Error 56. Has the iOS 9.3.2 update turned your iPad Pro into a brick?

Yesterday, Apple released the latest update to iOS – and millions of iPhone and iPad users updated their systems.

Today, some owners of the hefty 9.7 inch iPad Pro are probably regretting that decision, finding that their device got stuck at a prompt telling them to plug it into a computer running iTunes, with all attempts to restore failing miserably. In short, it’s no longer an iPad Pro. It’s a very pretty but very expensive brick.

@AppleSupport Hey my iPad Pro is broken after installing ios 9.3.2… Could you help me please? #help pic.twitter.com/mH0oMI68F5

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— Ivan Morote (@ivanmorote) May 16, 2016

iOS 9.3.2 update just bricked my iPad Pro 9.7”, error 56.

Waiting impatiently for Apple to releases a fix. Big day for @AppleSupport

— Steve Miner (@miner) May 17, 2016

According to reports, the problem is described (somewhat unhelpfully) as “Error 56”, which Apple’s support documentation describes as a “hardware error”.

It’s unlikely that all iPad Pro users have been affected by the problem – but judging by the noise on Apple-related support forums and social media, there are enough disgruntled users out there to make it worth Apple’s while fixing the issue smoothly and quickly, rather than forcing all affected users to go to their nearest Apple Store.

Once again, the smuggest people on the internet will be those who sat back and watched as millions of other users rushed to install a non-critical OS update on the day of its release, rather than waiting to see how it would behave in the wild.

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Graham Cluley •   @gcluley

Graham Cluley is an award-winning keynote speaker who has given presentations around the world about cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. A veteran of the computer security industry since the early 1990s, he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows, makes regular media appearances, and is the co-host of the popular "Smashing Security" podcast. Follow him on Twitter, Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, or drop him an email.