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The first time Apple released its iOS 9.3.2 update for iPad Pro 9.7 devices, on May 16, the update caused an unknown number of the devices to become “bricked,” or permanently disabled, forcing the company to pull the update back and sort out the problems. Now the company has released an updated version of iOS 9.3.2 aimed at updating iPad Pro 9.7 machines correctly.
The re-release of the now updated iOS 9.3.2 code, which is labeled build 13F72, is now available after being released by Apple on June 2, according to a story by MacRumors.
Apple did not immediately respond to an email request from eWEEK about the updated iOS version. The company has posted a support document that tells customers how to update their 9.7-inch iPad Pro if they receive an Error 56 message during the process.
Apple confirmed the original bricking problems affecting some iPad Prod 9.7 devices back on May 23 and said that it was working on a fix at that time, according to an earlier eWEEK story. Apple said it received “a small number of reports” about the problem but has not said exactly how many iPad Pro 9.7-inch tablets have been affected by the errant code. The company told iPad Pro 9.7 owners to contact Apple Support if they were unable to restore their machines after installing the bad code.
Reports have said that Apple replaced some iPad Pro 9.7 devices after the bad code left them permanently ruined, but an Apple spokesman would not comment on the issue.
In February, Apple had a similar device bricking issue with some iPhones that underwent an iOS update, according to earlier eWEEK stories. At that time, Apple issued an apology to iPhone owners, as well as a patched version of its iOS operating system, after an undisclosed number of iPhones were rendered inoperable by an Error 53 security feature that the company said was built into the devices when they were assembled.
The affected iPhones had been repaired by third-party service centers using non-Apple parts, which triggered the error message as a security feature, according to Apple. The Error 53 message is designed to come on if the phone’s built-in fingerprint ID mechanism or its cable is replaced by someone who is trying to gain access to the device. The problem in those cases was that the error message also was generated after a phone was simply repaired. Apple heard plenty of customer complaints about the issue before finally solving the problem and asking customers for forgiveness.
The company told customers that the problem that had cropped up “was designed to be a factory test and was not intended to affect customers.” Customers who paid for an out-of-warranty replacement of their device based on the issue were told to contact AppleCare about a reimbursement.
In the iPhone error case, the problem was specific to iPhones that were given iOS updates through Apple iTunes. Some customer devices received a message, “Connect to iTunes,” after attempting an iOS update or a restore from iTunes on a Mac or PC. An Error 53 was then reported in iTunes, which appears when a device fails a security test designed to check whether Touch ID works properly before the device leaves the factory.
To solve the problem, Apple released a software update that allowed customers who encountered the error message to successfully restore their device using iTunes on a Mac or PC. The company also provided an online support document describing more details about the error message and how affected devices can be repaired.