We’re looking for best practices to remotely update iOS apps that are deployed in Single App Mode (SAM) or Autonomous Single App Mode (ASAM), managed through MDM. Imagine a typical use case: an iPad installed as a self-service kiosk at an airport restaurant. We need to update the app periodically without: Displaying any prompts to the user Relying on the user to approve or initiate the update (since the device is unattended) Sending technicians onsite, as many devices are in remote locations MDM providers have stated, “This is how Apple handles it,” without offering a workable solution. We’re hoping someone here has experience or suggestions for: Seamless or silent app updates in SAM/ASAM Update workflows that avoid interruptions or user interaction Any proven strategies or automation options under MDM supervision Any insight or documented approaches would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I am checking the response of DeviceInformation Command to collect network information from iPad. On iPad(iPad Pro 11, M4) devices that use WiFi without inserting Usim or Esim, network values ​​such as CurrentMCC and ICCID are received in response to the DeviceInformation command. cf.)Even though it may be garbage value, I blurred the unique information just in case. <key>ServiceSubscriptions</key> <array> <dict> <key>CarrierSettingsVersion</key> <string>61.0</string> <key>CurrentCarrierNetwork</key> <string></string> <key>CurrentMCC</key> <string>450</string> <key>CurrentMNC</key> <string>08</string> <key>EID</key> <string>blah blah</string> <key>ICCID</key> <string>blah balh</string> <key>IMEI</key> <string>blah blah</string> <key>IsDataPreferred</key> <true/> <key>IsRoaming</key> <true/> <key>IsVoicePreferred</key> <false/> <key>Label</key> <string>Provisioning</string> <key>LabelID</key> <string>00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000</string> <key>PhoneNumber</key> <string></string> <key>Slot</key> <string>CTSubscriptionSlotOne</string> <key>SubscriberCarrierNetwork</key> <string>iPad</string> </dict> </array> This is a bit weird. If I collect the same information from an iPhone(iPhone 15 Pro Max) that only uses wifi and does not use Usim or Esim, it does not respond with values ​​like ICCID, CurrentMCC, etc. <key>ServiceSubscriptions</key> <array> <dict> <key>IMEI</key> <string>blah blah</string> <key>Slot</key> <string>CTSubscriptionSlotOne</string> </dict> <dict> <key>EID</key> <string>blah blah</string> <key>IMEI</key> <string>blah blah</string> <key>Slot</key> <string>CTSubscriptionSlotTwo</string> </dict> </array> I'm confused by the network information collected. Is there a reason why the collected network information of iPad and iPhone are different?

I am trying to find clarification on something. We are seeing strange cases where customer devices seem to unenroll themselves after a period of MDM inactivity. This seems to tie into roughly when their identity certificate has expired. We can't confirm this because the device has since unenrolled. Is there any case where an Apple device will automatically unenroll if it's identity certificate has expired? This doesn't always seem to happen - I had a device respond immediately after being switched off for a year - but could this be down to some devices being DEP enrolled and others manually enrolled?

As we know, we can't add restrictions payload in the mobileconfig when registing the device. We are developing MDM by ourselfs, met some trouble. Please help.

I have come across this Hideable attribute for managed apps, introduced in iOS 18.1, and I've encountered some behavior that seems to contradict the official documentation. According to Apple's documentation for app.managed.yaml, setting the Hideable key to false under the Attributes section should prevent a user from hiding the app. The documentation explicitly states: If false, the system prevents the user from hiding the app. It doesn't affect the user's ability to leave it in the App Library, while removing it from the Home Screen. I have configured this in my app.managed.yaml and successfully applied the profile to my test device via our MDM server. However, I am still able to hide the application from both the Home Screen and the App Library. Here are the steps I'm taking to hide the app: Long-press the app icon on Home Screen Select "Require Touch ID" Select "Hide and Require Touch ID" Authenticate using Touch ID Select "Hide App" After these steps, the app is no longer visible on the Home Screen or in the App Library, which is contrary to the behavior described in the documentation for when Hideable is set to false. My question is: Is this a known issue or a potential bug in iOS 18.1? Or, is there an additional configuration profile or a specific device supervision requirement that I might be missing to enforce this restriction correctly? Any clarification would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I tried the new feature of macOS 26.0 com.apple.configuration.app.managed. A configuration and its activation are defined with the data like this. InstallBehavior: Install: Required License: Assignment: Device iOSApp: true AppStoreID: '1113153706' After distributing the configuration with DeclarativeDevicement MDM command, an error is notified via status channel app.managed.list. "managed": { "list": [ { "state": "failed", "declaration-identifier": "1424a813-113f-5de0-9a75-38bf64f22673", "identifier": "com.microsoft.skype.teams", "name": "Microsoft Teams" } ] } What am I missing in the settings? Thank you

I'm currently testing app updates using the App:Managed declarative device management payload, and I have a question regarding app update status reporting. Presently, by subscribing to the app.managed.list status item, we can retrieve a list of managed applications along with their installation status. Additionally, we enable automatic updates for managed App Store apps using the UpdateBehavior.AutomaticAppUpdates key. However, especially when a critical application update is initiated, we frequently find ourselves needing more detailed information about the update process. For instance, having status items similar to softwareupdate.install-state and softwareupdate.failure-reason would be incredibly helpful for user troubleshooting. My question is: Is there a way to obtain a similar level of detailed, real-time status updates for app updates? Any insights you might have, or existing methods to achieve this, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I want to install Chrome extension via configuration profile without user needing to go to System Settings and install profile manually. Can i install configuraation profile by making user only interact with my app?

Im trying to make my own iOS MDM Server with SCEP. I cant send a response to the PKIOperation without the iPad rejecting it. Can someone post the PKIOperation response structure

The result Plist for the InstalledApplicationList MDM command is reporting duplicate Application identifiers. Sometimes with different version, other times with the same version. The device is MacOS 15.5, Enrolled via ABM (Supervised). Here are a couple samples from the returned list. Duplicate app: <key>BundleSize</key> <integer>398051</integer> <key>Identifier</key> <string>com.adobe.Acrobat.NativeMessagingHost</string> <key>Installing</key> <false/> <key>Name</key> <string>NativeMessagingHost</string> <key>ShortVersion</key> <string>5.0</string> <key>Version</key> <string>5.0</string> </dict> <dict> <key>BundleSize</key> <integer>398051</integer> <key>Identifier</key> <string>com.adobe.Acrobat.NativeMessagingHost</string> <key>Installing</key> <false/> <key>Name</key> <string>NativeMessagingHost</string> <key>ShortVersion</key> <string>5.0</string> <key>Version</key> <string>5.0</string> </dict> Different Version: <key>BundleSize</key> <integer>4197200</integer> <key>Identifier</key> <string>com.adobe.adobe_licutil</string> <key>Installing</key> <false/> <key>Name</key> <string>adobe_licutil</string> <key>ShortVersion</key> <string>11.0.0.39</string> <key>Version</key> <string>11.0.0.39</string> </dict> <dict> <key>BundleSize</key> <integer>4443177</integer> <key>Identifier</key> <string>com.adobe.AcroLicApp</string> <key>Installing</key> <false/> <key>Name</key> <string>AcroLicApp</string> <key>ShortVersion</key> <string>25.001.20432</string> <key>Version</key> <string>25.001.20432</string> </dict> <dict> <key>BundleSize</key> <integer>7380980</integer> <key>Identifier</key> <string>com.adobe.adobe_licutil</string> <key>Installing</key> <false/> <key>Name</key> <string>adobe_licutil</string> <key>ShortVersion</key> <string>10.0.0.274</string> <key>Version</key> <string>10.0.0.274</string> </dict>

Subject: Questions Regarding Signing Certificates for MDM Configuration Profiles Dear all, I hope this message finds you well. I have some questions regarding the signing certificates used for MDM configuration profiles. Currently, our company uses an SSL certificate to sign MDM configuration profiles. However, with the announcement that the validity period of SSL certificates will gradually be shortened starting in 2026, we are considering alternative options for signing certificates. Through our internal testing and investigation, we have found examples of the following certificate chains being used: ・Developer ID - G1 (Expiring 02/01/2027 22:12:15 UTC) + Developer ID Application certificate chain ・Apple Root CA + Apple Worldwide Developer Relations Intermediate Certificate + MDM CSR certificate chain We would appreciate any insights or experiences you can share regarding the following points: Apple Support previously advised that "certificates issued by public certificate authorities (CAs) trusted by Apple" are recommended. The certificates listed at https://www.apple.com/certificateauthority/ are typically preinstalled on Apple devices. Are these considered "trusted public CAs" by Apple in this context? Is it acceptable in practice to use a certificate obtained from the “Certificates, Identifiers &amp; Profiles” section on developer.apple.com for signing MDM configuration profiles? We would be grateful to hear about any real-world experiences. If the answer to question 2 is yes, which certificate type within “Certificates, Identifiers &amp; Profiles” would be most appropriate for signing configuration profiles? If using certificates from question 2 is not suitable, are there alternative certificate types (other than SSL) that are valid for longer periods (e.g., more than one year) and appropriate for signing MDM configuration profiles? Apple's official documents do not seem to clearly specify what type of certificate should be used to sign MDM configuration profiles. If you know of any helpful documents or resources related to this topic, we would greatly appreciate it if you could share them. Thank you very much for your time and support. We would truly appreciate any advice or guidance you can provide.

Hello, We are currently deploying Apple devices in our organization using Apple Business Manager (ABM) and are looking for a long-term self-hosted MDM solution. We initially considered MicroMDM, but since official support will end in December 2025, we are evaluating NanoMDM. I would like to confirm: Is NanoMDM a stable and production-ready option for long-term use with Apple Business Manager and Automated Device Enrollment (ADE)? Does NanoMDM support all essential features like: Supervision Remote wipe App deployment Configuration profiles Are there any limitations or known issues with using NanoMDM? Are there any other open-source or lightweight MDM solutions Apple developers recommend that are actively maintained? We are aiming for a reliable, secure, and future-proof self-hosted MDM setup. Any guidance or shared experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Vijay Pratap Singh

During VPP app installation, the app-device asset association event took longer than the usual maximum of 30 seconds to complete, regardless of the number of app licenses involved.

Hello! I’m testing certificate issuance using a locally running Smallstep step-ca ACME server with the device-attest-01 challenge. I’ve created a custom MDM profile for this purpose. When I install the profile, the certificate is issued successfully, but it is not saved to the Keychain as stated in the documentation. I can only see the certificate via mdmclient or in the Wi-Fi settings dropdown menu. Is this expected behavior, or are there additional settings that need to be included in the MDM profile?

We are experiencing a critical issue where VPP app installations are consistently taking an excessive amount of time, leading to significant delays in asset association. We are deployionThis is a systemic problem that affects all VPP apps, not just an isolated case. Apps: 39470db7-e475-4269-9709-c80641657027 => com.zimride.instant d0876900-2579-463e-99f1-b7c85ef5c5e8 com.microsoft.azureauthenticator Troubleshooting: We have performed extensive troubleshooting and can confirm the following: VPP Token: The VPP token has been successfully renewed and is currently active and valid. License Availability: We've verified that there are sufficient VPP licenses available for the apps being deployed. Device Status: We've attempted the following on the affected devices: Restarted the devices. Switched to different Wi-Fi networks. Uninstalled and re-installed the apps. App Status: The issue is not limited to a single app; all VPP apps are failing to install. License Revocation: We attempted to revoke and reassign licenses for some devices, but this did not resolve the issue. The app was not pushed, and the pending status remained. Troubleshooting: Through our internal investigation, we have determined that the core issue is that the Asset Association Status is consistently taking excessive time. This seems to be preventing the app installation queue from processing. We have observed a significant delay in the processing of events within the Notification Channel. The time between the event being created and a response being received is excessively long, indicating a potential backlog or issue. We have included a few recent examples below for your reference: Event ID: 39470db7-e475-4269-9709-c80641657027 com.zimride.instant Created Time: 2025-08-26 01:02:04 Response Time: 2025-08-26 01:34:05 Event ID: d0876900-2579-463e-99f1-b7c85ef5c5e8 com.microsoft.azureauthenticator Created Time: 2025-08-25 21:16:29 Response Time: 2025-08-25 22:21:07 We would appreciate your help in the following areas: Resolution: Could you provide any known solutions or workarounds for an asset association status that is taking excessive amount of time'? Best Practices: Are there any recommended best practices or additional parameters we should be checking with the MDM that might influence the queueing of VPP app assignments? Queueing Parameters: Could you provide insight into the parameters or conditions that can affect the queueing and processing of VPP app installations on Apple's servers? Please let us know if there is any additional information or logs we can provide.

We’ve run into what looks like a gap in how forceAirDropUnmanaged is enforced on iOS devices. Setup: Device: iOS 17.x (unsupervised, enrolled in MDM) MDM Restriction: forceAirDropUnmanaged = true Managed Open-In restriction also applied (block unmanaged destinations). Verified: from a managed app, the AirDrop icon is hidden in the share sheet. This part works as expected. Issue: When two iOS devices are brought close together, the proximity-initiated AirDrop / NameDrop flow still allows transfer of photos, videos, or files between devices. In this path, forceAirDropUnmanaged does not appear to apply, even though the same restriction works correctly in the standard sharing pane. What I’d expect: If forceAirDropUnmanaged is enabled, all AirDrop transfer paths (including proximity/NameDrop) should be treated as unmanaged, and thus blocked when “Managed Open-In to unmanaged destinations” is restricted. What I observe instead: Share sheet → AirDrop hidden ✅ Proximity/NameDrop → transfer still possible ❌ Questions for Apple / Community: Is this a known limitation or expected behavior? Is there a different restriction key (or combination) that also covers proximity-based AirDrop? If not currently supported, should this be filed as Feedback (FB) to request alignment between share sheet AirDrop and NameDrop enforcement? This behaviour introduces a compliance gap for organisations relying on MDM to control data exfiltration on unsupervised or user-enrolled devices. Any clarification or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

We’re running into a problem when deploying certain .pkg installers via MDM on macOS 15 and above. The installation fails with the following error message: “The app is running and we don’t have the context to quit it, failing install.” Context: The .pkg is being pushed through an MDM solution (not installed manually). This happens consistently across multiple macOS 15+ devices. The target app is often already running when the MDM tries to install the update. Unlike a manual installation, the MDM does not appear to have the ability to quit the running app before proceeding. Questions: Is this a known change in macOS 15 where MDM-delivered installs no longer have permission to terminate apps during package installation? Are there recommended best practices for handling app updates via .pkg through MDM in this scenario? Has anyone implemented a workaround—such as pre-install scripts, user notifications, or policies to quit the app before running the installer—that works reliably on macOS 15? Is Apple planning to update MDM behavior or installer APIs to address this, or should admins expect to handle quitting apps entirely outside of the MDM installation process? Any insights from Apple engineers or other developers/admins who have encountered this would be really helpful.

Environment Devices: e.g., iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 16 (multiple units) OS: iOS 26 beta 2 and beta 4 (23A5297m) Distribution: Apple Enterprise Program (In-House), deployed via MDM InstallApplication Tooling: Xcode (latest available for iOS 26 betas) Summary Apps signed for Enterprise (In-House) distribution install successfully on iOS 26 betas via MDM, but terminate immediately on launch. The same builds run if installed from Xcode on the same devices. This is a regression from pre-iOS 26 versions where Enterprise builds installed via MDM launched normally. Steps to Reproduce Archive an iOS app and export for Enterprise (In-House) distribution. Deploy the .ipa via MDM using InstallApplication to a device on iOS 26 beta (e.g., 23A5297m). Tap the app icon to launch. Actual Result The app quits instantly on launch. System logs show launchd/runningboard errors, including NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=85 (“Bad executable (or shared library)”): runningboardd(RunningBoard)[34]: Process start failed with Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=85 "Bad executable (or shared library)" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Launchd job spawn failed} runningboardd(RunningBoard)[34]: Launch failed with Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=85 "Bad executable (or shared library)" SpringBoard(FrontBoard)[35]: Bootstrapping failed ... NSUnderlyingError = { NSLocalizedDescription = Launchd job spawn failed; } Expected Result Enterprise-signed builds installed via MDM should launch as they did on iOS 25.x and earlier. Regression? Works on iOS versions prior to 26. Works on iOS 26 betas when installed from Xcode (developer-signed run). Fails only for Enterprise (In-House) builds delivered via MDM. Additional Notes / Possibly Related We also reproduced a similar failure mode with a minimal Safari Web Extension project: it installs and appears under Settings → Safari → Extensions, but enabling it and opening Safari produces: “ is no longer available.” Building a fresh project with a new bundle ID shows the same behavior on iOS 26 beta (23A5297m). Logs contain: Error occurred during transaction: The provided identifier "" is invalid. Running from Xcode (debug build) works. Workarounds None identified for Enterprise/MDM distribution. Only Xcode-installed builds run. Impact Blocks Enterprise deployment to our fleet on iOS 26 betas. Feedback / Attachments Included: sysdiagnose from an affected device, minimal Xcode project demonstrating the issue, Enterprise-exported app, and reproduction notes. Happy to share additional logs or perform targeted tests if needed. Request Can Apple confirm whether this is a known regression vs. a policy/validation change in iOS 26 for Enterprise/MDM installs? Any guidance on a short-term mitigation or build/signing change we can apply would be appreciated.

Nuestra cuenta está aprobada como MDM Vendor y necesitamos emitir por primera vez el certificado APNs para MDM en el portal de Push Certificates. Procedimiento seguido Primero hemos descargado desde nuestra cuenta de Apple Developer el certificado de MDM Vendor y lo hemos instalado en el ordenador. Esto lo hemos hecho para que, al lanzar la instrucción de OpenSSL, se pueda utilizar el UUID gestionado por Apple y así generar el CSR de forma correcta. La instrucción que estamos ejecutando es la siguiente: openssl req -new -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes -keyout mdm_private.key -out mdm.csr -subj "/O=Numbux/OU=MDM/CN=com.apple.mgmt.External." El CSR resultante es puro (no está firmado ni empaquetado) y está generado con RSA 2048 y SHA256. Sin embargo, al subirlo al portal de Push Certificates, seguimos recibiendo el error “invalid signing request”. Solicitud Dado que es nuestra primera emisión, entendemos que necesitamos el External UUID asignado por Apple a nuestra organización, porque veo que el problema se deriva de una incorrecto UUID que se está generando en el comando OpenSSL. ¿Podríais confirmarnos cuál es ese valor para poder completar el CSR y así emitir correctamente el certificado APNs MDM? He llamado a los números 900 812 703 y al 900 812 468 y he escrito al soporte de developer. NADIE ES CAPAZ DE DARMELO. Sin el external UUID no puedo crear el APN para mi MDM. Alguien me puede ayudar? No me mandeis links ni posibles números que llamar porque ya lo he hecho.

We've disabled FUS through a config profile, but users can still access FUS by enabling the MenuBar/Control Center icons. My org would like to prevent access to FUS so I've created a config profile. But the profile doesn't seem to work. Anyone have any ideas what I'm missing, or is this an OS bug? <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"> <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>PayloadDisplayName</key> <string>macOS - Tahoe - Disable Fast User Switching Control Center</string> <key>PayloadIdentifier</key> <string>com.myorg.fast-user-switching</string> <key>PayloadType</key> <string>Configuration</string> <key>PayloadScope</key> <string>System</string> <key>PayloadUUID</key> <string>f1a2b3c4-d5e6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890</string> <key>PayloadVersion</key> <integer>1</integer> <key>TargetDevmyorgType</key> <integer>5</integer> <key>PayloadContent</key> <array> <dict> <key>PayloadType</key> <string>com.apple.controlcenter</string> <key>PayloadVersion</key> <integer>1</integer> <key>PayloadIdentifier</key> <string>com.apple.controlcenter.57EBEF9E-E568-411E-AE27-500AD98C94F4</string> <key>PayloadUUID</key> <string>f1a2b3c4-d5e6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890</string> <key>UserSwitcher</key> <integer>8</integer> </dict> <dict> <key>PayloadType</key> <string>.GlobalPreferences</string> <key>PayloadVersion</key> <integer>1</integer> <key>PayloadIdentifier</key> <string>.GlobalPreferences.71DE1486-60BC-4CB9-890D-AD50A772890D</string> <key>PayloadUUID</key> <string>c5234012-e0sw-2066-6fl8-3bd5p8125op7</string> <key>MultipleSessionEnabled</key> false/> </dict> </array> </dict> </plist>