FAQ: Apps & Books (Apple Apps)

This article aims to provide useful pieces of information and troubleshooting steps to ensure your app deployments and updates are properly functioning with Addigy. 

Expected Behavior (with Apple Apps Uninstall enabled in Account > Integrations)

Policy

• If an Apple App is removed from policy it removes from devices at next policy deployment
  
  • If the device is in multiple policies and the same App is in more than one of those polices the App will not be removed as more than one App assignment for the device record exists
• There is a 30 minute grace period on device side App removal if token was just renewed

Device

• If a device is removed from a policy the app is removed from device
• If a device is deleted from Addigy the license is removed from device S/N assignment with Apple, and the App is removed from the device
• If a device license is revoked in Policy > Apple Apps > Assigned (numeric count) the App is removed from device

General Troubleshooting Checklist

Token

Addigy's Apps & Books integration requires communication with Apple Business Manager. The VPP token facilitates this communication, so make sure you have a valid vpp token that is up to date.

Licenses

Apps & Books licenses are consumed on a per-device basis. If you do not have enough licenses, you will get an error saying no license was found.

Compatibility

Not all apps are universal. You can verify if an app is compatible with your device by checking the "Supported Devices" column in Policy > Settings > Apple Apps.

What are Managed Applications? 

Managed Applications are applications deployed with Apple Apps that have the "Managed" toggle enabled. Managed Applications can be uninstalled, updated, and configured with Addigy. This is enabled by default for all applications. 

What Happens When My Single Location Apps & Books Token Is Spread across Multiple Policies?

A single Apps & Books Token can be used in multiple policies without issue. Doing so will allow you to use the same Apps & Books assets in multiple policies. The available licenses for those assets will be shared by the policies which use the token.  

I’m Unable to Save My Apps & Books Token, What Can I Do?

If you run into the "Failed to Save, please check token" warning message, this would indicate that there isn't an Apple Push Certificate assigned to that policy just yet.

To remediate this, navigate to Policy > Settings > MDM Enrollment Profile, assign an Apple Push Certificate, and try to upload the token once more, the warning message should now be clear!

I Can’t Deploy Apps via Golive, What Can I Do?

If you find that you are unable to deploy Apps via GoLive because the "Deploy" button is grayed out, you may require more licenses. You can check your licenses by going to Your Policy > Settings > Apple Apps.

Additionally, if you find that the "Apple Apps" tab is grayed out, you most likely do not have Apps & Books set up in the policy for the device. You can check out our article Configuring Apps & Books for information on how to set it up.

How the Auto-Update Feature Works

The device performs mdm audits (~ 1 hour) in which it performs the "Application List" command. We then check the version of the app and if it needs an update. If the app is managed and auto-update is enabled in the policy, we queue up the install application command and the device should respond with the "acknowledged" status and queue the installation locally on the device.

Auto-Update Is Not Working, What Do I Do?

In the case that the auto-update does not occur, there are a few items to initially check. For starters, make sure the device is responding to MDM commands and all of the audits are up-to-date. If it is not, there may be an issue with MDM connectivity. A restart of the device may help or full re-enrollment may be necessary depending on the exact issue.

Also be sure to verify if the Apps & Books token is valid and up to date. 

If those items check out, try deploying the app via GoLive to see if it successfully installs the updated version.

Error: Apps & Books token metadata does not match our current records

This occurs when the metadata of the Apps & Books location token is modified by a third party (used outside of the Addigy tenant).

Renewing the token should remediate this error.
To prevent it from occurring, ensure that the location token is not being used outside of the Addigy tenant.

Behavior for Non-supervised Devices

Devices without supervision will receive a prompt when an app is deployed:

If the prompt is not accepted, the app will not install on the device. Be sure to verify with your end users if the prompt was accepted, as you will still see a successful status when the install application command is sent.

mdls /Applications/nameOfApp.app/ -name kMDItemAppStoreReceiptIsVPPLicensed

My question isn't here, what do I do?

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us by contacting support@addigy.com