Apple Configurator 2: App Installation hangs/loops during placeholder Transfer

I am trying this now. But the problem then is AC2 as to download the apps EACH time I load apps onto the iPads. And if it gets stuck again, then I've wasted 30 minutes of downloading apps. So frustrating

This has worked for me.

We usually only have about 10-20 iPads connected at once. But if you add the apps on one iPad first, then you can add apps to the rest of the iPads and it doesn't fail. Seems to fail when doing it for all iPads on the first attempt. But if one iPad is successful then they all become successful.

-Richard Campbell

Greater Victoria School District 61

Yeah I noticed that I was able to upload 40+ apps on a single iPad after I wiped and restored them.

I haven't tried adding to all of the other iPads but this is very helpful information!

I am also experiencing this issue for our small library iPad cart of 14. I have added only 14 apps to the blueprint, apply the blueprint, and it gets stuck at step 19 of 55, downloading apps. This will take 45 minutes, an hour, longer then either fail with this error message

An unexpected error has occurred with “iPad”. The server gave an error during download: 403 Forbidden. [ISErrorDomain – 0x1F (31)]

With a STOP button

Or I have to force quit configurator. I don't know what is causing the hang up. I am using a secure wifi connection with a good signal and bandwidth. Any tips would be great, Apple support isn't very helpful for troubleshooting this issue.

If I can't get this to work I don't know how I'm going to manage these iPads. It was supposed to make the process easier and less time consuming, and its the complete opposite.

I have all the same issues. Random errors where you are forced to "stop" the updating process. The problem is, you get an hour into the process then you have to restart. It gets stuck at the last placeholder transfer, sometimes overnight, and you are forced to just start over again.

Also annoying is there is no possible way to copy a home screen configuration. As a principal managing 120 ipads throughout the school, it is nice to be able to put the iPads in the hands of kindergartners and have them all looking at exactly the same thing with icons in the same spot. This way the teacher can show them using mirroring software on the screen "click on this picture in the upper right". I was told by an apple support specialist that this was not a feature of AC2. I asked why and was told that it actually should NOT have been a feature of AC1, but it was a work-around that exploited by people managing the iPads. Workaround? Exploited?

I have also purchased 90 Chromebooks in the last year and plan on making them the foundation of our tech resources. Apple, you really need to get this under control. I will never purchase another iPad simply because the device management is filled with bugs and awful programs (AC1 and 2). Much of it is related to the desire to keep volume purchasing under wraps. God forbid a kindergartner is using an app to help them learn to draw letters without paying the 49 cents for it.

After getting this issue escalated to an Apple Senior Advisor - they acknowledge that this is a known bug with the Apple Configurator 2 software. They offer no solutions aside from wait for the next AC2 update to come out. This could be weeks, months, etc.

We asked for a roll back to AC1 and a migration from managed tokens back to VPP Codes but was told not possible

I am beyond frustrated that their software doesn't work as advertised.

To comment here:

Blueprints appear to be working for me, and we only have one VPP app being deployed (Citrix Receiver)

The issue I'm running into is randomly the Citrix Receiver app will instantly crash out on the iPads after they've "successfully" been blueprinted. We're applying a few restrictions, logging in with our MDM system, and adding in a single VPP app

When I go to launch the app, the splash screen appears for a second or two, then the iPad goes right back to the home screen. Solution? Erase all content and settings, re-blueprint and hope that it works. Repeat until successful. I have no insight into why the app is crashing and there's no guarantee it'll behave that way

Yeah one app doesn't appear to be much of a problem. I can do less than 10 apps to multiple iPads without a problem. The problem comes in when you are pushing 100 apps to 120 devices (or even 30 devices). It's a week later now and I have almost through one cart done. I've been on the phone with senior advisors as well, but I always feel like have more in depth knowledge of the problems than they do. This isn't a knock on them, but in order to really understand what is going on and the error messages, you need to get your hands dirty and sit there attempt to update, do some work in your office on the computer, check them every 30 minutes, see if they are progressing, and when they hang up or stop try to see what you did differently from the last time There are multiple variables that I'm trying to isolate but it's difficult. It could be one app causing the problem or could be an AC2 problem.

What I've learned is there is no rhyme or reason to what works. For example, I will wipe clean, install backup, install blueprint, and then it will work for 5 ipads. I'll do the exact same thing for the next 5 ipads and it will come up with an error message. I will try again with one iPad, exact same format, and it will work. It's hit or miss. I've wiped clean, installed apps without blueprints, installed configuration and it works on 2 ipads, but when I try to do it to 15 it stalls and gets error message.

Basically, at this point I've gotten through 26 of 30 in one cart, it's taken my a week, and I'm pretty much finding that doing less than 3 ipads at a time is my best bet. That's because I will get one hour into the process and it stalls and you have to start all over again. I think I will trudge through the remaining 90 ipads this way, and then pretty much never update them again until they become bricks. My time as a principal is too valuable to be spending on IT work.

Now on the other hand my 75 Chromebooks are amazing...no problems with management or app distribution. I highly recommend them as iPads in schools will be a thing of the past if they can't get the management worked out. I am computer savvy and have worked on computers all my life but the errors I get with AC2 are so random and flawed it's mind boggling. They really need to come sit in an IT guy or principal's office for 2 weeks and see exactly what is happening. I shouldn't be problem solving in conjunction with senior advisors on the phone for 2 hours. They need to have these things worked out.

At least you're getting error messages... Granted, it's not a big deal for me because we're pushing so few apps that the time to deploy is ~15 minutes including if I have to wipe it first through AC2. Just annoying that there's no reason why half the time the apps we push will refuse to launch and the other half they'll be perfectly fine.

No reason anyone should have to test each device after having a full working and tested blueprint....sigh

I thought AC1 was poor, but AC2 is even worse. Blueprints are a great idea but you cannot manipulate apps on an iPad within it so it is wrong of Apple to say it is just a matter of preparing a blueprint and applying it. I have found that to stop apps downloading from the app store every time you upgrade or supervise an iPad, make sure you don't just click 'Add' and then 'next'; there is a button that says something like 'Add from my mac'. Then, if you have downloaded it once in to iTunes first, it navigates to that location and pulls any selected apps in. It is much quicker as it is local, but you have to have the filename of the app which may be different form the name the app has in the app store.

Creating a backup with relevant apps in folders and then applying it doesn't work in AC2 - it didn't in AC1 reliably either. It only seems to add the apps in folders that come with apple iOS (apps store, notes etc.). The others it leaves out all together.

The only way forward for us is to use a blueprint with the apps/profiles etc. in and then apply it to the iPads - apps go on successfully but not in folders. So we then either add them to folders manually on each iPad or ask the users to use the search facility on the iPad. This is no good for Primary and reception classes though.It has taken two of us ten days to get to this point and it is not a final solution. That indicates the software is poor.

AC2 looked like it had such promise, but lives up to none of it. Apple seems to have lost it with software recently - iTunes is now terrible and don't mention apple music...and I am someone who has never owned a PC at home always Apples 😟

Some of you wrote, that you load 30 or more iPads up at one go. How do you connect that many to Apple Configurator ?

I'm still new at using AC2, and are using standard USB connector between the MacBook and the iPad.

There are USB hubs but can't see how those can handle more than 5 or 10 iPads in one go.

I would very much like at quick view of how you manage loading up those Carts. 🙂

They make carts designed to hold multiple iPads. They have 10, 20, 30 USB ports in the back of the carts that all connect to a "master" USB cable that you then plug into your Configurator machine, in my case a MacBook Pro. The carts can be pricey but they work well with schools because they also charge the iPads. We use carts to charge, configure, move, and lock up iPads.

Many carts are designed with "tracks" that allow you to hid the cables, but you need to have one cable for each iPad (obviously). The master cable looks similar to one you would use for a printer. It has that "D" shape on one side, and is USB on the other. Some carts use different connections but you could always search for options on Amazon.

It is best to set up a "Master" iPad. AC2 seems to have issue with loading a lot of information to a lot of iPads at once. But if you make a master iPad first, with all of your apps and configurations, you can then back up that iPad and restore all of the other iPads using that backup.

Best of luck

EDIT: This is the thread I use to create a Master Supervised iPad to create a blueprint. You can then apply that blueprint to multiple iPads and they will be supervised like the Master iPad. StealthBlue10 has an awesome workflow

Apple Configurator 2 and restoring backups

I noticed an issue with forward and reverse DNS lookups for stations on the LAN. The forward and reverse DNS lookups were not setup correctly on the LAN side of things. Once I fixed this then everything downloaded fine. OR it could be that Apple VPP/Configurator2 is working this week and was not working last week.

On the mac open terminal, find gateway, and check that it's forward and reverse look-ups are correct.

$ netstat -rn | grep default

default 192.168.0.1 UGSc 56 0 vlan0

$host 192.168.0.1

1.0.168.192.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer gw.mynetwork.net

$host gw.mynetwork.net

gw.mynetwork.net has address 192.168.0.1

The same applies for the hostname of the mac mini.

$ifconfig | grep inet

inet 192.168.0.244 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.0.255

$host 192.168.0.244

244.0.168.192.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer mac.mynetwork.net

$host mac.mynetwork.net

mac.mynetwork.net has address 192.168.0.244