[ipad] iPad Files app unreliable when accessing OneDrive etc. OneDrive app has no issues.

[pete]

Scenario:

 

iPads bought under VPP, running iOS 14.0.2, synced via Apple School Manager to Jamf School for device-specific settings.

 

User authentication to AppleID/iCloud/Google/OneDrive/Office 365 is via AzureAD and this works.

 

Problem

 

The Files App is very flaky (intermittent - sometimes works, sometimes doesn't, no consistent error messages) when accessing:

 

• Local iPad storage
  
• OneDrive
  
• Google Drive
  
• iCloud storage
  
• Dropbox (as a test of a different storage provider)
  

 

However, if we use the dedicated application for OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox the user experience is stable, files go back and forth correctly and it behaves as it should.

 

What we've checked

 

• Filtering / HTTPS Interception - nothing that we can see coming from the devices is being blocked
  
• Jamf profiles - no settings blocking storage providers
  
• Azure AD authentication logs - no failed logins or otherwise from the users we're testing with.
  
• Anecdotally, pre-iOS 14 devices were stable/usable in the Files App. But I don't have sufficient data to definitely point the finger at iOS 14
  
• Testing at home / work - behaviour in Files App is consistently unstable. Dedicated storage apps have no problems.
  

 

Any ideas? At present I'm trawling through profiles in case there's something obscurely labelled / introduced for 14.0 that's responsible.

[Brimstone]

There is a bug in iOS14.0 and there is already a patch for this iOS14.1..

 

https://www.howtoisolve.com/files-app-not-working-ios-11-iphone-ipad/

[pete]

Is that 14.0.1 or the yet-to-be-released 14.1?

 

The linked page mentions a few things to check, but doesn't address the "everything's added correctly, but it won't reliably display third-party storage in the Files app".

[pete]

Possibly-related query...

 

Say an MDM updates (the MDM software) from 8.2 > 8.4 and a setting that was present in 8.2 is no longer available in 8.4.

 

How is that handled in the generated profile the iOS device has downloaded? Does it get removed from the local copy of the profile when it's automatically refreshed (as part of usual checking in), or do the orphaned settings stay on the local device (because the MDM is no longer managing them)?

[pete]

So, iOS / iPadOS release notes (via Macrumours.com)

 

iOS 14.1 includes improvements and bug fixes for your iPhone.

- Addresses an issue in the Files app that could cause some MDM-managed cloud service providers to incorrectly display content as unavailable

- Improves compatibility with Ubiquiti wireless access points

- Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:

https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222