We found an issue where the DetailURL configured in a Declarative Device Management OS update declaration is displayed on the device’s Software Update screen, but tapping the link does not open the URL on some iOS versions.
This issue appears to occur specifically on iOS 26.4. The same behavior could not be reproduced on iOS 17.x or iOS 18.x devices using the same MDM command configuration and the same URL.
Environment:
MDM command: Declarative OS Update command
Command configuration:
- Target OS Version: 26.5
- Build Version: 23F77
- DetailURL: Appleデバイスのソフトウェアアップデート宣言型構成 - Apple サポート (日本)
Device requirements:
- Supervised iOS device
- Managed by MDM
- Connected to Wi-Fi
- OS update available
- No Safari restriction or browser launch restriction configuration profile applied
Reproduction Steps:
-
Prepare a supervised iOS device managed by MDM.
-
Send a Declarative Device Management OS update command with the following configuration:
- Target OS Version: 26.5
- Build Version: 23F77
- DetailURL: Appleデバイスのソフトウェアアップデート宣言型構成 - Apple サポート (日本)
-
After the command is applied, open the device Settings app.
-
Go to General > Software Update.
-
Confirm that the URL configured in DetailURL is displayed on the Software Update screen.
-
Tap the displayed URL.
Expected Result:
The displayed DetailURL should open in Safari or the default browser.
Actual Result:
On iOS 26.4 devices, the URL is displayed on the Software Update screen, but tapping the link does not open Safari or navigate to the URL.
On other tested iOS versions, the URL opens correctly.
Test Results:
Reproduced / Not working:
- iPhone 15 Pro, iOS 26.4: reproduced 3/3
- iPhone 17e, iOS 26.4: reproduced
Not reproduced / Working:
- iPhone SE, iOS 17.7: Safari opens successfully
- iPhone 14 Pro Max, iOS 17.6.1: Safari opens successfully, 0/3 reproduced
- iPhone 12 Pro, iOS 18.7.7: Safari opens successfully
- iPhone 11 Pro Max, iOS 18.7.8: Safari opens successfully, 0/3 reproduced
Additional Notes:
We confirmed that Safari usage restrictions and browser launch-related configuration profiles were not applied on the affected test device.
A sysdiagnose was collected from the affected iPhone 15 Pro running iOS 26.4. From the logs, it appears that the Settings app / Preferences attempts to open Safari, but the URL cannot be opened. The log suggests that an invalid or unexpected URL may be passed from the Settings app when the Software Update screen link is tapped.
This issue does not appear to be specific to the MDM server implementation, because the same Declarative OS Update configuration works correctly on iOS 17.x and iOS 18.x devices. Based on current testing, this may be an iOS 26.4-specific issue with how the Software Update screen handles the DetailURL link.
