How to Install New iOS 9.3 Build to Fix Bricked iPhones and iPads

How to Install New iOS 9.3 Build to Fix Bricked iPhones and iPads
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Apple’s iOS mobile operating system is generally reliable, especially compared to its Android competition, which can be considerably more buggy. However, the recent iOS 9.3 release for iPhone and iPad left many legacy devices in rough shape. Many users of older iPhone and iPads reported iOS 9.3 did not install correctly and bricked their devices rendering them unusable.

The affected iOS 9.3 build required people with older iPhone and iPads to input the Apple ID and password which was used when the device was originally setup, rather than the current information, which may have been different.

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There are a number of reasons the Apple ID and password for a device could change from the original information. For example, many people hand down iPhones and iPads to their children who probably have their own Apple IDs, others regularly change their password for security reasons and many change their information when they switch email providers.

The issue occurred when users incorrectly typed in the original Apple ID information. Once the information was mistyped, the iPhone or iPad became locked in an endless activation loop. After the issue became widespread, Apple admitted the bug could affect the iPhone 5s, iPad Air and any devices prior to those two. Apple quickly pulled the affected version of iOS 9.3 and released a patched up version, which is now available to download.

If your device was affected by the bug, don’t sweat it. Here is what you need to do to get the new update. The easiest way to get the fix is to plug in the bricked iPhone or iPad to a computer running iTunes. There, you can update your device by downloading and installing the latest iOS 9.3 build. Just make sure the update build number is ‘13E237’. If you have an older device and have not yet updated to iOS 9.3, you can now download the new update over the air with no worries.

Although most people with an iPhone or iPad probably still have a desktop or laptop running iTunes sitting around, I’m sure there are many people who don’t. If you’ve been affected by the bug and don’t have access to a computer running iTunes, you will need to set up an appointment at an Apple Store to get your device fixed. While this certainly isn’t a convenient solution, the Apple Store shouldn’t charge you anything since the issue is on Apple’s end.

This type of widespread problem isn’t the norm for Apple, but there have been other recent problems with the iOS mobile operating system. Considering the massive amount of iPhone and iPads apple is supporting with their iOS software, some problems here and there are understandable, but issues causing devices to be unusable are hard to ignore.

The silver lining is how Apple has recently handled these types of issues. Historically, the company has been extremely hesitant to admit any wrongdoing, but with this iOS 9.3 bug, Apple is continuing the positive trend of being more transparent with the public. Coupled with how quick Apple released a fix to the problem, these facts are encouraging and even in light of this widespread software mix up, the company seems to be heading in the right direction.

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Did these tips work for you? What do you like about iOS 9.3? Let us know in the comments below!

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