IOS upgrade/Downgrade

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Hi all,

so while trying to support these ipads and IOS devices that Im learning as I go along,

I wanted to ask,

is it possible to upgrade/downgrade at will to a earlier version,

let me explain,

a few of our users have IOS 9.3.4 and we have a mobileiron system that installs profiles? or some doohickey on the ipads.
thing is certain people were told to upgrade their Ipads to the "then" previous version of IOS 9.3.5

not everybody did this, as many people weren't checking their mails,
so I was told something interesting now, IOS 10 is now out, but not all the "profiles/settings/company apps have been tested with this?

so very soon people that DIDNT upgrade to 9.3.5 will struggle to connect, and access their mails and apps will stop,
until the "testing" or something will "catch up" to IOS10

in the meanwhile we dealing with some people that didnt upgrade, what can I do with them?
I was told to direct them to an Istore and hope they have a upgrade to IOS 9.3.5, and do the "upgrade" that way.

or is there another way? can I downgrade/Upgrade, if that makes sense people with the wrong IOS version?

as until the testing is completed and official support is added, in the next 2 months, there will be a lot of angry users..

Im making everything seriously over-complicated, but I hope it makes sense....

 

[Soul Assassin]

I didn't read the whole post but I think this answers the main question.

Once Apple stops signing iOS 9.3.5 you can't go back or install a older version, not even the iStore people can do this for you, so at this point you have a very limited window to download the full iOS 9.3.5 ipsw file and flash that via iTunes while Apple still signs that firmware.

If you're lucky you have maybe 24 hours while they are still signing 9.3.5.

Link to iOS 9.3.5 ipsw and Apple signing status.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

I didn't read the whole post but I think this answers the main question.

Once Apple stops signing iOS 9.3.5 you can't go back or install a older version, not even the iStore people can do this for you, so at this point you have a very limited window to download the full iOS 9.3.5 ipsw file and flash that via iTunes while Apple still signs that firmware.

If you're lucky you have maybe 24 hours while they are still signing 9.3.5.

Link to iOS 9.3.5 ipsw and Apple signing status.

so I can download 9.3.5 via that site, and have 24 hours to activate it?
or once downloaded, I can use that file for as long as I need it, and it will still work?

 

[zippy]

If I told my boss I wasn't checking my emails, I would probably be asked to leave....

I am making some assumptions here, but it seems your users are using corporate apps on privately owned devices ?

That's a recipe for disaster, whether its iOS or Android or any operating system. If viewing corporate emails on their mobile devices is a job requirement, then the devices should be company owned as well. If not you are in very murky waters regarding the storage of sensitive data be it, corporate info or customers private info.

If the devices are company owned then the company should be managing them and should be in total control of the operating system updates and what gets installed on them. if they bypassing these controls, then fire their ass as its not their property.

If it is their own devices, then you have a problem and there really isn't much you can do about it

By being locked to a version these devices are serious security risks as they cant get security upgrades.

 

[Soul Assassin]

so I can download 9.3.5 via that site, and have 24 hours to activate it?
or once downloaded, I can use that file for as long as I need it, and it will still work?

I was using the 24 hours as a guesstimate, the files are signed server side by Apple once you update so if you miss the signing window now you can never install 9.3.5 again.

So if you download that file now and they stop signing tomorrow the file becomes useless.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

I was using the 24 hours as a guesstimate, the files are signed server side by Apple once you update so if you miss the signing window now you can never install 9.3.5 again.

So if you download that file now and they stop signing tomorrow the file becomes useless.

thanks, we will test and see if we can get some slowpokes to DL the right versions.
I will also try and work it again after 24 HRS,

as for how our devices are used, most are corporate owned, and company property,
and they all got notifications to upgrade in time to 9.3.5, just not everybody did it, had enough data or were able to do it.
so Im trying to prepare myself in advance, if there is something I can do from my side to get these things to work,

seems like a silly idea, but maybe this is how these upgrades are installed.

\note to self, dont bother with another IOS device, stick with good ol android.....

 

[Soul Assassin]

Keep in mind you can use the ipsw file to update multiple users so it's not like everyone has to download it.

So if say everyone has a iPad Air you just download the iPad Air ipsw file and everyone can use that to flash their devices using iTunes.

 

[morkhans]

There is usually about a week grace period before the signing stops, so you may have a bit more than 24hrs.

If all your devices are company owned you get to dictate what happens on them. So I would suggest you look at a Mobile Device Management tool to allow you to centrally monitor them all. That will help you catch the slackers and control what is installed.

https://www.apple.com/support/business/mdm/
http://www.n-able.com/products/mobile-manager

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Keep in mind you can use the ipsw file to update multiple users so it's not like everyone has to download it.

So if say everyone has a iPad Air you just download the iPad Air ipsw file and everyone can use that to flash their devices using iTunes.

thanks again soulassassin, Im DL the 3 we need, for the 3 versions of ipad we need.
my colleague says he knows how to flash using Itunes (as I have no clue) .

hopefully we will be able to upgrade to 9.3.5 and get Ipads to work without issues,
after the 24 hours has gone,

as per my limited understanding, its just a file that gets flashed and works?
like doing a Cyanogen ROM on an android?

or does it "force" an upgrade to go through? so in other words I load this version,
and then it says you cant use it until you upgrade to IOS 10?

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

There is usually about a week grace period before the signing stops, so you may have a bit more than 24hrs.

If all your devices are company owned you get to dictate what happens on them. So I would suggest you look at a Mobile Device Management tool to allow you to centrally monitor them all. That will help you catch the slackers and control what is installed.

https://www.apple.com/support/business/mdm/
http://www.n-able.com/products/mobile-manager

as per my understanding, we already have this tool installed,
called mobileiron, but we dont have access to it locally in SA, as per my very limited understanding.

so its generated reports, and sent out emails to slacking users to upgrade,
but not all of them could/did carry it out,

so Im trying to prepare myself, if I need to upgrade that its possible to be done.
without resorting to Istore or wait for the "profiles" to catch up to IOS 10.

 

[riscbroker]

I assume the devices that are still on 9.3.4 are still working OK? If so, why bother updating to 9.3.5? You may as well sit tight until all your apps/profiles/whatever work properly on iOS10 and then update all the devices, you don't have to be on 9.3.5 to qualify for update to iOS10.

 

[morkhans]

as per my understanding, we already have this tool installed,
called mobileiron, but we dont have access to it locally in SA, as per my very limited understanding.

so its generated reports, and sent out emails to slacking users to upgrade,
but not all of them could/did carry it out,

so Im trying to prepare myself, if I need to upgrade that its possible to be done.
without resorting to Istore or wait for the "profiles" to catch up to IOS 10.

If you don't have access to the tool and the tool only emails the user then I'd say you don't actually have a MDM tool

 

[Soul Assassin]

thanks again soulassassin, Im DL the 3 we need, for the 3 versions of ipad we need.
my colleague says he knows how to flash using Itunes (as I have no clue) .

hopefully we will be able to upgrade to 9.3.5 and get Ipads to work without issues,
after the 24 hours has gone,

as per my limited understanding, its just a file that gets flashed and works?
like doing a Cyanogen ROM on an android?

or does it "force" an upgrade to go through? so in other words I load this version,
and then it says you cant use it until you upgrade to IOS 10?

The ipsw file is the whole update whereas the OTA update you do on the device is just the files that have changed.

It's very easy, plug in device, open iTunes, hold down Option key on Mac or Shift key on Windows while clicking Update, this will bring up a window to browse to the location of the ipsw file, wait for the update to complete and done.

No funny business, it will be exactly as if you updated on the device itself but instead of getting the update from the Apple servers you already have the update on the PC.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

I assume the devices that are still on 9.3.4 are still working OK? If so, why bother updating to 9.3.5? You may as well sit tight until all your apps/profiles/whatever work properly on iOS10 and then update all the devices, you don't have to be on 9.3.5 to qualify for update to iOS10.

according to what I gathered, those on the older IOS 9.3.4 will struggle to get mails to work,
so there was a push from management to get them to upgrade to 9.3.5, so there were mails sent out and much nagging .

but not everybody did/could/bothered/deleted the mailer
so I want to have a way to rescue those that call me in a panic, saying help me as Im lazy....

also per my understanding, the main testing of IOS 10 takes a while until the "profiles" works,
so what do people who didnt upgrade do until then? can I actually do something/anything?

as I expecting a stampede soon.

 

[Soul Assassin]

I assume the devices that are still on 9.3.4 are still working OK? If so, why bother updating to 9.3.5? You may as well sit tight until all your apps/profiles/whatever work properly on iOS10 and then update all the devices, you don't have to be on 9.3.5 to qualify for update to iOS10.

Because he clearly said the users on iOS 9.3.4 won't be able to access their mail and apps will stop working very soon.

 

[riscbroker]

Because he clearly said the users on iOS 9.3.4 won't be able to access their mail and apps will stop working very soon.

Yes, I saw that. Why would their mail stop working though?

Edit: Presumably if their admins push some setting changes via MobileIron? If they can do that why don't they just push the update to 9.3.5?

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Because he clearly said the users on iOS 9.3.4 won't be able to access their mail and apps will stop working very soon.

this exactly,
according to some people here at the office, we have had this situation before with the last upgrade,
upgrade didnt "catch up to the latest" Ipad update and certain people lost connectivity before.

so I trying to prepare myself for when that might happen, and what I need to do exactly.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Yes, I saw that. Why would their mail stop working though?

Edit: Presumably if their admins push some setting changes via MobileIron? If they can do that why don't they just push the update to 9.3.5?

I asked this question myself,
seems that due to some policy, they need to "accept" it before it gets pushed out,

due to some obscure privacy whatwhat or something....

so its now a case of some did it, some didnt,
and those that didnt or ignored it now screwed as it will stop working soon enough.

so being in IT, what can I do to help them? besides breaking it and buying a android:crylaugh: