iPad iOS 13 and iTunes (Mac) compatibility

[macstatic]

Having recently bought a new iPad Mini (5th gen) only to find out that it no longer would sync with my Mac's iTunes (and all the upgrade hassles following that) I have a couple of questions:

1) where can I find out when a new iOS update demands a new iTunes update?
As long as it works I just don't see why I need to upgrade endlessly when so much trouble follows.

2) I currently have iOS 13.2.3 on the iPad but am told there's a 13.3 update available -is it worth updating (I'm asking because I know there's no way going back if I change my mind about added bugs, good features gone etc.)

 

[Barry K. Nathan]

As far as I can tell, as of iOS 13.x (this might have actually started at some earlier point, maybe around iOS 12.3, maybe earlier), Apple isn't updating iTunes, but rather updating macOS, to make the existing old iTunes sync with the new iOS. However, you need to be running at least El Capitan (10.11.6) to get these OS updates -- and even then, you have to plug in a device running iOS 13.x before the Mac will offer to install the update.

For what it's worth, Apple's specifications for the iPad Mini (5th gen) list the El Capitan requirement for syncing:

Syncing to a Mac or PC requires:

• macOS Catalina 10.15 using the Finder
• macOS El Capitan 10.11.6 through macOS Mojave 10.14.6 using iTunes 12.8 or later
• Windows 7 or later using iTunes 12.10 or later (free download from itunes.com/download)

It's possible that iTunes 12.6.5 might work even though Apple claims 12.8 is required (but I haven't had a chance to try this). You're definitely going to need El Capitan, however.

This probably doesn't answer all of your questions, but I hope it helps nonetheless.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, iOS/iPadOS 13.3 has definitely been more stable for me than 13.2.x in the little bit that I've used it, but right now my main devices are too old to run iOS 13, so other people's opinions will be more meaningful.

 

[macstatic]

Thanks.
My findings for OSX and iOS 13 were similar.
I had a first hand experience with iTunes (12.6.2.20) in my OSX 10.9.5 that wouldn't allow me to sync with the new iPad (iOS 13.2.3). iTunes 12.8 is needed, but demands OSX 10.10.5 (Yosemite) or higher, hence my current OSX 10.9.5 won't do and I need to upgrade.

Your link which you quote above states a minimum of OSX 10.11.6 (El Capitan) which is strange as the specs I found on Apple's iTunes page (click on "iTunes 12.8 system requirements" on that page) clearly says 10.10.5.
Your quote is indeed correct (it's under "System requirements" on that iPad Mini page) but Apple doesn't seem to agree with themselves on Yosemite compatibiity or not. It does however state iTunes 12.8, so at least that's something to go by. No biggie as that doesn't rule out the need for upgrading to something that handles iTunes 12.8, which isn't my current OS (Mavericks).


I don't know if it would have made a difference to the above (Mavericks compatibility or not), but having unpacked the new iPad I say yes to upgrading it to iOS 13.2.3. I have no idea which iOS it came with before that (or how to check), but I've learnt my lesson and want to ensure that as long as it works (for me and my use) I'm not going to shoot myself in the foot again and accept another "update" which just causes lots of other problems. I'm sure Apple, sees it differently

However, you need to be running at least El Capitan (10.11.6) to get these OS updates -- and even then, you have to plug in a device running iOS 13.x before the Mac will offer to install the update.

Huh? You're saying there is some sort of "safety mechanism" to prevent making the iPad incompatible with your computer's OS? Or does that apply only from now on (after iOS 13.x has been installed)?

PS: regarding iOS 13.2.3 vs. 13.3: has anyone else experienced any difference (good or bad)? And is there really absolutely no way of "downgrading" the iOS in an iPad to what was factory installed in it once it's been updated to a newer version?

 

[Barry K. Nathan]

Huh? You're saying there is some sort of "safety mechanism" to prevent making the iPad incompatible with your computer's OS? Or does that apply only from now on (after iOS 13.x has been installed)?

No, the opposite if anything -- once the iPad is running iOS 13, you're locked into needing El Capitan or higher on the Mac in order to sync with the iPad, regardless of which iTunes version you run! I'll try to explain again, hopefully more clearly this time.

Starting around iOS 12.3, Apple stopped updating iTunes directly and instead started releasing updates to portions of macOS that are used by iTunes to sync with iPhones and iPads. Apple released these updates for El Capitan and later, but not Yosemite or earlier.

Once the iPad is running iOS 13.x, the Mac needs to be upgraded to El Capitan, so that the Mac can get the OS X/macOS update for iOS 13 sync compatibility that applies on top of El Capitan (or Sierra/High Sierra/Mojave). To put it in other words, Apple is updating macOS instead of updating iTunes, so that the old iTunes will work with the new iOS without actually updating iTunes itself, and you need to be running at least El Capitan in order to install these macOS updates.

I hope this is clear now. (One extra wrinkle: The iOS 13 compatibility update does not actually show up in the App Store or Software Update. Rather, you must first plug an iOS 13 device into the Mac that's running El Capitan. Then a dialog box pops up asking if you want to install the update, and if you agree, then the Mac downloads and installs the update. That's what I was trying to explain in the part of my post that you quoted.)


Regarding downgrading iOS: It's theoretically possible on devices with an A11 CPU or older, but the 5th generation iPad Mini has an A12 CPU. When the A5 CPU came out in 2011 and fixed the A4 CPU's boot ROM flaws, it took until 2019 for someone to find a boot ROM flaw in the A5. Now that the A12 has fixed the boot ROM flaws of the A5-A11, it'll probably take years (maybe almost another decade again) for someone to find another boot ROM flaw that would allow a downgrade.

Incidentally, there are some other downgrade methods that don't rely on boot ROM flaws -- for instance, it's possible to downgrade some iPad 2's to iOS 6.1.3 or 8.4.1, but that's only possible as a side effect of the fact that over-the-air upgrades of an iPad 2 from iOS 5.x to 9.3.x require going through 6.1.3 and 8.4.1 as intermediate steps. This type of downgrade method never allows downgrades to the version of iOS that first shipped with that model.

 

[macstatic]

OK, I think what you explained above just happened to me: after doing a clean OSX 10.11 install (along with all additional updates thereafter) I plugged the (iOS 13.2.3) iPad Mini via USB into the Mac and started up iTunes (12.8) and the following dialog popped up, prompting me to install an update:

The "learn more" button directed me to this Apple page explaining that a new Mac update is needed whenever IOS isn't supported by it.

That done, I'm constantly asked (both on the iPad and in iTunes as shown below) if I want to upgrade my iPad from iOS 13.2.3 to 13.3, but I have no interest in ending up with an incompatibility issue between Mac iTunes and the iPad again, so until I find out exactly which iOS version demands which iTunes version (and thereby which OSX version it runs on) I'm holding off. Also, I've read numerous postings from people who regret upgrading to whatever iOS update came out at the time, only to find out that performance declined, the battery was drained more, other bugs were introduced and useful features were removed.

So the question remains: whenever I'm faced a new iOS update, how can I find out (provided I wait a while and read if the update is worthwhile at all) if I should go ahead, or if this means I'll end up with a demand to update iTunes which in turn won't any longer be compatible with my OSX version (and the process is irreversible)?

Downgrading: so I can basically rule that out. I've read other postings where an immediate backup of the iPad when it's new (before you've updated iOS) can be re-applied by resetting the unit in DFU mode, but it sounds like this won't apply to my 5th gen and neither did I back up the unit before applying the 13.2.3 update.
Out of curiosity though: is there a way to find out which version my 5th gen. iPad Mini came factory installed with? Or perhaps someone knows?