhone4s connected to a different AppleId updated without issue. In both of the failed cases the update image downloaded fine but when I try to install it fails verification saying the failure is due to "lack of an Internet connection" which is obviously not an issue. Neither device is "bricked" - I just can't update to iOS 9.3. It's a bug, not a cockpit error.

    Truthfully, for older devices the iOS 9.3 update doesn't really have much to offer other than somewhat better security and an iBooks app that almost works the way it should have in its first release. The night color shift feature doesn't even show up on older devices like the 4s, iPad Mini 1, etc. Few reasons to want to update in the first place - but it should still work as advertised because that's what Apple intended. 

    I kind of suspect these older devices won't be seeing any more iOS updates but it would be good to at least leave us with a final stable build before declaring end-of-life for these older devices. I'm okay with that approach for devices that are 5+ years out of the factory. Time to move on but leave us in a safe state.
    I think 9.3 is a bit more performant than 9.2.1 (at least on my Ipad 2, or is that a placebo effect :-).
    Yes, I wish people would stop using the term bricked. If its bricked you can't recover in any way, not even going to older versions. It is basically trash. This is not the case here.
  • Reply 39 of 44
    I hope this hiccup incident does not stop apple from supporting older devices as they do now...
  • Reply 40 of 44
    cambocambo Posts: 38member
    So it’s Apple’s fault if you forget your passwords? Uhhh…what about keys, and wallets? If I forget them, is that Apple’s fault for not having an app to remind me? Err, ahh…and to people who inherited phones from deceased loved ones, I have much sympathy for their loss, but this issue will be showing up TIME AND TIME AGAIN on everything from bank accounts to Netflix. We are all mortal; if your time is nigh, please PASS YOUR PASSWORDS ON TO LOVED ONES. And NONE of this is Apple’s fault; it’s Obama’s…

    Cheers,
    Cameron
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