Schools around the U.S. are experiencing problems with iOS 7. Specifically, the new operating system wipes the supervision profiles from deployed iPads, leaving students able to access “unauthorized” web content on the devices.
As reported by AllThingsD, a number of schools that have incorporated Apple’s iPad into their curriculum are reporting the latest iOS 7 upgrade strips the tablets of installed supervision profiles and filters, which are in place to monitor and protect students who use the device while off campus.
A memo sent to parents in the Manitou Springs School District 14 in Colorado reads, in part:
Apple did not realize that installing iOS 7 would remove our (and thousands of organizations across the country) safety protection measure, which now makes the iPad devices unfiltered when accessing the Internet away from school. In the short term, the district will be collecting iPad devices at the end of each day until the safety protection measure is reinstalled.
All told, the district had to collect numerous iPads, wipe and restore them, and reinstall a fresh version of iOS 7 along with any apps and content saved by the student. Other schools have avoided the problem by blocking over-the-air iOS 7 downloads via campus Wi-Fi settings.
Apple’s recently updated Configurator tool is thought to be the culprit in many reported cases. Apple’s Support Communities webpage contains reports of numerous failures and bugs experienced when using the tool with iPads running iOS 7.
“IT staff can’t lockout iOS updates, but can lockout App updates,” wrote a forum member. “This renders Configurator 1.3 and 1.21 dead.”
Apple is reportedly aware of the issues, and is working on a remedy to the situation.
(UPDATE – 10/03/13) – AllThingsD confirms Apple is aware of this latest issue, and that it’s working on a fix.
“Some business and education users have reported that their supervised devices have reverted to unsupervised when they upgrade to iOS 7,” an Apple spokeswoman told AllThingsD. “We are aware of this issue, and will have a fix this month.”
