iPadOS 17.0: Crash Relating to Autonomous Single App Mode (ASAM) [resolved]
Resolved in iOS/iPadOS 17.1
Earlier today, Apple released iOS/iPadOS 17.1. While the Autonomous Single App Mode (ASAM) crash is not mentioned in the update notes for this release, it does appear to have been addressed. At this point, updating devices running iOS/iPadOS 17.0 to the new 17.1 release does appear to prevent the crashing seen previously during an active ASAM session.
Description
In iPadOS 17.0, the app crashes immediately when tapping any text field to focus and bring up the on-screen keyboard when the device is running in Autonomous Single App Mode (ASAM).
At this time, we do not recommend updating to iPadOS 17.0 if your kiosks are using Autonomous Single App Mode (ASAM).
Status
We are able to replicate this crash not only in a clean test project without any of our other kiosk logic or behavior, but also in several competitor's apps, which means this isn't specific to Kiosk Pro's implementation.
We have submitted a Technical Service Incident report and sample project to Apple's Developer Support team, which is the highest level of paid support that Apple offers third-party developers. Based on past experience, it's also the fastest way for us to raise the visibility of a potential bug in iOS/iPadOS and receive confirmation from Apple's teams that we're not implementing something incorrectly. If they confirm this as a bug, we'll submit that through proper channels.
Updates
9/28/2023: We're still working with Developer Support on the Technical Service Incident we submitted, but have since filed a Feedback bug with Apple on this issue (FB13209713).
We've also reached out to a contact at Apple Enterprise Sales who recommended that any affected customers file their own Feedback using their Managed Apple ID and/or open a ticket if they have a support agreement in place with Apple. Please send any Feedback or support case numbers to our team at software-support@kioskgroup.com so we can pass them to this contact for further investigation.
10/4/2023: Our Technical Support Incident has been closed by Apple Developer Support and credited to our account with the recommendation that we continue to follow the Feedback we've filed. We continue to highly recommend that affected users file their own Feedback incidents to increase the visibility of this issue.
10/11/2023: Our Feedback has been marked as 'Resolution: Potential fix identified - For a future OS update'. We'll continue to track this issue and update here when an iOS/iPadOS update containing this fix is released.
10/17/2023: While not mentioned in the update notes, this issue appears to be addressed in the iPadOS 17.1 Public Beta that was released earlier today. We'll continue to track this through the full release of iPadOS 17.1, which is expected sometime next week. While we do not recommend running beta versions of iPadOS on kiosks that are in production, it is possible to sign up for Apple's public beta program for test devices here.
10/24/2023: Earlier today, Apple released iOS/iPadOS 17.1. While the Autonomous Single App Mode (ASAM) crash is not mentioned in the update notes for this release, it does appear to have been addressed. At this point, updating devices running iOS/iPadOS 17.0 to the new 17.1 release does appear to prevent the crashing seen previously during an active ASAM session.
Workaround
The issue does appear to be limited to iOS/iPadOS 17.0 so avoiding this update until this issue is addressed is the most straightforward solution.
If you do have an urgent requirement to update or have already updated devices and are unable to roll back that update, we recommend additional testing, but have not seen the issue occur in standard Single App Mode or with an external keyboard attached to the device, which could be potential workarounds.