iPads not updating iOS (iPadOS)

[SimonA1]

@vassallon  , @Richard_W 

Thanks for your replies. The iPads are shared iPads using accounts created in Apple School Manager. Users log in using an Apple ID with a four digit pin. I ensure that no one is logged in before sending the update. The Meraki log will tell me that it can't install the update if a user is logged in. This used to work, but only a few would install out of the list I sent the update to. On some of them, I now get an error saying An error occurred downloading iPadOS 13.1.2. This message appears well after I get the Success message in the activity log.

Other communications to the iPad still work though. If I send a command to re-boot the iPad, that works just fine.

[SimonA1]

Hi All,

We use Meraki to manage a lot of our iPads. However, the iPads don't seem to receive the OS updates anymore. This is what I have done:

1. Log into dashboard.

2. Select iPad to update.

3. Click OS Update -> Install

4. Wait for "Install OS Update" to show as "Success" in activity log.

When "Success" is shown in the activity log, should the iPad start downloading the update, or should I see the black screen with white apple logo at this point? From this point, I have waited a long period of time after "Success" appears in the activity log and the iPad's are not installing the update. They have over 50% charge.

[Richard_W · Accepted solution]

Sometimes it does take a while, I'm thinking success is the acknowledgment of the queue to download the update. Sometimes I've had to re-apply the update, as I feel the update queues, downloads and sometimes sits. I wonder how often Meraki SM polls back to see if the update is actually installed, because sometimes the client will be updated but SM will show the older OS and still offer the current, already applied, update.

It's these little things that I feel that let the SM product down. Meraki needs to run a team to look at these annoyances because all in all it makes for a product that promises a lot but fails to deliver on many fronts, not to mention remote access.

[vassallon]

@SimonA1 and @Richard_W 

Do these iPads have passcodes on them?

My belief is that when passcodes are enabled on an iPad, it must be entered to allow the update to occur. My understanding that this is an Apple restriction that was put into place. 

Meraki can send the update but Apple, in their wisdom, requires the password to truly update the device. Just like we cannot push profiles to passcode locked devices, another big annoyance in my world.

[Richard_W]

no passcode on mine

[SimonA1]

@Richard_W @vassallon 

From what I've seen recently, as soon as Successful appears in the activity log, the update starts installing. However, on most iPads, nothing happens when this message appears. They have more than enough charge to start and they are all the same model, so they should support the update.

Is there any documentation on the Activity log? I haven't managed to find any guides on this. I would like to know exactly what Successful refers to in this case. 

[Richard_W]

What would be nice would be some response in the Event log that acknowledges receipt of update and when install is either completed or delayed (and why).

[MeredithW]

Moved thread from Off the Stack to Endpoint Management - Systems Manager board.

[JanNovak]

We had similar problems with update iOS on school shared iPads with Meraki management.

On iPads with OS 13.3, 13.5 update works and goes to latest 14.2.

On iPads with OS 12.1, 12.2, 12.4 update not work (pending or success but nothing happen).

I tried restarts before update, try update more times, nothing help.

Maybe it could cause splitting from iOS to iPadOS?

At the end I used Apple Configurator 2 on Mac to directly update OS via cable.

It works quickly without problems.

[SimonA1]

@JanNovak @Richard_W @MeredithW @vassallon 

Hi Guys,

Going off what Richard_W said, it seems he was correct. The Success message in the activity log is to start the download.

If you open up General > iPad Storage, you can see the update downloading after the Success message appears in the activity log.

I suppose, if an update starts installing right after Success appears in the activity log, this is probably because the update had downloaded and needed a trigger to start installing.

The only slight problem to solve, is that if you watch the download in iPad Storage, it quite often appears to get stuck. Sometimes it needs the the install update command re-sent to re-start the download. At least I've got a live update of this now and can see how it's going.

Regards

Simon