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iPad not eligible for the requested build in 4.3 iOS update?

I have an iPad1 running iOS 4.2.1 set up with a mac and iTunes 10.2.1.

After plugging in my iPad, iTunes informed me that there was an iOS update available (iOS 4.3). I tried having it download and install the update.

I get an alert box that the iPad could not be updated. It said that the iPad wasn't eligible for the requested build. Hunh? Clearly it is eligible - Apple said so via iTunes.

I tried rebooting the iPad and the Mac but the same error message occurred.

I don't see a pile of these errors on a Google search so I assume this is something specific to my iPad (never jailbroken, plain vanilla iPad regularly backed up and updated via iTunes).

Any idea?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.6)

Posted on Mar 13, 2011 9:08 AM

57 replies

Mar 13, 2011 6:12 PM in response to rdiazcaris

What do you mean -- correcting the time on the Apple server?

Mar 13, 2011 8:01 PM in response to Gerald Striph

I have now also tried on a different Mac -- same error.

So it is either the iPad or some trouble on Apple's end with verifying my account. Will post Apple's solution when I hear back from them. I've spent over an hour on the phone with 3 Apple reps so far. I am curious as, until this update, I never recognized a problem with the iPad or any of my Apple machines or software. I am hoping for a server problem miracle...

Mar 13, 2011 8:07 PM in response to Gerald Striph

Whatever you do, don't upgrade to iOS 4.3. It is not stable. It will make your iPad generation 1 very sluggish and at times unresponsive.

Mar 13, 2011 8:15 PM in response to Dr. Euphoria

Thanks for the advice... of course, before reading it, I decided to plug the iPad in one more time and look at the error message before heading off to bed.

The update worked.

Who knows why?

I still suspect the problem was at Apple's end, given everything that was tried, and then a few hours later it mystically worked but I suppose I'll never know.

Mar 16, 2011 10:09 AM in response to Gerald Striph

Although it mystically resolved for the iPad, I got the exact same problem (still unresolved) for my iPhone 3gs. It stalls at the verifying with apple step of the update -- this suggests it isn't a device problem; it is a problem on the Apple server/iTunes store side. Waiting to hear from Apple.

Mar 16, 2011 2:53 PM in response to Gerald Striph

If anything should annoy the Apple devs, it should be that : I tried everything, only thing that worked was to update with Windows XP, with Parallels.
Thanks for nothing, Mac OS X.

Mar 16, 2011 3:10 PM in response to Karim Chakroun

Apple felt it was a home network problem - so I did the update using a public network. It did work. But, it begs the question on how the iPad and another iPhone were able to update using the home network and how all these devices have updated for months on the same home network. The answer: they sneaked through...

I guess we'll see with the next update. There haven't been many complaints about this for all of Apple's users so it is probably some weird setting somewhere...

medabit

Level 1

0 points

Mar 30, 2011 12:22 PM in response to Gerald Striph

Yeah, OK, so I hit this head scratcher last week on my JB iPad 1 and busted it open trying to figure out what the problem was.

After much thought, and a failed iPhone4 upgrade, it occurred to me that TinyUmbrella had updated my /etc/hosts file to override DNS on gs.apple.com (wish the iPad upgrade error code had given me this hint!).

I edited the /etc/hosts file to comment out the hard-coded resolve address, likely used to spoof iTunes running TinyUmbrella as a TSS server, and the upgraded to 4.3.1 worked on both devices.

You claim ur not a jailbreaker, but this is still worth a check.

Good luck!

Mar 30, 2011 12:33 PM in response to medabit

No. I'm not a jailbreaker. Apple thinks it is my home network but when 4.3.1 came out this week, I updated all 3 devices at home (as I always did in the past) without problem.

The Tiny Umbrellas idea is interesting but, given the widespread use of the program, I would have expected this issue to be all over the place. Google search -- even now, there are only a few reports.

When it resolves, it seems like everyone has a different answer. In my case, it seemed to be random for all 3 devices. Nothing consistently worked. I think there was a glitch in a few accounts at Apple but who knows.

Apr 7, 2011 6:56 AM in response to julieknits

I have the exact problem:
iOS 4.2.1 (jailbroken) on iPad 1, running iTunes 10.2.1 on Windows XP whant to upgrade to iOS 4.3.1
At first i tried Shift+update and shift+restore which both resulting an error saying your ipad not eligable bla bla bla.

Now I just resolved this by:
go to recovery mode (the one that showing connect to iTunes image) then shift+restore. It works like charm. 😉

nx9u

Level 1

11 points

Apr 7, 2011 8:26 PM in response to Gerald Striph

If the camera kit works with your Ipad now you may not want to update. The kit won't work on my Ipad 2 and I seen where Ipad users updated and then the kit no longer worked for them.

Apr 17, 2011 9:58 AM in response to Gerald Striph

I had the same problem with my new ipad2 (no jailbreak), which came with iOS 4.3.1. iTune refused to update it to iOS 4.3.2 saying that the device wasn't eligable for the requsted build. I tried to update it on both my Mac copmuters (iMac and macbook) without any success. Suprisingly, my old Windows XP connected to the same home network managed to go through!

cykso

Level 1

10 points

Apr 17, 2011 10:29 AM in response to andreifromshipley

I found the solution here.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2780681?start=0&tstart=0

However, you also need some commands to update the hosts file. (I cannot edit it directly from textedit)

See this: http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/os-x-operating-system/138896-modify-hosts-file. html

HTH,

wingiv

Level 1

0 points

May 6, 2011 8:44 PM in response to cykso

This works. Thanks. The best way to do this is through the terminal. Just do the following commands in terminal:

Type sudo su

Press enter

Then enter your password and hit enter

Type vi /etc/hosts

Move your cursor with the down arrow to the line that has gs.apple.com without a # at the beginning of the line.

Move cursor to the beginning of that line.

Type i# then press the esc key.

Type :wq

Press enter

Type exit

Press enter

Now you can quit out of the terminal application. This likely is a problem caused by Tiny Umbrella denying itunes communicating with the apple servers.

May 12, 2011 2:07 AM in response to Gerald Striph

I had the same problem - "update not eligible"

I have found that the update to 4.3.3 worked on my iPad1 when I used a different mac.

It would not work on my mac mini. I tried all of the above tips - no joy.

The I used my Macbook pro with a new iTunes account.

Worked first time. The install process made another backup and then completed successfully.

Hope this helps.

iPad not eligible for the requested build in 4.3 iOS update?