Apple Pulls iOS 9.3 Update For Select Devices, Here’s Why [Updated]

Some iPhone and iPad users got activation errors after updating their devices to iOS 9.3. We reported about this problem yesterday with a potential fix to help get around the problem. Apple has now acknowledged the issue and has decided to pull the iOS 9.3 update for the affected iOS device models.

Apparently, this issue only occurs on some older models like the iPhone 5s and iPad 2. If you have already got iOS 9.3 working fine on your iPhone or iPad, you don’t need to do anything at this time. Apple has pulled the update for affected devices only and will re-release iOS 9.3 update for those devices with a fix for activation issues in place in the coming days.

iOS 9.3 main

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.”

Apple has also posted a support document detailing the problem and offering some fixes for those stuck on activation screen following iOS 9.3 update. You can try these tips to see if they help fix the problem. In case those solutions don’t help, it will be best to downgrade back to iOS 9.2.1 and wait for Apple to re-release iOS 9.3 update for your device, which as mentioned, should arrive in the next few days.

iPad-2-iOS-9.3

You can follow our guide on how to downgrade back to iOS 9.2.1 from iOS 9.3 on your affected iPhone or iPad here: How To Downgrade iOS 9.3 On iPhone Or iPad [Tutorial].

Update x1: Updated version of iOS 9.3 with build number 13E236 is now available. You can find more details on it here: Fix iOS 9.3 Cannot Activate Error With Build 13E236 On Affected Devices.

(source: iMore)

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