Apart from unveiling the new iPhone SE and a smaller iPad Pro this week, Apple had also taken the opportunity to start rolling out iOS 9.3, the latest version of its iOS mobile operating system. But it appears that the iPhone maker’s newest update to its OS is causing some installation glitches for iPad tablet devices, especially those older models.
Based on various feedback provided by readers of the blog AppleInsider, as well as posts on Apple’s Support Communities, plus tweets on the Apple Support Twitter page, older models of iPad tablets are not able to install iOS 9.3. Furthermore, during the activation stage, the tablets are rendered inoperable. For now, it looks like the issue is affecting mainly the iPad 2, which tablet users are claiming is getting authentication error notifications whenever they attempt to activate their iPads after trying to install the iOS 9.3 update.
Glitches are nothing new for software updates, and fresh versions of Apple’s iOS are not an exception to this. Even though a particular iOS version has been thoroughly tested, problems can still arise when it winds its way to Apple mobile device. No stranger to this, there is no doubt that Apple will always be on the lookout for any bugs or concerns that might crop up, and then get ready to provide a fix as soon as possible.
So what might be the root of this latest installation issue that only appears to affect older iPad models? One possibility is that Apple’s servers are simply overwhelmed with the enormous volume to iOS mobile users that are attempting to download and install the new software update to their iPad devices. But this does not provide an answer for owners of older iPad models who have been unable to activate their tablets even after waiting for a full 24 hour period.
Interestingly, a number of iPad owners have stated that they were able to fix the problem by plugging their tablets to iTunes. Still, a certain group have claimed otherwise that they were forced to do a full restore of their iPad devices in order to get their tablets operating again. With different symptoms and outcomes, one can not shake the feeling that this issue may be more complicated than it looks.
So is it wise for iPad owners, especially those who have not gotten to downloading or installing the iOS 9.3 software update, to maybe wait a bit before upgrading? That seems like a sound idea. As for those who want to proceed with the update anyway, they would do well to back up their iPad devices to a computer or to iCloud before updating their tablet’s software so that any data will not be lost if things do not go as planned.
