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macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 13, 2008
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Hi All, I have an iPhone 6s Plus with iOS 9.3.2. It was working perfectly fine until the tvOS probably expired and was forcing me to upgrade. I switched off the phone so it does not update until I found the time to put in the new TvOS profile to block the update. However today morning the phone is forcing me to activate and failing the Apple activation. How can a phone go from activated state to non-activted state? Is there a way around to make it work without an update? I need the PPTP VPN and ios 9 is the last version where it works flawlessly.
 
Apple has been forcing iOS 9 reactivation as a means to push users to upgrade. Since no version of iOS 9 is signed for the 6/6+/6s/6s+ it means you have to upgrade to the latest version.

A way around this is to rename the app that runs when activation is forced. Springboard is actually working in the background, but the app that gets triggered for activation takes over and there is no way to force quit it. Renaming it means it doesn't run which allows you to continue.

Unfortunately, that all has to be done BEFORE Apple pushes reactivation on you.

If you have SSH installed, there may be a way to remotely access your device and rename the app. I'd search reddit.com/r/jailbreak.
 
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Apple has been forcing iOS 9 reactivation as a means to push users to upgrade. Since no version of iOS 9 is signed for the 6/6+/6s/6s+ it means you have to upgrade to the latest version.

A way around this is to rename the app that runs when activation is forced. Springboard is actually working in the background, but the app that gets triggered for activation takes over and there is no way to force quit it. Renaming it means it doesn't run which allows you to continue.

Unfortunately, that all has to be done BEFORE Apple pushes reactivation on you.

If you have SSH installed, there may be a way to remotely access your device and rename the app. I'd search reddit.com/r/jailbreak.


Thanks for your reply. I have upgraded that phone to the latest OS now. However I have a brand new ios 9.3.5 iphone 6s in the box. I'll ensure I put in the tv profile asap. as long as the tv profile is there the phone does not go into activation. This is the first I've seen apple does not activate the ios version and forces an upgrade. Is this even legal? They shouldn't be allowed to force users to upgrade.
 
FYI The TVOS profile won't work any more, Apple made changes so none work now.

My 6s went the same way last year, unfortunately I was hit with that out of nowhere.

Back to today; 13.2.2 seems alright.
 
Is this even legal? They shouldn't be allowed to force users to upgrade.
It is as legal as Apple refusing to sign a previous version of iOS, forcing you to upgrade when or if you need to restore.

Same concept. When you purchase an iPhone you are purchasing a license to use iOS, not purchasing ownership. You own the device - not iOS. It's all in the legal stuff you agree to when activating the device. Your only recourse is to stop using your phone because without iOS the device doesn't work.
 
It is as legal as Apple refusing to sign a previous version of iOS, forcing you to upgrade when or if you need to restore.

Same concept. When you purchase an iPhone you are purchasing a license to use iOS, not purchasing ownership. You own the device - not iOS. It's all in the legal stuff you agree to when activating the device. Your only recourse is to stop using your phone because without iOS the device doesn't work.

This is a discussion that has been done numerous times. I buy a product and I can admit that they won't allow an activation if I downgrade but to remain where I am, this should be allowed. Regardless. I don't trust that the new firmware will keep my phone efficient. It's my call.

It's like buying a house from the builder. You can't force me to change my fixtures as I've purchased the house with the fixtures and not rented them.

In that event why is apple fined for a large amount for slowing down their phones? I say well deserved
 
FYI The TVOS profile won't work any more, Apple made changes so none work now.

My 6s went the same way last year, unfortunately I was hit with that out of nowhere.

Back to today; 13.2.2 seems alright.

Yeah. ios 13 seems ok but I don't want to lose out on ios 9 on my new iphone 6s plus. Is there a way to ensure it does not get hit with the reactivation screen? It has ios 9.3.5. I believe I have to jailbreak and rename the setup app.
 
Does anyone know how they are doing this forced re-activation? Is it only able to be done over Wi-Fi? I am using a 6S on iOS 10 and if this happened, I would be greatly upset.
 
Does anyone know how they are doing this forced re-activation? Is it only able to be done over Wi-Fi? I am using a 6S on iOS 10 and if this happened, I would be greatly upset.
It's server side, just like iOS signing. When you set up an iPhone, it phones home to Apple and they can either allow it to activate or not.

I wouldn't worry about iOS 10. It's only the 6 series and iOS 9 that Apple seems to be doing this.
 
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