Apple Configurator 2 - Apps 'Waiting' - GAAAAAARHHHHHH!!!

[LegacyPulsar]

I've slogged my way through Apple Configurator 2's not-quite-intuitive process of iPad building and had everything work properly for the thirty-or-so iPads in school, but it was a right pain to have it constantly downloading iOS and Apps for every single iPad it built, time and time again. So I looked into what the solution would be, purchased MacOS Server and set up the caching server. After a couple of teething problems to do with firewalls, it started working and caching all the iOS and app builds. I deployed my usual blueprint and the iPads started to build.

 

Hurrah, I thought. Until it started doing this:

 

 

Why are some of these blacked out? I wondered. I looked deeper into one of the folders to find...this:

 

 

Tapped on one in the hope it would begin installing. No luck. Deleted it and reinstalled it by downloading it directly from the App store: it worked. But I don't really want to do this for every. single. app. on every single iPad: the whole point of setting up Apple Configurator with a caching server was to reduce the amount of time I had to spend with the iPads, not increase it.

 

So the only thing that has changed between iPads building successfully and not is the addition of MacOS Server. So I cleared out the cached files and tried again. Same result. I disabled the caching server entirely: same result. I tried adding one of the greyed-out apps directly through the Add > App option in Configurator 2: that worked fine.

 

So why the heck are they all 'waiting' when other apps aren't, and why do they pull directly down from the App store on the iPad OK but not through Configurator 2 all of a sudden? I have two apps which fail to install on the older iPads because they require a later iOS version, but Configurator warns me about those and I just skip them without any issue. Is it the pre-MacOS Server blueprint I'm using - does that need updating now there is a caching server?

 

Technical bits:

I have a mixture of iPads in school ranging from iPad 2s (capped at iOS 9.3.5) to Air 2s (ongoing support).

iMac running macOS Sierra 10.12.5

MacOS Server v.5.3.1

Apple Configurator 2 v2.4

No MDM Server: iPads come back to the office to be adjusted

 

Any help would be much appreciated.

Edited July 24, 2017 by LegacyPulsar

[AlanD]

I would use configurator (2) to erase and then re-install the apps. In fact I'm guessing you will have to do this. I often describe configurator as the worst piece of software ever - although I'm sure there are some others that come close. When everything works its fine - but sooner or later a profile won't install or an app won't delete (or install). Currently my issue is that seemingly randomly I am told that I have an app which is preventing the update (of other apps). It doesn't tell me which of the 50 or so apps installed is the problem...and its probably not one of those apps - because they are installed on the other ipads which update just fine.

 

I would say they deliberately make it this bad to "encourage" you to buy a third party MDM. I would use profile manager - but every time I spend a day to set it up there is something not registered or setup or correct....and I have to give up.

 

It even makes Microsoft software look good.

[aarongulley]

Hello,

 

Can you send me a screenshot what is going on the AC2 activity log? This normally happens if the license for the app isn't being issued. Have you got the license used somewhere else? e.g if you have 20 ipads. You install 20 copies of Pages and you revoke all licenses within Configurator and try to install it on iPad number 21.

[aarongulley]

Sorry this can also be an issue with Storage if the device hasn't got enough storage to install the app.

 

General - > About - > Storage Available: x:xx

[tech_heda]

You've probably sorted this issue long ago but sharing and is caring and all that.

 

I have over 500 iPads at the schools I work out. I have one main school that uses AC2 and the others are all on Apple DEP. I use Meraki to look after all of them. If I push or deploy apps they are stuck on waiting at the moment. If I connect them to another wifi outside of the school network they work fine. I've been on the phone to the ISP and apparently some schools have trouble depending on their ISP. In my case our ISP is rubbish and doesn't seem to connect to Apple's app store.

 

Did you find out what was wrong with your iPads in the end?

[LegacyPulsar]

Hi everyone, thanks for the replies. As the Summer holidays interrupted my work on this (not contracted for school holidays) I only got back to this issue on Thursday. After trying various things with the caching server I resigned myself to the fact that AC2 is indeed a steaming pile of *cough* and was prepared to try through iTunes to see if it was some issue with the licensing - I thought it very unlikely that it would be, as after all apps were working when put on individually, but I was basically willing to give anything a try.

 

Then I discovered Apple had just removed all App support from iTunes. I thought they were meant to be geniuses?

 

So I've crawled back to AC2, removed all the apps from the iPad and Blueprint completely and rebuilt it from scratch, a folder at a time, and applied it to the iPad after each folder was completed, wiping it in between each application to test the deployment incrementally. So far so good. I've now applied most of the folders without issue and left it working on the remaining ones over the weekend, which I'll check the status of tomorrow and let you know.

 

But ultimately it seems to have been an issue with the Blueprint, but what the issue was I cannot say as I never made any modifications to it ahead of the problem presenting itself...

Rint

[atcoates]

Apple Configurator is horrendous software so it's bound to be that! MDM and DEP are the answers to your prayers!

[LegacyPulsar]

Just an update: it was indeed the blueprint that had (somehow) failed. I don't know if it was the inclusion of MacOS Server (although it had worked OK with it in the first few weeks) or something else because...Apple... but the iPad I left building over the weekend built successfully, and I've just run a further five through to see how it coped with a 'mass' (for our school) deployment and they worked fine as well. I'm very glad to be able to put this problem to bed now, and hopefully not touch another Apple product again for a while... or until someone next breaks an iPad and it requires re-imaging again...

 

Thanks for all the replies!

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Just an update: it was indeed the blueprint that had (somehow) failed. I don't know if it was the inclusion of MacOS Server (although it had worked OK with it in the first few weeks) or something else because...Apple... but the iPad I left building over the weekend built successfully, and I've just run a further five through to see how it coped with a 'mass' (for our school) deployment and they worked fine as well. I'm very glad to be able to put this problem to bed now, and hopefully not touch another Apple product again for a while... or until someone next breaks an iPad and it requires re-imaging again...

 

Thanks for all the replies!

[AlanD]

Well, I'm king of glad to hear others complaining about configuration ...v2...because I was wondering if I had missed something. I wouldn't say it was the worst piece of software ever...but it's certainly amongst the worst. For an initial set up from a completely erased Ipads it does the job...until either some iPad throws a wobbly or you have random collection of iPads with different apps all requiring updates and random errors pop up...and it's very easy to mess up the profiles without realising it. But it is free....

[LegacyPulsar]

It is free, for which I am very grateful, but I do wonder if their intention was to make it so unintuitive that people would give up and pay for something else instead

 

To be fair I only use it to set iPads up from their default settings and to deploy new apps and app/iOS updates, so it does the job I need it to, and far more efficiently (once it's working) than iTunes used to, as I had to do them one at a time with iTunes but can deploy 7-8 at once with AC2. It just really is baffling how logic seems to give it a miss, lol

[atcoates]

It is free, for which I am very grateful

I don't think even apple would charge for this!!!

[computer]

Hi, I updated iTunes, found out it doesn't support app downloading etc. was using AC1 and Yosemite OS. upgraded to MacOS Sierra and AC2.5. Apple migrated all the codes. I've tried applying the migrated blueprints but keep getting error like the app could not be installed/uninstalled due to restrictions. I have since then created new blueprints and profiles. however when I apply the blue prints the some apps just say waiting and other look like they have installed but when I run them all I get is a black screen. I have to close the app by pressing on the home button and then swiping. then I relaunch the app and sometimes it works but most of the time I just get a black screen.

 

If I add the app individually it then installs and seems to work. my ipads are running version 9.3.5.

 

I also download the google Drive app from the vpp account( this says it is compatible with my version on the ipad) however when I install it I get an error saying configurator could not install "drive" on iPad one. the device does not support this app.

 

This is nonsense because I have been using this before! Please help

[atcoates]

Are you using VPP codes or have apple converted them to managed distribution and you have signed into AC 2.5 with your VPP login etc. Edited October 4, 2017 by atcoates

[computer]

Hi

 

Yes apple converted the codes to managed distribution. I have signed into AC 2.5 with my VPP login. I created a new blue to which I applied newly created profiles, 1 profile contains web clips, 1 profile contains security certificates and the final one contains restrictions. all apply successfully. I have added the aps to the blueprint. al the apps are added in via the VPP login. They show up on the iPad but some just say waiting. I then have to righ click and select add app, select the app I want to re-push out. this then installs.

 

this means I have to do this for almost every single app. I've only tested this with one ipad and I've got like 90 plus ipads

[atcoates]

I'm assuming you have factory reset the Ipad etc and tried again?

[computer]

Yes I wiped the ipads. it removed all the previous apps. so basically I set it up as a new ipad

[atcoates]

As stupid as it sounds we had issues with non apple cables pre MDM days. Is it always the same set of apps that fail? We found that our ISP seems to block some downloads from apple as well. If you took the mac home and ran through the process that would rule that out (I've done that before).