iTunes must be updated, Microsoft may require patching
ACTION REQUIRED: As you know, Apple released iOS 10 for most iPads, iPhones and iPod touches. This note explains critical steps that must be taken in order for GroundControl to be able to update devices to iOS 10 on Mac and Windows.
CRITICAL ISSUE #1: GroundControl is self-contained for most operations, but relies on iTunes libraries for iOS update processes, on both Mac and Windows. You must install iTunes 12.5 (or later) on each Launchpad to permit updates to iOS 10. Download iTunes using this link: http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
Without iTunes 12.5, you will be unable to perform the following operations:
- Update to iOS 10
- Recovery Mode to iOS 10
In the past, Apple has required the same for major iOS releases. Please update iTunes on your Launchpads.
CRITICAL ISSUE #2: We work hard to test Apple beta releases as early as possible, in order to identify any potential regressions. Unfortunately, we were unable to obtain a beta of iTunes for Windows for testing. As it turns out, we have observed an issue with iTunes 12.5.1 for Windows, where iTunes fails to launch after the upgrade. GroundControl also fails to launch with iTunes 12.5.1 on at least some Windows PCs. Sometimes you will see an error referring to “APSDaemon_main.dll”.
We have identified a fix, which is to install a redistributable Visual C++ package from Microsoft. The download link is here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=48145
In our tests, installing this package resolves the iTunes and GroundControl issues. We have reported this issue to Apple, and we expect them to resolve this in an updated iTunes release in the near future.