Apple Forced iOS7 update on my iPad2 !

Hi SergZak!

Yes, I read it. The problem with this strategy is that you basically need to fill up all your free space in order to avoid triggering IOS7 download. Having lost 3 GB of free space with an unwanted IOS7 file or with unwanted garbage is exactly the same thing.. The primary problem is the lost of free space.

I thought that my experience (aborting downloading by going to Airplane mode, to trigger the RESUME DOWNLOAD button in Software Update) could be interesting to various people (if it can be replicated) since you can still have large free space on your iPhone, without the need to fill your iDevice with garbage.. 🙂

However, if IOS automatically decide to resume downloading without my intervention once I plug again my iphone in my iMac, I will be skrewed.. and your strategy will probably be the only one left.

I'll keep in touch. Thanks for all your posts!

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hansfromquebec wrote:

The problem with this strategy is that you basically need to fill up all your free space in order to avoid triggering IOS7 download. Having lost 3 GB of free space with an unwanted IOS7 file or with unwanted garbage is exactly the same thing.

But the thing is, with the Apple-pushed download, there is NO WAY to delete it or get rid of it. My method will allow you to delete the padding files as needed to make space. You can easily delete the "padding" files as long as you have access to the device connected to a PC. This way, you control how much free space is on the device. Anytime that the device is externally powered, has an internet connection and has the required free space on the device, it will start downloading the update again. I've found that leaving 1-2 GB free at a time is fine for me. But to each his own...I really did not have the option of having to remember to disable the internet every time the device is externally powered...once you forget, it will download the update and you'll have to start from square one again.

Complete my last tests.. So basically, my current understanding is :

1) To prevent initial download of IOS7, you have to disable Wifi when charging your device since Available updates download automatically if your device is connected to Wi-Fi AND a power source.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4623

2) If the IOS7 file has already been downloaded on your device, you need to wipeout your device (ERASE ALL SETTINGS AND CONTENTS) to remove it and reclaim all used space.

3) To prevent further download, there is two possibilities (maybe more?) :

- make sure you have less than 2.5GB of free space on your device, when you plan to charge your device (the interesting approach by SergZak)

- always disable wifi when charging your device (you need to be very disciplined 🙂 since one miss and you're stucked with the downloaded file)

Good luck folks!

Even better is blocking several key Apple addresses via your router to prevent the device from ever talking to "home" and trying to re-download this update.

I am going to clear my iPad later today, block these addys and then restore my iPad back to a clean state.

VP

Vocalpoint wrote:

Even better is blocking several key Apple addresses via your router to prevent the device from ever talking to "home" and trying to re-download this update.

As long as you use the device strictly on your own access point(s) (on which you've blocked the servers), this should be just fine. However, once you're out and about, connecting to access points that do not have the servers blocked, you again risk getting the download auto-pushed to your device (if you happen to be connected to external power).

Of course - but I do not travel with this device nor would I be out at a coffee shop rockin wi-fi and have my power plug along for the ride...

Again - if Apple had any brains in their head and actually respected privacy laws - this would not be an issue. I am simply not ready to use iOS7 in it's present state and would like to update when I am good and ready - AND - have the space on my iPad that I paid for - available for what I want to do with it.

VP

Sorry to be dense but how do you find out the server and I.P address the update is being pushed from and how do you block it from your router. I am afraid I am not a IT boffin 🙂

Thanks for the info ggggggggg. Personally for me, it's more of a hassle to have to remember to disable Wi-Fi when the device is put on the charger. At greater risk is my kid who will likely not remember to do this at all.

For info on blocking the Apple Update server, see:

http://www.enterpriseios.com/story/2013/09/17/How_to_use_DNS_to_block_iOS_7_and_ other_updates_too

Basically, you block Apple's Update Server (mesu.apple.com) by entering it into your router's access restrictions. On my Linksys WRT54G here, it's under the Access Restrictions tab.

Again, you need to be careful when connecting to *other* routers/access points (not under your personal control) that don't have the Apple Update server blocked but this may not be much of an issue if you are connected under battery power, under which the update will not (or should I say, should not) proceed.

Thanks for the info ggggggggg! I will give this a try later this evening.

Q on your solution: When you say "reboot the iOS device" - are you clear of iTunes when doing that (Unplugged) and then after a few reboots - plug in again?

I also I just found out how to charge the iPad and NOT worry about wifi...

Which is to have the iPad on - and while it's on - plug in your charger - then turn off the iPad via the power button. Presumably - this will let the unit charge over night and should not have any wifi connection whatsoever. Then in the morning - unplug the charger and carry on.

I was doing it backwards - I would turn the device off - then plug in the charger - which of course would fire the device back up...thereby enabling wifi and of course causing me the grief I have now.

Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong on the first part.

VP

ggggggggg wrote:

I have figured out a way to delete the pushed source file. Back up your device on iTunes so that the pushed source file is backed up. Reboot the iOS device - it may take 2-3 reboots for the source file to disappear from the yellow "other" folder. Delete the backup under iTunes and take a fresh backup.

Having gotten home from work, I proceeded to check my wife's iPhone 4 (8 GB)...good ol' Apple pushed the full update to this *8 GB* (yes, 8 GB) iPhone taking nearly 3 GB of it's measley 8 GB hostage...

I used your technique to try to remove the file (rather than restoring as new and going through the headache of setting up the whole thing all over and losing who-knows-what)...and IT WORKED!!!

Thanks, ggggggggg!

Now for Apple to be auto-pushing this update to an iPhone 4 with only 8 GB of total memory is just downright cruel! 😠

ggggggggg wrote:

I have figured out a way to delete the pushed source file. Back up your device on iTunes so that the pushed source file is backed up. Reboot the iOS device - it may take 2-3 reboots for the source file to disappear from the yellow "other" folder. Delete the backup under iTunes and take a fresh backup.

I must be dense - but I have rebooted my iPad like 6 times and "other" still continues to show 2.70GB of space taken.

Also - I examined the backup folder - and there is no 2.70 file in that backup area. There are other files but nothing as big as to indicate the "pushed" source file was taken with the backup. Total space taken in this backup folder is about 48 MB.

What am I doing wrong?

VP

SergZak wrote:

ggggggggg wrote:

I have figured out a way to delete the pushed source file. Back up your device on iTunes so that the pushed source file is backed up. Reboot the iOS device - it may take 2-3 reboots for the source file to disappear from the yellow "other" folder. Delete the backup under iTunes and take a fresh backup.

I used your technique to try to remove the file (rather than restoring as new and going through the headache of setting up the whole thing all over and losing who-knows-what)...and IT WORKED!!!

SergZak,

Can you walk me thru what you did to get this to work? I cannot get the "other" area on my iPad to budge - no matter what I do in iTunes or how many times I reboot the iPad. Wonder if it's a Windows thing...I am using Win7 over here. Or my version of iTunes? I am on 11.0.4.4

I also read this article on backups...

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4946

And it makes no mention of "pushed" update files being backed up.

VP

Vocalpoint wrote:

Can you walk me thru what you did to get this to work? I cannot get the "other" area on my iPad to budge - no matter what I do in iTunes or how many times I reboot the iPad. Wonder if it's a Windows thing...I am using Win7 over here. Or my version of iTunes? I am on 11.0.4.4

I also read this article on backups...

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4946

And it makes no mention of "pushed" update files being backed up.

I'll try but I only did it once (that was enough as I didn't feel like fooling with this all night). Once I got the update off, I was done with it (I now have the update server blocked on my home Wi-Fi so this "virus" doesn't return...)

1. Make sure that you have the full update file on your device (I did have it on the iPhone 4 in this case so this is what and why I'm relating to you). Check this in Settings>General>Software Update and if you only see the "Install" button, then you have the update installed & extracted, ready for installation.

2. Connect the device to the PC and make a backup in iTunes

3. Keep the device connected to the PC

4. I wasn't sure if ggggggggg's "Reboot the iOS device" meant reset (hold Sleep/Wake + Home until you see the Apple logo) or a power-cycle (press Sleep/Wake until unit asks to power off). I tried the reset multple times & got nowhere. What I *believe* ended up working was multiple power-cycles (power off, power on). This is WITH the device still connected to the PC. Remember after the unit powers back up to click on the device in iTunes to check the size of "Other". At one point after a few (not sure how many) power-cycles, the device actually freed up the ~2 GB that was sitting in Other and I immediately initiated another backup.

Note that this was done on a MacBook Pro so I have no idea if this will work on a Windows PC (I do have a Win7 PC but I'm pretty much fed up and done with this mess). I have no desire to fool with it on Windows as well.

Remember also to kill Wi-Fi on the device & keep it off external power until you either fill up the now-freed memory with "padding" (in my method of filling up the free memory with your own garbage) or add the Apple Update Server (mesu.apple.com) to your Wi-Fi access point's blocked list.

Hope this helps!