Declarative Management uses a declarative data model paradigm. This paradigm allows servers to avoid the common performance and scalability issues typically associated with serializing commands and polling devices over MDM.
While Declarative Management is a new paradigm, it's not a new protocol: it has been added to the existing MDM protocol. You can think of Declarative Management as a layer on top of MDM, where an MDM enrollment takes place, and then Declarative Management performs a management takeover for the services and features it can control.
The Declarative Management data model has three key components:
- Declarations, which support device functionality
- Status, used to track changes in device state
- Extensibility, allowing devices and servers to advertise changes in their capabilities over time
Declarative Options Available in Addigy
Addigy is continuing development and testing for new declarative functionality. This page, along with the release notes and blog posts, will be updated with communications as new declarative functionality is added.
The sections below cover each declarative option currently available in Addigy, what it lets you do, and the requirements to use it.
Managing OS Updates
Starting with macOS 14, iOS 17, and iPadOS 17, OS updates can be delivered to devices declaratively rather than over MDM. Declarative OS Updates allow for an enforced date and time for an update to install, and they bring two distinct update cadences:
- Scheduled Update Declarations (Enforcement Specific) - Set a due date for the maximum OS version you allow, after which the device enters a "past due" phase and will ultimately force a restart to apply the update.
- Updates via Device AI (Global Settings) - The device uses locally run machine learning to determine a suitable installation time based on conditions such as battery level, network usage, free space, and whether the device is in use.
For full configuration details, the end-user experience, and the enforcement workflow, see Overview: Declarative OS Updates in Addigy.
Declarative Payloads and Settings
Starting with macOS, iOS, and iPadOS 26 Addigy supports the deployment of MDM Profiles or Declarations for Device Settings. Devices on Apple OSes prior to OS 26 will continue getting MDM Profiles just as they always have, and if a device is on OS 26 and up, you have the option of deploying a Declaration for a given Device Setting (EX: Passcode, SSOe, PSSO, and more).
Read more here: MDM Profiles (Legacy) vs. Declarations
AppleSeed (Beta) Declarative Payloads and Settings
AppleSeed declarative settings are configuration payloads that apply only to beta OS versions. Once your organization is registered for AppleSeed for IT and linked to Addigy, these settings become available as declarative payloads you can build and deploy from Catalog > Device Settings. AppleSeed settings are marked with an AppleSeed tag next to the setting type so you can easily identify which payloads apply to beta OS versions.
Because these are beta settings, issues may arise. If you encounter a problem, reach out to Addigy support so we can help diagnose it. For details on identifying and deploying these payloads, see Sending AppleSeed Declarative Settings via Addigy.
Requirements
- Apple Business instance registered for AppleSeed for IT and linked to your Addigy MDM server
- Devices running the applicable supported beta setting, or later. For example, OS 27 is in beta at the time of writing, and AppleSeed Declarative Settings will be available for beta versions of OS 27+ (available setting types, keys, and minimum versions are determined by Apple and may change between beta periods)
Beta OS Update Enrollment
Beta OS Update Enrollment lets you enroll managed devices into beta OS programs or offer beta tracks for users to opt into, all via Declarative Management. Through the policy's update settings, you can choose how devices participate:
- Allowed - Users can enroll in any applicable beta programs tied to the Apple Account they're signed in with.
- Always On - The organization controls which beta programs are used. You can either require a single beta track for all devices in the policy or offer one or more tracks for users to choose from.
- Always Off - Prevents enrollment in any beta programs, and removes a device from a beta program if it is already enrolled.
Note that Apple does not allow forcing the installation of beta OS updates; the actual installation is handled on-device. For setup steps and troubleshooting, see Managing Beta OS Updates via Addigy.