Filed under: Enterprise, iPhone
Inside iPhone 3.0: Fix too-strict passcode lock settings for Exchange users
If your iPhone was connected to an Exchange server for email, contact or calendar synchronization prior to your upgrade to the 3.0 software, you may have run into the same problem that was bugging me for a day or so: the timeout on the passcode lock gets set to "Immediate," forcing you to enter the code almost every time you pick up the phone. Secure, sure, but very annoying. Going to the usual settings location to adjust the timeout shows no choices other than the insta-lock; what to do?
A thread on the Apple discussions boards points to the answer. Since the ActiveSync link to the Exchange server controls some security policies on the phone, you need to refresh those controls; the easiest way to do that, short of deleting and recreating the Exchange account, is to turn off all three sync modes and the Push setting. Once that's done, you can go back to the passcode lock screen and disable the lock or adjust the timeout. Put your sync settings back the way they were and your changes to the passcode config should remain in place.
For a full rundown on the enterprise-friendly features of iPhone OS 3.0, check out the Enterprise Integration guide via Apple's enterprise features page.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
dagamer43 said 6:17PM on 6-21-2009
I had this problem when I first installed the 3.0 betas. The best way to get rid of this problem is to restore your firmware (complete wipe) instead of upgrading (changing OS files).
One other unfortunate problem that's cropped up since installing 3.0 is that you can no longer save your VPN passwords. It now asks for it every time. =/
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Kevin Crossman said 7:39PM on 6-21-2009
Thank you very much! This was bugging me and thankfully is better now.
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p said 7:47PM on 6-21-2009
I didn't have this problem, but thanks for the info.
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Mike Eliss said 10:37PM on 6-21-2009
My expectations of Exchange-anything is VERY low. I had this problem too, but I managed to figure it out. It was only natural for me to blame Microsoft, as I'm an Entourage user.
I have no idea what my IT department was thinking when they moved to Exchange. It totally stinks from the users vantage point, and the conversion cost in my company was TREMENDOUS.
But admittedly, having a 10,000 mailbox Exchange installation under the IT Director's belt must look pretty great.
Oh yeah, I guess I do know what IT was thinking - career mobility.
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Aaron P said 11:11PM on 6-21-2009
Spoken like someone who has no clue what they are talking about. :-P
In all seriousness, Exchange is one of Microsoft's more well thought out and implemented software packages. It's quite full featured and has some incredibly useful tools in it's most recent iteration (namely the Exchange PowerShell).
Just_a_guy said 10:19PM on 6-21-2009
this is crap. I know that most people who use exchange usually have long complicated passwords which are hard to remember. this should not be a feature. It should be an option.
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Michael Rose said 11:27PM on 6-21-2009
I think you're confusing the Exchange account password (which may be long and complicated) with the iPhone passcode (which is four digits).
Aaron P said 10:21PM on 6-21-2009
FWIW, this isn't new with 3.0. I encountered this once or twice on the 2.x.x firmwares. My fix was simply deleting the mail account and recreating it--it never did require a complete restore of the firmware.
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Michael Rose said 11:28PM on 6-21-2009
I had never encountered it before, but good to know.
Danny said 10:52PM on 6-21-2009
I don`t have any issues with the pass-code lock setting but then I am not sure how our Exchange sever security policy is set up. Good to know regardless.
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Coogan said 12:03AM on 6-22-2009
I had this problem for the longest time with the 3.0 beta and had no idea what was causing it. I had to guess every password I could remember before I got it right.
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Johnny K said 1:46AM on 6-22-2009
My school required that we download a profile to use POP e-mail and the school's VPN client. This profile added a time-lock and password restriction onto my own personal phone, which I did not agree with. Since the profile was unsigned, I downloaded it onto my own computer and opened it in Notepad to see that it's laid out in an XML-like schema. I merely edited the parameters (which were pretty clearly marked) and searched Apple for the ones I didn't understand, and then downloaded it to my phone. It worked perfectly.
Anyone with a VPN or e-mail profile with similarly restrictive settings might want to try that.
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Madness in Woodstock said 4:11PM on 6-24-2009
I've done "all of the above" to fix this problem with 3.0 syncing with MS Exchange. I've talked with our IT people who told me they have not put any passcode 'rules' on the server.
Bottom line: Iphone 3.0 will not keep my password in the settings for Exchange ActiveSync. I back out of the password entry 'page' and then go back in...and the password is gone.
Solutions? Our IT person wants to know too for other Iphone people. I may have to get an unwanted Blackberry if not fixed. :(
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