Students Appear Offline in Apple Classroom

What we recently found is that if the management settings allow students to turn off Bluetooth or to switch the device to Airplane mode, then the Classroom App will recognize the device as offline.

If your school uses a MDM, have them lock the settings on the student devices and if the issue continues you will know it is connectivity and not the device.

I really hope this helps!

I have had this happen too. I am running the latest Classroom version and latest iOS. Not all of our iPads are on the latest iOS. They don’t roll out updates to students as quickly as they do to teachers. I can’t seem to figure out why this is happening, but it is SO annoying when I am trying to airdrop files to the class and students don’t receive the files.

Hi JenBrau

The issue you described was addressed has been addressed by the update Classroom 1.1.2 update but there can be some other underlying issues to check that can have similar characteristics.

According to my local Apple Edu Engineer, it is possible to overwhelm the teacher iPad using Airdrop or Bluetooth radio when you have 30 IPads in a class with another classroom just 1wall away. (Remember that the wave carries a signal 20-30 ft).

Additionally, some teachers have added other devices in the room such as speakers or Smart brand panels, so all of that plays into the equation.

In my high school of 2500 students we have run into many new found challenges with constant connectivity even having a 10gb fiber service to the school because of the BYOD policy that came before the addition of the iPads in class sets.

In the classes where the students are “dropping” from view check your WiFi speeds to make sure it’s not spiking.

Make sure that all of the devices are on the same IOS version as well as the Classroom version and that the app successfully installed.

Hi JenBrau,

Thanks for coming to Apple Support Communities for help today. It sounds like the Classroom app isn't working correctly on the iPads at your school with students appearing offline.

Is the app on the most recent update? On the page: What's new in Classroom it appears version 1.1.2 "Fixed an issue that in some cases prevented Classroom from discovering nearby student devices."

You can also take a look inside Classroom Help.

If you do continue to have this issue, please reach out to Education Support.

I hope that helps.

Have a fantastic day!