When using the SoftwareUpdateEnforcementSpecific to target an update to iPad OS 18.7.1, will the update be triggered to be downloaded immediately after the iPad has an active Internet connectivity? Or, if the SoftwareUpdateSettingsAutomaticActionsObject download string is set to AlwaysOff, will this mean that the update enforced will not start downloading automatically, but only when the user decides?
I am trying to understand how these two can be combined together or if they work independently, as while trying to enforce a specific version, we need to eliminate the possibility to download an iPad OS version using cellular data, as our devices have an eSIM installed and the cost of using that for the iOS updates will be quite high.
Maybe there is a setting to only allow the iOS updates to be downloaded via Wi-Fi.
Thanks!
Device Management
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There is a longstanding restriction payload for supervised iOS devices that disables "Erase All Content and Settings." We have been experimenting with supervised watches paired with supervised phones that have that payload applied, and yet "Erase All Content and Settings" remains available on the watch. Is this:
– a) An error with our payload? Should we be sending something else?
– b) A bug in watchOS supervision?
– c) A deliberate design choice? If so, what is the rationale for preventing organizations from maintaining this very basic level of control over devices they may be configuring and dispatching into the field?
Topic:
Business & Education
SubTopic:
Device Management
Tags:
watchOS
Apple Business Manager
Device Management
I'm writing to point out a potential structural error in an example of the DeclarativeManagement command. This could cause significant confusion for developers implementing the MDM protocol.
The standard structure for a server-to-device MDM command requires CommandUUID and the Command dictionary to be siblings under the top-level dictionary. The CommandUUID serves as a top-level identifier for the entire command envelope.
This is the correct, expected structure:
<?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>Command</key>
<dict>
<key>RequestType</key>
<string>DeclarativeManagement</string>
</dict>
</dict>
<key>CommandUUID</key>
<string>0001_DeclarativeManagement</string>
</dict>
</plist>
This is an example of the incorrect structure I've seen:
<?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>CommandUUID</key>
<string>0001_DeclarativeManagement</string>
<key>Command</key>
<dict>
<key>RequestType</key>
<string>DeclarativeManagement</string>
</dict>
</dict>
</dict>
</plist>
Topic:
Business & Education
SubTopic:
Device Management
Why don't obtain equipment list (https://mdmenrollment.apple.com/server/devices) interface returns "device_family" contour information. This interface only returns some fields, and many field values are not returned
In iOS 26.1 beta 4, under MDM restrictions that disable the camera via a configuration profile, the Camera and FaceTime apps are hidden as expected. However, other third-party apps can still access and use the camera function normally. This is unreasonable.
We are expering frequent delays recently when associating a device serial with the adamid of an app in our business manager account. I get an event id back when calling the /associate api but when i check the status of that event id is can be sat in a pending state for sometimes several hours. Need to understand why and if its a configuration issue
Topic:
Business & Education
SubTopic:
Device Management
I am needing to access the ABM API via C#. Searching has directed me to use BouncyCastle. I have downloaded the PEM file. However, using the following:
using (var reader = File.OpenText(pemFilePath))
{
var pemReader = new PemReader(reader);
var keyObject = pemReader.ReadObject();
I get the error "problem creating EC private key: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object."
We use Device Management Profile to restrict all apps from using camera on unsupervised devices. It works fine until iOS 26.1 beta. In iOS 26.1, only the camera icon is removed from Home screen, the third party apps can still use camera. In our scenario, the camera of employees' iPhones are disabled when they enter the factory and are restored when they leave. According to the documentation, disabling camera on unsupervised devices is deprecated. But supervision is not feasible option because these iPhones are owned personally by employees. Is there any new solution for camera restriction on unsupervised devices? Thanks.
Topic:
Business & Education
SubTopic:
Device Management
Target Device: iPhone 13, iOS 18.5, enroll to MDM by enrollment profile
Command:
Response:
Anyone could help?
I work at a school in NYC and have a software idea that could better support the new NYC phone ban law than current market options (i.e. Yondr pouches).
Right now at my school, students and staff scan a QR code upon entering the building to indicate that they are in the building. They scan again on the way out to indicate they've left the building. This is super helpful for attendance, particularly in emergency situations (fire drills, etc).
Imagine if when students scanned their QR code, it also activated an app similar to Opal or ScreenZen, but with an admin preset whitelisted apps. The idea is that this app would default deny access to all apps on students' phones except the admin preset whitelisted ones such as Phone, Calculator, etc. Depending on the age/needs of the student, other apps like Spotify, or medical apps could also be whitelisted.
My question is -- is this idea possible to create?
We would need admin preset controls to create the preset whitelist. We can't have students picking their own restrictions, as we know most would opt to not restrict at all.
We would need an admin dashboard so teachers/admin can see which students have activated the app in the building, and which may be trying to sneakily avoid it.
We would ideally need to be able to whitelist both system apps like Phone and Calculator, as well as non-system apps such as Spotify (and medical apps -- we have some students who manage/monitor their Diabetes with an app).
I don't have a background in software. I'm a math and health teacher. I've experimented with trying to have friends who majored in CS to create this app for me, but they've all either struggled/lost interest. So I'm also looking for a business partner in this venture.
If anyone has any guidance here, it would be so helpful! My boss (Head of School) is super interested in this idea and significantly prefers it to every other alternative that he has encountered. The problem is this idea does not exist yet!
Note: I know this is a super similar idea to the app and product "Brick". Notably, though, Brick does not have the ability for admin preset controls, or the admin dashboard. We reached out to the company to see if they're create this for us and they said it's a back burner idea that they're aware of, but it's not a priority for them right now.
Thank you for any guidance!
Topic:
Business & Education
SubTopic:
Device Management
Tags:
Community Management
Bundle ID
Device Management
Family Controls
I desperately need help with this issue. Are there any known issues regarding MDM profiles not installing on iPhone 17? Too many cases are being reported.
Topic:
Business & Education
SubTopic:
Device Management
Details:
Device: iPhone 12 Pro Max
System: iOS 26.1 beta 2
Issue Description:
When testing MDM device restriction capabilities on iOS 26.1 beta 2, I found that the allowCamera restriction does not work as expected.
Observed Behavior:
• On a BYOD device:
When allowCamera is set to false, the Camera and FaceTime apps disappear from the Home Screen, as expected.
However, third-party apps (such as WeChat) can still access the camera and take photos.
• On earlier versions (e.g. iOS 26.0.1):
Setting allowCamera to false correctly blocks all apps, including third-party apps, from accessing the camera.
Initially, I assumed Apple might have changed this restriction behavior so that allowCamera only applies to supervised devices.
However, after testing on supervised devices, I found that even there, when allowCamera is set to false, the Camera and FaceTime apps are hidden, but third-party apps can still use the camera.
This indicates that the restriction is not functioning correctly in iOS 26.1 beta 2.
Expectation:
When allowCamera is set to false, all camera access — including third-party apps — should be blocked.
Request:
Could someone from Apple’s development or MDM team confirm whether this is an expected behavior change or a potential bug in iOS 26.1 beta 2?
Topic:
Business & Education
SubTopic:
Device Management
📱 [iOS 26.1 beta 2] allowCamera restriction not working properly on both supervised and BYOD devices
Details:
Device: iPhone 12 Pro Max
System: iOS 26.1 beta 2
Issue Description:
When testing MDM device restriction capabilities on iOS 26.1 beta 2, I found that the allowCamera restriction does not work as expected.
Observed Behavior:
• On a BYOD device:
When allowCamera is set to false, the Camera and FaceTime apps disappear from the Home Screen, as expected.
However, third-party apps (such as WeChat) can still access the camera and take photos.
• On earlier versions (e.g. iOS 26.0.1):
Setting allowCamera to false correctly blocks all apps, including third-party apps, from accessing the camera.
Initially, I assumed Apple might have changed this restriction behavior so that allowCamera only applies to supervised devices.
However, after testing on supervised devices, I found that even there, when allowCamera is set to false, the Camera and FaceTime apps are hidden, but third-party apps can still use the camera.
This indicates that the restriction is not functioning correctly in iOS 26.1 beta 2.
Expectation:
When allowCamera is set to false, all camera access — including third-party apps — should be blocked.
Request:
Could someone from Apple’s development or MDM team confirm whether this is an expected behavior change or a potential bug in iOS 26.1 beta 2?
Topic:
Business & Education
SubTopic:
Device Management
Before iOS26.1, allowCamera set false, all app can't use camera.
On iOS26.1, allowCamera set false, removes camera icon from the Home Screen, but third app can still use camera, such as Safari and other apps that can call camera.
Is it a bug or a new features?
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
Hi there,
We’re testing Declarative Device Management (DDM) for VPP app management and followed the latest declaration template here:
https://github.com/apple/device-management/blob/release/declarative/declarations/configurations/app.managed.yaml
Our goal is to enable VPP auto-updates via the declaration. The payload we’re using looks like this:
"AppStoreID": "1231325957",
"InstallBehavior": "{\"Install\": \"Required\", \"License\": {\"Assignment\": \"Device\"}}",
"UpdateBehavior": "{\"AutomaticAppUpdates\": \"AlwaysOn\"}"
}
What we’re seeing
Device A (no Apple ID signed into App Store): User can manually update the VPP app with the above declaration in place. ( The same user cannot update the app if UpdateBehavior is not in the declaration payload.
Device B (Apple ID signed into App Store, and the same Apple ID doesn't have the above app purchased): User cannot manually update the same VPP app. The App Store shows the error seen when UpdateBehavior is absent:
“ cannot be updated because it was refunded or purchased with a different Apple Account.”
Also, in this case, the user has no way to purchase the (free) app by their own as the app shows as owned/managed by MDM server. We have to remove the declaration, let the user purchase the same app, then re-deploy the declaration to allow the user to click that "Update" button when a new version for that app is available.
Additionally, we’re unsure about the criteria/timing for automatic VPP app updates under DDM. After a new version became available, we waited several hours but the app did not auto-update.
Repro summary
App: VPP, device-assigned license
Declaration: AutomaticAppUpdates = AlwaysOn, install required
Device A: not signed into App Store → manual update allowed
Device B: signed into App Store → manual update blocked with “refunded/different account” error
Auto-update did not occur after waiting several hours post-release
Any guidance, confirmation of expected behavior, or tips on additional logging we should collect (e.g., specific App Store / MDM / DDM logs and subsystems) would be greatly appreciated. If this is a known issue or requires a Feedback Assistant report, we’re happy to file one.
Thanks,
On iOS 26, if in "Single App Mode", the device gets stuck on the lock screen.
Devices are configured in SAM (kiosk mode), without a PIN requirement. Since updating to iPadOS 26, every single device that locks (goes to sleep) becomes completely unresponsive at the lock screen. Touch input does not work.
The only way to regain access is to reboot the device, which will boot to the SAM app, but then lock again if it goes to sleep.
Related discussion in the public forums.
Topic:
Business & Education
SubTopic:
Device Management
Issue Description:
We are experiencing MDM profile installation failures specifically on iPhone 17
devices. After extensive testing and comparison between affected and working
devices, we suspect this appears to be a parameter transmission error rather
than device settings.
Technical Analysis:
Device Settings Comparison: No differences found between problematic and
working devices in system settings, indicating this is not a configuration
issue.
Suspected Parameter Transmission Error:
• Device model information appears to be restricted or blocked during profile
download
• User ID and phone number parameters are not being transmitted to the server
• Installation logs show missing login ID and phone number entries
Symptoms:
• During MDM profile installation, the "Apps & Restrictions" section that should
appear is missing
• Profile download parameters are suspected to not be properly transmitted to
the server
• Installation process fails at the profile configuration stage
Critical Finding:
When we cloned a previously working device to create a problematic device
configuration, the cloned device also began experiencing the same installation
failures. This strongly suggests the issue is related to device-specific
parameters or identifiers.
Additional Information:
We continue to receive reports of this issue from our iPhone 17 users, and these
reports are occurring across various iOS versions.
Request for Assistance:
Has anyone encountered similar MDM profile installation issues on iPhone 17? Are
there known limitations or changes in how device parameters are transmitted
during MDM enrollment on this model?
Any guidance on debugging parameter transmission or known workarounds would be
greatly appreciated.
Topic:
Business & Education
SubTopic:
Device Management
Hello !
Currently, we have customers who use about 5,000 devices.
In the case of ios26, the phone number is not acquired overall, and 18.x, 17.x, and 16.x are all acquired in half and not acquired in half.
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/devicemanagement/deviceinformationcommand/command-data.dictionary/queries-data.dictionary
It seems that it is the right behavior not to acquire it on the specification sheet.
However, I wonder when it became impossible to acquire. (There are devices that can be acquired and devices that can't be acquired in the same os version.)
Will the devices that are being acquired be blocked someday?
When it was developed in 2019, it was in a state that could be acquired in full.
I would also like to ask if there is an alternative way to get your phone number.
Thank you.
Topic:
Business & Education
SubTopic:
Device Management
Tags:
Apple Business Manager
Device Management
Hello,
I’m facing an issue while trying to add iOS devices to Apple Business Manager (ABM) using Apple Configurator during enrollment. When going through the setup process, the device fails to complete enrollment and times out.
I’ve tried it multiple times. The device does appear in ABM during the process and I am able to assign it to different MDM servers but since the setup times out and fails, the device is automatically released. I have tried this with multiple iOS devices and it times out on every single one of them.
Steps attempted:
Factory reset and re-enrollment of the device
Ensured network connectivity is stable and tested on multiple Wi-Fi networks
Tried the following process using Apple Configurator on Mac (wired):
Created a Wi-Fi profile in Configurator
Connected the iPhone via cable and used Prepare (manual configuration)
Used the “MDM server” placeholder and trusted anchors (as recommended)
Linked the device to the ABM organization
Skipped Setup Assistant steps
Attached the Wi-Fi profile, then prepared and wiped the device
Verified that the device should appear in ABM
Attempted to assign the device to my MDM in ABM
Despite these checks, the enrollment process times out.
I’m attaching a screenshot of the error for reference.
Could someone advise what might be causing this timeout or how I can further troubleshoot this? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Topic:
Business & Education
SubTopic:
Device Management
Tags:
Enterprise
iOS
Apple Business Manager
Device Management