14 DAY TRIAL // Apple rolled out iOS version 9.3 on Monday following its iPhone SE unveiling event, but as we’ve already reported, a number of older iPads experienced activation errors and pretty much became unusable after attempting to update.
No clear workaround was available at first, although some customers claimed that taking the device to an Apple Store was a possible solution because Genius Bar engineers were aware of the problem.
But in a statement released today, Apple not only acknowledged the issue but also revealed that the update was pulled for older devices until a fix is developed.
iPhones affected too
And what’s worse is that not only iPads are affected, but also iPhones. iPad 2, third and fourth-generation iPad with a Retina display, as well as the iPad Air are all affected. As far as iPhones are concerned, the 4S, 5C, and 5S are all impacted too, so are the iPad Mini 1, 2, and 3, and the fifth-generation iPod Touch.
“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. 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,” a company spokesperson was quoted as saying by iMore.
Furthermore, Cupertino has also provided some tips in case your device is hit by this error, recommending users to reset the password or disable the Activation lock feature in iCloud.com. An update should land in the coming days, but until then, it’s safer to refuse the update if you own an older iPhone or iPad model.
Update: We're seeing reports that Apple is offering a new software update to iPad 2 models impacted by the activation issues, but no official announcement in this regard is available just yet.