iOS 5 Update Problems Flood Apple Support Forums

[Peter_Izn]

My update is finished. Initial problems. Ages to download, but maybe because I downloaded just after it came online. Timed out about four times. Eventually loaded, then I had an error message. Gave up went to bed, tried again early this morning. It did a long backup, then the procedure started, after a long backup. I have a 64, about 3/4 full, with about 30 apps. The procedure about an hour after the backup was completed. It looks good, no probs

 

[Lanas19]

Anyone having a problem with iMessage? So far everything else seems ok. I have tried several times to log in and eventually get a error message saying PLEASE CHECK YOUR NETWORK CONNECTION AND TRY AGAIN LATER. There is no problem with my network connection I've been online every time on several websites even as I tried to connect with iMessage. Anyone out there with some help

Sent from my iPad using iPF ***Lana***

 

[Lovemyipad2]

Ok 14 hours later and still not done... Ughhh I need my phone.

 

[Lovemyipad2]

Good to know Peter_lzn cause that's where I'm at now a loonnnnnnngggg backup process.

 

[thebytedoc]

By the way, I am also sorry to hear you are having problems, however my admin just finished her iPhone 4 update. She started about an hour ago and is not particularly computer savvy. She did install iTunes 10.5 yesterday so that was finished, but she did the iOS update all by herself this morning, no problem.

-t

Hey Witt, appreciate your perspective. I had very little trouble updating 2 iPhones an iPad2 and an iPod Touch. Only the iPad had grief, but as expected it was due to the demand. I do not fault Apple. For example, say you have a party at your house, make it a wedding, you invite 250 guests. All your resources are going to be maxed out, people may have to wait to use the lavatory, they may not be able to park close, etc. I would not expect you to build a 30,000 sqft home for the occasion. Nor would I expect Apple to create twice or three times the server capacity for an annual onslaught of activity. I have not heard about their servers crashing. Most folks just had to try again and if you follow all the procedures (make sure you have everything up-to-date before hand) all goes fairly smoothly.

 

[saclark]

Yea, I lef tmy Itunes on doing the upgrad to 10.5 last night. Also had my Ipad II plugged in this morning I awake to find that the Itunes has been upgraded but my Ipad II is now a big brick. I cannot even get it to do a restore. Anyone know any tricks to just get the backup restored or get it reset to the original settings? I really needed this today for a meeting but it looks like I'm pretty much out of luck.

 

[Kaykaykay]

Hey Witt, appreciate your perspective. I had very little trouble updating 2 iPhones an iPad2 and an iPod Touch. Only the iPad had grief, but as expected it was due to the demand. I do not fault Apple. For example, say you have a party at your house, make it a wedding, you invite 250 guests. All your resources are going to be maxed out, people may have to wait to use the lavatory, they may not be able to park close, etc. I would not expect you to build a 30,000 sqft home for the occasion. Nor would I expect Apple to create twice or three times the server capacity for an annual onslaught of activity. I have not heard about their servers crashing. Most folks just had to try again and if you follow all the procedures (make sure you have everything up-to-date before hand) all goes fairly smoothly.

I doubt any sane person has suggested that Apple create more server capacity for the upgrade. There is no reason staggering wouldn't have helped avoid this mess, though.

If you invite 250 people to a normal-size house, you'll probably end up with a visit from the fire marshal or cops. Same common sense: Don't try to cram in what clearly won't fit all at once.

 

[Kaykaykay]

I don't see a link to iCloud in this problem report.... What am I missing?

You don't seem to see anything wrong with the cloud. Everything is working great, lol.

 

[thewitt]

You don't seem to see anything wrong with the cloud. Everything is working great, lol.

Name the iCloud feature that's broken from the report you put up

Moderation Notice: This post has been edited by IPF staff in accordance with the Forum Rules

Let's not be rude, please.

 

[NTollinger]

While the upgrade took about 3 hours for my iPad 2, I can't complain...I think much of the delay was the backup and restore of the data and apps I originally had on it!

No problems with iCloud yet, still digging into the backup settings honestly...since the default is to backup app info from my three year olds flash card apps

Only problem so far...I can't mirror my iPad 2 through my Apple TV! I do not get the "mirror" option that, I believe, is supposed to be below "Send to iPAd... Send to Apple TV..." on my AirPlay list.

Still digging.

 

[NTollinger]

User error confirmed.

Unbeknownst to me...there is an iOS update for ATV...which will permit the mirror function...to mirror.

I now know what I'M doing tonight.

 

[thebytedoc]

I doubt any sane person has suggested that Apple create more server capacity for the upgrade. There is no reason staggering wouldn't have helped avoid this mess, though.

If you invite 250 people to a normal-size house, you'll probably end up with a visit from the fire marshal or cops. Same common sense: Don't try to cram in what clearly won't fit all at once.

Fair point .

 

[Drag Bunt]

Took 4 1/2 hours yesterday afternoon from start to finish. I can see where this would be a problem for folks who actually use their devices for important stuff. Agree that Apple should have planned better. No excuse with that big new server farm in NC for not managing what they had to know was going to be a massive number of downloads in a more professional manner. Steve would be unhappy.

 

[jsh1120]

Took about 10 hours with many stop/start/wait/error/start/etc. to get to iOS 5. My impressions...

() Apple failed miserably to prepare for and deal with the avalanche of people trying to update several very different devices. A staggered process would have been a far better approach and would have avoided a PR disaster.

() I'm beginning to suspect that in addition to the demand placed on the Apple servers, the problems may well have been correlated with the amount of data on devices that had to be restored in the process. In my case I have an iPad 2 64G with about 35 gigabytes of data. Apple's estimate (displayed on my screen when the process began the first time) was that the update might be "an hour". That turned out to be an absurd underestimate even if the update had gone smoothly. But presenting an overly optimistic (to say the least) estimate to a user only fueled anxiety and a belief that the update process had failed.

() All in all, I suspect that apart from luck of the draw, those who were updating an iPhone with a few songs or an iPad with a few apps may well have managed to get through the process without difficulty and without the entire process timing out. I'm guessing that the way the algorithms were set for the update placed those with large restoration needs at a distinct disadvantage, a disadvantage that grew the longer the process took.

() The fact that the iOS update required an update of iTunes only added to the confusion and difficulty. I happened to have updated iTunes several days before but apparently because I have only an iPad and no iPhone or other "mobile device" associated with the iTunes application on the computer I use for the iPad, the updated version of iTunes continues to throw an error and tries to "fix" itself. Though this apparently had no impact on the iOS 5 update for my iPad, it only added to the confusion of trying to accomplish the update. And as I understand it, if I had been using a Mac as the computer for the update I would have had to have updated that operating system, as well. Piling one update on top of another for multiple devices contributed, I'm sure, to the entire fiasco and demand on Apple's servers.

So, bottom line...

() Failure to implement a staggered update process was a huge error for which there is no excuse. The entire process smacks of amateurism.

() Misleading estimates, uninformative error messages, and the usual terrible messaging in iTunes, (e.g. restoration will delete everything on your device) added to the mess.

() Apple's silence about the mess, the failure to provide a comprehensive iOS 5 upgrade FAQ, and the attempt to cram multiple updates to multiple devices and software applications into a complicated overall experience that does no credit to the firm.

 

[richsadams]

Yea, I lef tmy Itunes on doing the upgrad to 10.5 last night. Also had my Ipad II plugged in this morning I awake to find that the Itunes has been upgraded but my Ipad II is now a big brick. I cannot even get it to do a restore. Anyone know any tricks to just get the backup restored or get it reset to the original settings? I really needed this today for a meeting but it looks like I'm pretty much out of luck.

iTunes: Backing up, updating, and restoring your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch software