Apple Classroom - students can bypass lock

[St0rMl0rD]

Hi all,

So a teacher reports that the students have found a way to bypass a lock to a specific app or a website. Apparently, if the student restarts the device, they will get thrown back into the app / website, but they won't be lock.

Can anyone else confirm this?

[coachmacky]

I've been searching a few issues related to the Apple Classroom app.
1: It is reported that it is possible that a student is "mirroring" an image on the iPad that a teacher is viewing in Classroom...while the student is actually in some other app or website. Is this possible?
2: We had one student who could not be locked into an app. 24 other students were locked in, he could get out. The teacher was able to "send him" to the app, but then he could get out. Anyone else experience this?

[Ducanh]

Yeah I'm actually the student bypass one of this I have remove this now I'm trying to reinstall it for my school's works

[aaron_kelley]

So I can confirm this is an issue, we're starting to see this as well...and with students, word gets around FAST, which is creating quite the problem since we're primarily using this so the students CAN'T get out off the lock.

[murph]

@St0rMl0rD Yes this is a problem for us!

I'd suggest sending bug reports / feedback to Apple regarding this as they need more people bringing this up as an issue in the classroom. The last I heard that this is currently functioning as intended so that the device could get out if needed (or something along those lines).

Surely there would be something that could be implemented at the student level or at the teacher level that the device could know that it was in a Locked Mode prior to restart and then upon reboot try to negotiate back to the teachers device for maybe 30-60 seconds and then release the lock if it can't renegotiate the connection.

[Sandy]

Hi!
Can you provide more technical detail? Is this something new, or just being brought to light due to Standardized Testing happening now?
Has anyone tested this in iOS 10.3?

[aaron_kelley]

@Sandy So...you have a class of students, you (admin) lock said student devices to an app or simply lock the device. The student may do the "hard restart/reset" by holding both the home and lock button at the same time for 15 seconds; this will disengage the app lock. So if the teacher is not aware, the student can get out of the lock by doing this and roam freely. Students have already been spreading the joyous news to each other, so it's becoming a hassle (especially since we just made the switch to Classroom). We haven't started our testing yet but was made aware a few weeks ago.
Yes, I just tested this in iOS 10.3 and still same issue, unfortunately.

[aaron_kelley]

Anything?

[Qu_Wang_Hue]

Can you give more details on how they did it? 

[ALengyel]

Airplane mode, turning off wifi and this will all get them out of classroom in our school. I talked to our Apple Classroom guy from ConnectED which stated the flaws as well. His response was "If they cannot follow the rules remove the ipad" for solution and that is what we have kind of adhered to but teachers don't like it because then they have to modify their plan to accommodate a non-ipad student.

I don't think Classroom 2.0 or 10.3 iOS will solve this issue either.

[murph]

Also, students like to take a screen shot of the Classroom lock screen and make it their wallpaper, I guess in an effort to make you think their iPad is locked.

[aaron_kelley]

@ALengyel if only we could disable Airplane mode as well! Students have been turning on AirPlane mode to fool the teachers that they have a connection issue ever since we moved to iPads last year. Now that we moved to Classroom, I'm sure it'll come up with us as well. Right now it's just the power cycling.

[scitcher1002]

Has there been any recourse on this issue yet? We are sitll experienceing this as of January of 2018!

[LIONGENZ9629]

So, I am currently a student. So, when you turn airplane mode on it turns off Bluetooth because Bluetooth may disrupt plane communications. Apple would not like to risk getting rid of Airplane mode because it could cause a disruption on a plane or a crash. Therefore it is just safer to keep that loophole in the system. Also, if your iPad is locked than you just have to restart the system.
I hope this answers your question.

[Qu_Wang_Hue]

bro do you have discord i need your ways pls respond

[lkliebert]

If you have an MDM you should be able to lock bluetooth to remain on. Our students are also restarting their iPads to disconnect from Apple Classroom. I hope Apple figures out how to fix this.

[kochsner]

Last year at ISTE I attended the Apple Playground and they were showing the locked iPads...I turned it off...and restarted it to break out and said...no you didn't....I'm that student who can bypass your lock. They said..Oh yes, we know that issue...but had no resolution for it.