It's a great platform to grow your knowledge. Apple Teacher

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.

Hello, I’d like to clarify the technical limitations around app updates in an Apple School Manager (ASM) + MDM environment. Environment • iOS/iPadOS devices supervised and managed via Apple School Manager • Apps are distributed via ASM (VPP / Custom App) and managed by MDM • Apps are App Store–signed (not Enterprise/In-House) • Some apps include NetworkExtension (VPN) functionality • Automatic app updates are enabled in MDM Question From a technical and platform-design perspective, is it possible to: Deploy app updates for ASM/MDM-distributed App Store apps via a separate/custom update server, and trigger updates simultaneously across all managed devices, bypassing or supplementing the App Store update mechanism? In other words: • Can an organization operate its own update server to push a new app version to all devices at once? • Or is App Store + iOS always the sole execution path for installing updated app binaries? ⸻ My current understanding (please correct if wrong) Based on Apple documentation, it seems that: 1. App Store–distributed apps cannot self-update • Apps cannot download and install new binaries or replace themselves. • All executable code must be Apple-signed and installed by the system. 2. MDM can manage distribution and enable auto-update, but: • MDM cannot reliably trigger an immediate update for App Store apps. • Actual download/install timing is decided by iOS (device locked, charging, Wi-Fi, etc.). 3. Custom update servers • May be used for policy decisions (minimum allowed version, feature blocking), • But cannot be used to distribute or install updated app binaries on iOS. 4. For ASM-managed devices: • The only supported update execution path is: App Store → iOS → Managed App Update • Any “forced update” behavior must be implemented at the app logic level, not the installation level. ⸻ What I’m trying to confirm • Is there any supported MDM command, API, or mechanism that allows: • Centralized, immediate, one-shot updates of App Store apps across all ASM-managed devices? • Or is the above limitation fundamental by design, meaning: • Organizations must rely on iOS’s periodic auto-update behavior • And enforce version compliance only via app-side logic? ⸻ Why this matters In large school deployments, delayed updates (due to device conditions or OS scheduling) can cause: • Version fragmentation • Inconsistent behavior across classrooms • Operational issues for VPN / security-related apps Understanding whether this limitation is absolute or if there is a recommended Apple-supported workaround would be extremely helpful. Thanks in advance for any clarification

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?

Hello, I am trying to authenticate to the Apple Business Manager API to retrieve device information and ingest it into ServiceNow. I am following the documentation here. The first step is to create an API account and download the private key used to create a JWT client assertion. The guide linked above gives a python script to create a client assertion. Below the first python script, the following description is given for the "kid" variable: "The value is your keyId that returns when you upload a public key." This is the first time that a public key, rather than a private key, is referenced. Where is the public key supposed to be uploaded? Later in the guide, a public key is referenced again, in the section describing the client_id Request parameter: "(Required) You receive your clientId when you upload a public key." I have tried to create a client assertion using the keyId that is associated with the API account. When I try to request an access token, however, I also get an "invalid_client" error back. I am wondering if I'm using the wrong values for both key_id and client_id due to not creating and uploading a public key. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

Hi everyone, I’m sharing this because I’ve been stuck with this issue for over two weeks, and I still haven’t found a solution — or received a meaningful response from Apple Support. A yellow banner has appeared on my account saying: “The Apple Developer Program License Agreement has been updated and needs to be reviewed.” But here’s the problem: I’ve already accepted the latest agreement long ago. When I log into both: App Store Connect Developer Portal …there’s no new agreement to accept, no prompt, no button — absolutely nothing new. The yellow banner simply refuses to go away, and it's preventing updates. I’ve already: Cleared cache & cookies Tried Safari, Chrome, Firefox Logged in from different devices/networks Verified that I am the Account Holder Reported the issue via Apple Developer Support (more than a week ago) Despite clearly stating the urgency of the matter, I’ve received no fix and no timeline. This is beginning to feel like developers’ time — especially for those who depend on timely releases — isn’t being taken seriously. So I’m writing here to ask: 🔹 Has anyone else encountered this same issue recently? 🔹 Is there any known workaround or fix? I’d appreciate any help or shared experience. Thank you.

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>

The Center for Innovation in Education created a reading program designed to teach every single child to read, regardless of any supposed difficulty in learning. The Center conducted a ten-year study of its Reading Program’s effectiveness. Over those ten years, the Center placed 2,048 Reading Program kits in classrooms across America. More than 300,000 children took part in the Center’s study. Results: The Reading Program taught every single child to read in every single classroom, every single year, regardless of any child’s supposed reading readiness - including dyslexic, autistic, and even Down syndrome children. No failures then or in any of the many years that have followed. Despite the Program’s success, educational publishers refused to publish it. Their refusals will be explained and hopefully counteracted in a book that is scheduled to be published in 2026. In response to publishers’ refusal to make the program available, the Center made it available as a free download from its website. The Center also made its program available as 14 free iPad apps. While the apps can be searched for individually by their unique names, since the apps are interrelated and meant to complement one another, the first keyword assigned to all 14 apps was the same. That same keyword is still in its first position for every app. The first keyword listed for each of the 14 apps is the word “Dekodiphukan”. That meant-to-be hard-to-read search word has worked well every year since the apps were introduced. However, in June of this year, that search term could find only 1 of the 14 apps. We reported this problem to Apple Support on June 26th. It is now November, and the problem remains unresolved. The only response we receive each time we ask for an update on the resolution of this problem the answer every time is: Reported search issues of this type require extensive review by Apple to determine whether it is valid and to confirm the appropriate action. There is no other response. No update has ever been sent to us. There is no phone number I can find to call. It was suggested to me by someone I spoke with in a different department at Apple Developers that I post my problem on the Developer Forum, in hopes that someone here can provide a suggestion for a way around this problem. Parents and teachers wishing to use our Reading Program with their children should not have to enter 14 different names to access our Reading Program.

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 aninterestingwebsite.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.

We’re exploring the use of Apple’s Automatic Assessment Configuration entitlement for an iOS app currently in the proof-of-concept stage. We’re enrolled in the Apple Developer Program with an active subscription. Both the Account Holder and team members have accepted all relevant license agreements. However, when we try to access the entitlement request form at: 👉 https://aninterestingwebsite.com/contact/request/automatic-assessment-configuration/ We are immediately redirected to: 🚫 https://aninterestingwebsite.com/unauthorized/ This happens for all team members, including the Account Holder, so it doesn’t appear to be a role-specific permissions issue. The app is still in the proof-of-concept stage — there’s no App Store listing or App ID yet. We’re trying to confirm entitlement eligibility before proceeding further. Questions: Is an App Store listing or App ID required to access this request form? Are there any hidden prerequisites (account permissions, team roles, prior submissions, etc.) that need to be fulfilled? Has anyone here successfully submitted this form — and if so, what steps or conditions were required? Any guidance or shared experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

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

I have a question regarding MDM functionality for iOS/iPadOS. Background: According to Apple's support page(https://support.apple.com/en-us/125073), since iOS 26.1, "Previous Wi-Fi configurations will be replaced when a new profile is installed." We have observed that because of this change, when we apply a Wi-Fi configuration profile to an iPad via MDM, the manually configured network settings on the device (specifically, "Configure IPv4" and "Configure DNS") are reset to "Automatic". This erases the manually entered IP address, subnet mask, router, and DNS server addresses. Goal: We want to apply a Wi-Fi configuration profile from our MDM server to connect the device to a specific SSID, while preserving the manual IP and DNS settings that have been configured on the device. Question: Is there a way to prevent the IPv4 and DNS settings from being switched from "Manual" to "Automatic" when applying the configuration profile? For example, is there a specific key-value pair we can add to the profile to either preserve the existing manual settings, or to explicitly define manual/static IP settings within the profile itself for iOS/iPadOS? Reference: Sample Configuration Profile Below is a simplified version of the Wi-Fi configuration profile we are currently using. This profile does not contain any keys for IP address configuration. <?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>PayloadContent</key> <array> <dict> <key>PayloadType</key> <string>com.apple.wifi.managed</string> <key>PayloadIdentifier</key> <string>com.apple.wifi.managed.13E2E6B3-D4B9-4E23-888A-524B3ED40C38</string> <key>PayloadUUID</key> <string>13E2E6B3-D4B9-4E23-888A-524B3ED40C38</string> <key>PayloadVersion</key> <integer>1</integer> <key>SSID_STR</key> <string>SSID</string> <key>EncryptionType</key> <string>WPA</string> <key>Password</key> <string>Password</string> </dict> </array> <key>PayloadType</key> <string>Configuration</string> </dict> </plist>

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?

Attempts to programmatically update or add numerous system-installed certificates (a common practice for organizations that rotate certificates regularly) are blocked, forcing manual, insecure, and error-prone workarounds. The root cause lies in the stricter security protocols implemented in macOS 15, specifically: System Integrity Protection (SIP) and Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) Command we are using : sudo security authorizationdb write com.apple.trust-settings.admin

Hello Apple Developer Community, I'm experiencing an invalid_client error (HTTP 400) when attempting to authenticate with the Apple School Manager API using OAuth2 with JWT bearer assertion (RFC 7523). Despite verifying all configuration values and following Apple's documentation, I continue to receive this error. Error Details Error: invalid_client HTTP Status: 400 Bad Request Endpoint: https://appleid.apple.com/auth/oauth2/v2/token Response: {"error": "invalid_client"} My Configuration All values have been verified to match Apple School Manager exactly: Organization ID: 55155430 Key ID: 8136a1f6-c995-4010-b964-bc8278c107ef Client ID (Service ID): SCHOOLAPI.7c0c10a0-4d8a-4ef8-a2be-eda040b65c59 Private Key: Loads correctly, signs JWT properly (ES256) JWT Configuration I'm generating a JWT with the following structure: Header: { "alg": "ES256", "kid": "8136a1f6-c995-4010-b964-bc8278c107ef", "typ": "JWT" } Payload: { "iss": "55155430", "sub": "SCHOOLAPI.7c0c10a0-4d8a-4ef8-a2be-eda040b65c59", "aud": "https://appleid.apple.com", "iat": [timestamp], "exp": [timestamp + 30 days] } Token Request Method: POST Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded Parameters: grant_type: client_credentials client_assertion_type: urn:ietf:params:oauth:client-assertion-type:jwt-bearer client_assertion: [JWT token] scope: https://api.apple.com/auth/schoolmanager What I've Verified ✅ All configuration values match Apple School Manager exactly ✅ Private key file exists and loads correctly ✅ JWT is generated with correct structure (ES256, proper claims) ✅ Key ID in JWT header matches the Key ID from Apple School Manager ✅ Request format matches OAuth2 RFC 7523 specification ✅ Content-Type header is application/x-www-form-urlencoded ✅ Tried both Client ID and Organization ID as sub claim (both fail with same error) ✅ DNS resolution and API connectivity are working ✅ API account appears active in Apple School Manager interface What I've Tried Using Client ID as sub: Tried using SCHOOLAPI.7c0c10a0-4d8a-4ef8-a2be-eda040b65c59 as the sub claim Using Organization ID as sub: Tried using 55155430 as the sub claim (fallback) With and without scope: Tried both including and excluding the scope parameter Different JWT expiration: Tried various expiration times (30 days, 180 days) Verified Service ID format: Confirmed the Client ID follows the SCHOOLAPI.xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx format Both attempts (Client ID and Organization ID as sub) return the same invalid_client error. Previous Support Interaction I've contacted Apple Developer Support (Case #102783504559). They confirmed: The technical implementation is correct The issue is an account access/permission problem My Apple Account email is not associated with any memberships The Account Holder must add me to the Enterprise team membership However, I'm posting here to see if anyone in the community has: Experienced similar issues and found a solution Additional technical insights about the invalid_client error Suggestions for what else to verify or try Questions Is there a specific format requirement for the sub claim? Should it be the Client ID (Service ID) or Organization ID? I've tried both. Are there any additional claims required in the JWT beyond iss, sub, aud, iat, exp? Could there be a backend issue with the API account even though it appears active in Apple School Manager? Has anyone successfully resolved an invalid_client error that wasn't related to account access? Is there a delay after creating an API account before it becomes fully active for authentication? Technical Details Language: Python (Flask) JWT Library: PyJWT with cryptography library Algorithm: ES256 (ECDSA P-256) OAuth2 Flow: Client Credentials Grant with JWT Bearer Assertion (RFC 7523) Error Log I've generated a detailed error log showing the exact request/response. The key points: HTTP 400 Bad Request Response: {"error":"invalid_client"} Same error occurs with both Client ID and Organization ID as sub Any Help Appreciated If anyone has encountered this issue or has insights into what might be causing it, I'd greatly appreciate your help. I'm happy to provide additional details or try any suggestions. Thank you! Case Number: 102783504559 API Account: Created in Apple School Manager Status: API account appears active, but authentication fails

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.

We are using an app created with the Apple Developer Enterprise Program within our company. Every year, we recreate and distribute the app in conjunction with the renewal of the provisioning profile. Currently, there are cases where an app that expired in September 2025 is still running, which is causing problems. What could be the cause of this? The app operates on a VPN, but Apple domains are accessible.

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’re using the Apple Developer Enterprise Program for internal app distribution. The Apple ID is a generic one using our domain email, but the Account Holder is a real person with authority in the organization. For the payment method, we plan to use a corporate credit card — but it is issued under a different staff name (e.g. card under Chief, but Account Holder is IT Head). Just want to check: • Is this setup acceptable? • Will Apple reject the enrollment/renewal if the card name doesn’t match the Account Holder? • What’s the best practice in this case to avoid delays or verification issues? Appreciate any guidance or experience from the community. Thanks!