Apple to iPhone Users: Please Install This Untrusted Configuration Profile

It appears Apple is the only company around that doesn't use Microsoft Exchange. Apple's recently released iOS (not to be confused with Cisco's IOS) 4 apparently wasn't tested with Exchange at all. Many users are reporting slow e-mail sync, and apparently Exchange server admins are none too happy with the load these devices are putting on the Exchange server - much more than the old OS did.

Of course, you cannot downgrade a device that has been upgraded to iOS 4. iPhone Operating Systems are signed by Apple at run-time and Apple refuses to digitally sign anything below iOS 4 now, so if you upgrade your device, you are stuck, unless you are willing to jailbreak your device, and right now, you can't jailbreak an iOS 4 device that was not jailbroken prior to the upgrade.

That leaves you with Apple's solution: a configuration profile that modifies the settings on your device.

Unfortunately, the configuration profile is unsigned. Configuration profiles make critical changes to how your device operates. Therefore, Apple supports signing them so their source can be authenticated. Too bad Apple doesn't bother with this itself. Rather, Apple's recommendation appears to be that users download and install random unsigned configuration profiles found on the Internet.

Published Wed, Jun 30 2010 1:59 PM by jesper
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Comments

# Cil said on 30 June, 2010 06:16 PM

As the only company with taste, it doesn't surprise me they're the only company that doesn't use Exchange...

# jasontech said on 08 July, 2010 12:20 PM

it is odd that it's unsigned. We have a number of new iphone4 users and I wanted a way to prevent the end user from deleting the profile. I added:

<key>PayloadRemovalDisallowed</key>

<true/>

At least the end user cannot delete the profile and possibly cause performance issues on the server. I could not replicate the issue, but also have an ISA2006 server in front of the cas servers which is likely limiting the # of attempted connections.

# Andre said on 23 August, 2010 11:22 AM

There are any bugs at the time. looks like apple isn't never failing.

# seks izle said on 10 September, 2010 06:54 AM

it is odd that it's unsigned.