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reference preinstalled certificate keypair from an MDM profile
For additional security we would like to avoid keeping generated certificates (their private keys) on our server after installing them on a device, but still be able to reference them in later installed configuration profiles via MDM. However, it seems that for a configuration profile's payload to use a certificate (e.g. VPN payload), the certificate payload must be present in the same profile. Are we missing anything, perhaps it's already possible somehow? Ideal workflow for us would be: our MDM server generates a certificate (private+public keys) for a given device our MDM server sends this certificate to the device as configuration profile and saves PayloadUUID of the certificate's payload our MDM server deletes the generated private key from its storage. At this point the private key is present only on the device. at some point in the future our MDM server sends a configuration profile that references the certificate from step 2 via the saved PayloadUUID (e.g. using key PayloadCertificateUUID in a VPN payload) Current result: device responds to MDM server with error "The profile “VPN” could not be installed. Certificates needed for the VPN service “VPN” are invalid." Desired result: device is able to find the previously installed certificate via its PayloadUUID. Alternatively, it could be certificate fingerprint or something similar. One more alternative could be to replace steps 1-3 by an app on the device that obtains a certificate (in any way), installs it to device as a configuration profile, passes the certificate's PayloadUUID to our MDM server and then doing step 4.
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Unable to get inbound and outbound byte count in Content Filter report.
Hello, I am building a Content Filter app for iOS and would like to get access to some information about network connections that are happening on the device. I managed to have the handle(_ report: NEFilterReport) method of my NEFilterControlProvider called, but the bytesOutboundCount and bytesInboundCount properties of the report are always 0. How can I have the real byte count of the connection ?
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Documented future changes to device management
I recently reviewed the device management restrictions page of the developer docs (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/devicemanagement/restrictions) and noticed that several items are now marked "In a future release, this restriction will begin requiring supervision." Some of these changes are likely to have a dramatic impact on our app and business! So my question is threefold: a) where can I find out or request more information about the planned changes (e.g. timeline would be especially helpful)? b) why are these changes being implemented at all? c) to whom / where can I protest these changes (aside from this forum and feedback assistant)?
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Block Private Relay while still allowing iCloud Drive Backups to work
We have been trying to figure out how to block Apple Private Relay in our enterprise so we can monitor and filter our employees traffic. We are able to block the Private Relay via this process: We used this article from Fortinet to achieve this: https://community.fortinet.com/t5/FortiGate/Technical-Tip-How-to-block-iCloud-Private-Relay-from-bypassing/ta-p/228629 This also appears to block the users ability to utilize Apple iCloud Drive Backups. They would like to allow that still. Is there a way to block iCloud Private Relay while still allowing iCloud Drive Backups to work? I am not finding a document listing the URL requirements for iCloud Drive Backups. We currently have this solution in place: https://community.fortinet.com/t5/FortiGate/Technical-Tip-How-to-allow-iCloud-private-relay/ta-p/383703 Basically this solution is allowing all Apple URL/IPs to go through the firewall and not be filtered. They would like to scan the traffic through. When scanning is enabled the firewall blocks the iCloud Private Relay traffic as it is blocked as being a proxy. Any guidance is greatly appreciated.
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Return to Service with App Preservation - Missing "Get Bootstrap Token" Request
Hello Apple Developer Community, I am implementing the "Return to Service" feature with app preservation in our MDM solution (iOS 26+). My goal is to use the EraseDeviceCommand to securely erase user data while preserving managed apps, and then have the device automatically re-enroll without user interaction. What I am doing: The device is supervised and successfully enrolled in Automated Device Enrollment (ADE). The device has generated and escrowed a bootstrap token to our MDM server (SetBootstrapToken received). I am sending the EraseDeviceCommand to the device via MDM with the necessary parameters for Return to Service with app preservation. The command payload includes: Enabled: true The previously escrowed BootstrapToken (as Base64 data). WiFiProfileData (as Base64 data) to ensure connectivity post-erase. Example Payload Structure (Simplified): <key>ReturnToService</key> <dict> <key>Enabled</key> <true/> <key>BootstrapToken</key> <data>YOUR_BASE64_TOKEN</data> <key>WiFiProfileData</key> <data>YOUR_BASE64_WIFI_PROFILE</data> </dict> The observed behavior: The erase command is successful. The device performs the secure user data erase. Crucially, the managed applications are preserved and automatically installed again after the reboot (confirming app preservation is working). The device connects to the Wi-Fi network successfully. The issue: I am not seeing the GetBootstrapToken request from the device hit our MDM server's check-in URL during the post-erase setup assistant phase. The re-enrollment seems to complete, but this specific request is missing from our server logs. My questions: Is the GetBootstrapToken request an explicit check-in message type, or is it an implicit part of the general CheckIn process during ADE re-enrollment when the token is used? If the device successfully re-enrolls and preserves apps, is the explicit GetBootstrapToken request still expected? Or does the token included in the EraseDeviceCommand payload satisfy all authentication needs for this workflow? What specific conditions or capabilities on the MDM server side might prevent the device from sending this specific request, even if the overall process succeeds? Any insights from Apple engineers or other developers who have successfully implemented this flow would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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Platform SSO development - refresh tokens
Hi, I developed a Platform Single Sign-On extension and a corresponding extension for my IdP, which is Keycloak based. The code for both projects are here: https://github.com/unioslo/keycloak-psso-extension and https://github.com/unioslo/weblogin-mac-sso-extension I realized that, when using the Secure Enclave as the AuthenticationMethod, and according to Apple's documentation, the Extension doesn’t obtain fresh ID Tokens when they expire if the refresh token is still valid. When using password as the Authentication Method, it fetches new ID tokens when they expire, without prompting the user for credentials, by using the refresh token. My suggestion is that the same behavior should be implemented for Secure Enclave keys. The thing here is that usually, on OIDC flows, the ID/Access tokens are short-lived. It would make sense for the extension to provide fresh ID tokens. It doesn’t seem to make sense for me that, when using passwords, the extension would fetch these tokens, and not when having the Secure Enclave key. By not doing this, Apple almost forces the developer of an extension to fetch new ID tokens themselves, which doens’t make sense when it clearly provides fresh tokens when using passwords. It almost forces the developers to either implement that logic themselves, or to issue longer tokens, which is not so nice. How so you deal with this? Do you simply use the refresh token as an authentication token, or do you do some sort of manual refresh on the extension?
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How to exclude system app information from iOS/iPadOS app information
I'm using Apple's MDM protocol InstalledApplicationListCommand to get information about installed apps. From iOS/iPadOS 26, the app information obtained by InstalledApplicationListCommand includes information on all apps including system apps (apps that come standard with iOS/iPadOS). https://developer.apple.com/documentation/devicemanagement/installed-application-list-command I want iOS/iPadOS26 to get the same information as the app information I get from the previous iOS/iPadOS, and I want to exclude system apps from the app information I get with the InstalledApplicationListCommand. As a way to exclude system apps, you can use the app ID I'm thinking of a way to exclude anything that starts with "com.apple" (the Identifier key value of the InstalledApplicationListResponse.InstalledApplicationListItem object). As a way to exclude system apps, please tell us whether the above method is appropriate and whether there will be any problems in the future.
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Return to Service with App Preservation issue
We are implementing the Return to Service (RTS) with App Preservation flow. During testing, we were able to successfully fetch the Bootstrap Token as part of the ADE enrollment process. However, when attempting to initiate the Return to Service command with App Preservation enabled, the following error was returned: [ { "ErrorCode": 12089, "ErrorDomain": "MDMErrorDomain", "LocalizedDescription": "Could not erase device.", "USEnglishDescription": "Could not erase device." }, { "ErrorCode": 66002, "ErrorDomain": "MDMBootstrapTokenErrorDomain", "LocalizedDescription": "Failed to generate LAContext for bootstrap token", "USEnglishDescription": "Failed to generate LAContext for bootstrap token" } ] Below is the sample request (with dummy data). The actual request contained valid values in all fields: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"> <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>Command</key> <dict> <key>RequestType</key> <string>EraseDevice</string> <key>ReturnToService</key> <dict> <key>Enabled</key> <true /> <key>WiFiProfileData</key> <data>WiFiProfileData</data> <key>BootstrapToken</key> <data>BootstrapTokenValue</data> <key>MDMProfileData</key> <data>MDM Profile Data</data> </dict> </dict> <key>CommandUUID</key> <string>3670</string> </dict> </plist>
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Ads to be used in Kids apps
"If your app includes any links outside the app, or offers any in-app or other purchasing opportunities, make sure these are behind a parental gate" Super Awesome and Kidoz are proving with a parental gate on ad click and they also claim that all ads are manually approved (another criteria for ads in Kids apps). So these two are the only ad networks we can use moving forward. Or we can use ad networks like Admob as well? I dont intend not to be in Kids category - so leaving Kids category is not a choice.
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file vault platform sso on intune managed mac, network user login not working
Hi everyone, We manage several macs through Microsoft Intune. We've deployed Platform SSO using the password based method (not the Secure Enclave) and have also enforced filevault encryption through policy. What we're trying to achieve is that multiple users can log into the same Mac. For example, I (the initial enrolling user) can log in without issues. However, we want a colleague to be able to log in as well if they're physically in front of the mac. The challenge we've run into is that once filevault is enabled (We're not sure about it but reading on forums it seems that the problem is filevault), it seems the network is not available at the login screen. This means that while the first user can create a mobile account and log in, a second user can't do the same. The moment we try to log in with another set of credentials, we get an immediate error and the password field shakes instantly, suggesting it's not even reaching out to the network or directory to validate the credentials. We'd like to confirm if this behavior is expected when FileVault is active and whether the only solution is to disable FileVault or if there are alternative solutions to allow network connectivity at the login screen. Essentially, we want to know if there's a way to let a second user log in without having to turn off disk encryption. Or if we can pre-authorize a set of users on the mac in order to create all the mobile account needed.. Thanks in advance! Thomas
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MDM - Command to identify Not now state
Hi Team, As per this documentation Handling NotNow Status Responses | Apple Developer Documentation, the last command that is delivered to the device on a connection should be the one that the device reported NotNow so that the device will automatically retry when it is ready to consume commands. Our question is it possible to have a fixed command which we can try at the end once all commands are tried and if device has reported NotNow for any of the commands. E.g. If there were 3 commands delivered to the device one by one SSO profile (com.apple.sso ) was delivered and device reported NotNow VPN profile (com.apple.vpn.managed) was delivered and the device reported NotNow DeviceInformation command was delivered and the device reported Acknowledged. As there were NotNow responses earlier, can we try a certificate profile(com.apple.security.pkcs1), with a dummy certificate payload, to ensure that the last command delivered to the device in this connection is responded with NotNow. Questions: Can we use a fixed command e.g. certificate profile(com.apple.security.pkcs1) as in above example to ensure the last command delivered to the device has NotNow response. Or is it better to try one of the commands which the device reported NotNow earlier. As in above example should we try the SSO or VPN profile at step 4 instead of the certificate profile? Following up to above, when a device reports NotNow for any profile installation command, can we say it will always report NotNow for certificate profile(com.apple.security.pkcs1) as well for all iOS and MacOS devices?
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No prompt/notification on device when using ABM/ASM MDM migration deadline in iOS 26
I'm are attempting to use the device management migration feature in Apple Business Manager / Apple School Manager (for devices running iOS 26 / iPadOS 26) to re-assign managed devices from one MDM server to another. We followed the published procedure (select device(s) → Assign Device Management → Set deadline → Continue). However, we are observing that on the device side, no notification or prompt appears to the user (such as “Enrollment Required” or “Your organization requires this device to enroll in a different device management service”), even after the migration deadline has passed. Here are the environment details: Device OS version: (iOS 26.1) Device ownership: enrolled via Automated Device Enrollment MDM re-assignment in ABM: old MDM server(name: https://dev5.clomo.com/panel/mackey-dev/ ) → new MDM server (name: https://obliging-bunny-equally.ngrok-free.app/ ) Deadline set: (12/10/2025 12:00 AM) Network connectivity: confirmed online at deadline time We would like to know: Under what exact conditions will the device display the notification/prompt, and what common mis-configurations prevent it from appearing? Is there any device log or activity indicator in ABM/ASM to confirm that the migration instruction has been sent to the device? In cases where the prompt does not appear, what troubleshooting steps can we perform on the device (or in the MDM/ABM configuration) to correct it?
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VPP License Management - How to Handle When [clientUserIdStr] is Not Included in the Response
We are managing VPP license switching operations using Apple's VPP Manage Licenses API. License information is managed by matching the “clientUserIdStr” data with the VPP account ID information managed on the server side. We received an inquiry stating that a VPP license did not activate despite the activation process being performed. Upon checking the API results, the update API returned a success status during execution. However, the “clientUserIdStr” information was missing from the license information field in the response of the information retrieval API. We kindly request your guidance on the reason why the “clientUserIdStr” information is missing when retrieving license information, and the steps to ensure this information is reliably returned. VPPAccoountId:0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef adamIdStr:521974902 *Some details have been altered from the actual data to protect personal information.
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iOS 26.1 beta2 bug
After applying the MDM camera restriction on iOS 26.1 beta 2, the camera availability status is reported incorrectly. After applying the MDM camera restriction [UIImagePickerController isSourceTypeAvailable:UIImagePickerControllerSourceTypeCamera] return YES
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Request for Update to ABM Device Management Profile Setting – iOS 26.x / iPhone 17 MDM Restore Loop
Dear Apple Developer Team, Following the rollout of iOS 26.x and the introduction of the iPhone 17, we have identified a critical issue affecting Mobile Device Management (MDM) enrolment and restore operations. The issue appears to stem from the Device Management Profile configuration 'do_not_use_profile_from_backup' within Apple Business Manager (ABM), which currently defaults to False. This setting should be modified to True to ensure proper functionality. When the profile remains set to False, organisations leveraging MDM encounter repeated failures during device backup and restore operations. Specifically, restoring a supervised or managed device triggers a persistent MDM registration loop, effectively preventing deployment of iPhone 17 devices in managed environments. We recommend that Apple review and adjust the default Device Management Profile property within ABM to address this issue and restore full MDM compatibility for iOS 26.x and later.
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