As we reported, numeroususerstookto Apple’s support forums to complain that some owners of older iPhone and iPad devices saw their hardware bricked after updating to therecently released iOS 9.3 firmware. Apple has sincedetailedthe problem in asupport documenton its website and pulled the software update for select devices.
Today, the company has re-released iOS 9.3 for those devices. The new build of iOS 9.3 for the iPad 2 has version number “13E236” versus the now defunct iOS 9.3 build “13E234” for the iPhone and “13E233” for the iPad, asper9to5Mac’s Chance Miller.
If your device has been bricked by the previous iOS 9.3 build, connect it to iTunes via the included USB cable and the app should put up a prompt offering to install the new version.
Going toSettings → General → Software Updateon an unaffected device won’t show the new build of iOS 9.3. The new build has been released without incrementing the version number and simply removes an authentication step.
After updating to iOS 9.3 on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, a small subset of users reported being stuck on theActivation Lockscreen. Typically, entering an Apple ID and password would activate the device, but some folks were unable to move forward.
In a statementgivento iMore yesterday, an Apple spokesperson said the company was pausing the iOS 9.3 software update for the affected devices until it developed a fix.
“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 to complete the software update,” Apple acknowledged.
“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.”
The important thing is, Apple’s moved swiftly to rectify the situation so owners of the iPad 2, iPhone 5s, iPad Air and earlier devices can now enjoy iOS 9.3. If anything, this case is another cautionary tale which underscores the importance of rigorous testing.
