OS and Software > All Things Macintosh > [iPhone] 3.1 breaks Exchange Sync for pre-3GS phones

reply to darcilicious

Re: [iPhone] 3.1 breaks Exchange Sync

reply to godlikesme
Exchange 2007 SP1 was released in May of 2008, you bought your iPhone 3G in November of 2008. It is not Apple's fault you didn't research this issue before buying one. You can disable forced encryption and your phone will work fine, so this is a non-issue. I know for Windows Mobile phones, you can still enable encryption on the device itself. It's likely you could even create two different Activesync Policies on your Exchange Server, one specifically for your iPhone devices that doesn't force encryption and another for other mobile devices that does force it.

I'd like to see Apple release 3.1.1 that reverted to ignoring the setting, but that is the most I would expect to see them offer.

I have no control over my Exchange server. I work for a company with like 30,000 employees.

Let's go with the argument that I didn't do my research. However, enforcing hardware encryption was the approach Apple should have taken all along. It would have removed any doubt as to whether or not a customer's MS Exchange servers required it. I would have tried to access my email and received the message I am getting now and known right there and then that the device was not compatible. That would have given me a fair chance to decide whether or not I still wanted to make the purchase. That would have been the right thing to do. Could my IT department have done more research? Perhaps. Could Apple have been more transparent regarding the lack of hardware encryption and it's long-term ramifications? Definitely.

Just to be clear, I could live with a 3.1.2 update that didn't require hardware encryption.

By the way, it's nice to be able to have an intelligent discussion with people and have different opinions without getting flamed like I often see people react on other message boards.

I agree it was irresponsible of Apple to ignore the setting until now and as I stated earlier, I was under the assumption it WAS honoring the setting. However, I didn't seek a definitive answer when I bought my iPhone, so I hold myself, not Apple, responsible.

Could Apple have been clearer that it didn't support encryption? Absolutely. Do I fault them or think in the grand scheme of things they are ultimately responsible for it? I don't. The information was out there, I just chose not to look for it, so shame on me.

reply to Matt

reply to ChiefTom

Chief, I don't think you understand how Activesync policies work. The policy is sent to the device, but it's completely up to the device whether to honor and apply those settings or not. If anything is communicated back, it's simply that the policy was received successfully. The iPhone hasn't been "lying" to the Exchange server in any way, which is why people are in an uproar.

»technet.microsoft.com/en-us/libr···84.aspx#
»msexchangeteam.com/archive/2007/···551.aspx

Note the requirement that for all those policies to be applied, the device must support Activesync 12.1. If the device doesn't support a 12.1 requirement that it doesn't know about (as is the case with the iPhone) it continues to function but it just ignores that policy setting. My guess is that Windows Mobile 5 devices also continue to function normally yet don't support encryption or any of the new Activesync 12.1 policies either.

Matt,

Thanks forthe referance links.

In the first referance in the middle of the page is the following

Require Device Encryption
This setting specifies whether device encryption is required. If set to $true, the device must be able to support and implement encryption to synchronize with the server.

This means to me that unless the device has can support encryption, it can not synchronize.

It has been this way since mid 2008.

If Encryption was required, why was the device able to sync when this policy say no.

As a user, not an admin, is there an easy way I can check whether or not my Exchange server requires encryption before I choose to upgrade to 3.1? Of course this won't help me if there is a policy change in the future...

reply to ChiefTom

Just thought you guys might be interested in knowning that MS Exchange Server 2007 SP1 was not released in May 2008 but in November 2007 which was a full 8 months prior to the release of the original iPhone 3G. That gave Apple MORE than enough time to test compatibility with MS Exchange 2007 SP1. This is TOTALLY Apple's fault and I have already contacted an attorney to start preliminary discussions about a possible class action lawsuit. If anyone else is interested in filing please let me know and I will start a listserv.

reply to Matt
Here is the link to the original Exchange Server 2007 SP1 download page.

»www.microsoft.com/downloads/deta···ylang=en

Good luck with your lawsuit.

reply to godlikesme
@godslikeme...

Dude. I've been reading your posts across various forums. I can somewhat understand your frustration about being led to believe the phone did something it apparently doesn't do, but seriously...

A lawsuit? ARE YOU KIDDING???

Tell your Exchange Admin to turn off the policy setting to require encryption. Job done.

Or, sell your phone on Craigslist and buy a Blackberry. Job done. That's cheaper than a lawsuit.

You think Apple will give you money because you can't get your email?

How about having your work mail forwarded to Gmail and access it there?

You have got no grounds for a lawsuit, it's frivolous at best. So what, you can't get your work email on your phone. Too bad. If your company switch to Lotus Notes, or Sendmail, or move to some other system, will you blame Apple then too?

You can't get your own way, so you sue. It's (re)actions like this that give America the "ambulance chaser" and "screw everyone for cash" labels the rest of the world think about you/us. Sorry to say it, but it's true. Just accept the fact that your toy has been taken away and now you need to decide whether to deal with it, or just get a new toy.

With all do respect, I can tell by your post that you don't exactly know what it's like to work in a real corporate environment. I work for a goverment contractor. Our clients include agencies like the FBI, DHS, DOJ etc. All of our email communication must be secure. My team all has security clearance and I would get fired and possibly sent to prison if I forwarded my work email to a gmail account. Not everyone lives in a world of "Facebook and Twitter". Some of us do important things that really matter.

Another thing, and for the last freaking time...

IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO EXPECT COMPANIES TO TURN OFF ENCRYPTION!!!

Having my company relax their security settings is not an option and shouldn't have to be! Why is that so difficult for you to understand? Apple marketed a product as being compatible with MS Exchange "touting" their ability to run with the likes of RIM in the corporate market and it looks like they were a bit too early coming out of the gate. They need to own up to it just like Microsoft did with all of the failed Xbox 360 red-ring-of-death issues.

godlikesme, if that is the case then your option would be to upgrade to the 3GS or another handset.