14 DAY TRIAL // iOS 11 has certainly been one of the least polished Apple releases in a long time, and it looks like the recently-shipped version 11.3 is by no means an exception.
According to reports, iOS 11.3 breaks down the MDM (Mobile Device Management) system that companies use to update their iPhones and iPads remotely. In other words, once devices end up running iOS 11.3, enterprises can no longer control their device fleets remotely.
JAMF, which is one of the largest Apple MDM software providers, has acknowledged the bug and recommended companies to delay the upgrade to iOS 11.3 until a solution is found.
“We are working on a maintenance update for Jamf Pro 10.3 that will handle the new response from iOS 11.3 devices and prevent this failure. We recommend that organizations avoid using the MDM Software Update workflow to upgrade devices to iOS 11.3 until this maintenance release is available,” the company said.
A workaround is expected in the coming days, but no other specifics were provided. Apple has obviously remained tight-lipped, despite an OpenRadar submission already recorded.
The iOS 11.3 saga
iOS 11.3 is a critical release for Apple, as it introduces the eagerly-anticipated options to diagnose battery health and provide users of older iPhones with an easy way to disable the widely criticized throttling system enabled due to worn-out batteries.
Apple acknowledged in late December that it deliberately slowed down old iPhone phones, including iPhone 6 to iPhone 7, when battery health level dropped below 80% in an attempt to prevent unexpected shutdowns and offer consistent performance. This decision, however, triggered a wave of criticism worldwide, with thousands of customers deciding to sue the company, while consumer organizations started investigations due to possible planned obsolescence.
Apple has also launched a battery replacement program with a discount from $79 to $29 for affected iPhones with degraded batteries.