The Software Update Device Setting controls how macOS handles automatic updates locally on the device — such as whether it checks for updates automatically, downloads them in the background, or installs them without user interaction. These settings do not trigger or manage OS updates through Addigy. If you want to push or schedule OS updates through Addigy, you need to use DDM or MDM updates instead.
Looking to deploy OS updates through Addigy? See Overview: System Updates via DDM or Overview: System Updates via MDM instead.
How to Create the Device Setting
- Navigate to Catalog > Device Settings and click New.
- Select Software Update from the profile list.
- Enable the settings you want to configure (see reference below).
- Click Create Profile, then assign it to the appropriate policy.
Settings Reference
Each setting below controls a specific aspect of macOS's automatic update behavior. When a setting is enabled and set to false, the corresponding option is disabled on the device and locked — users cannot change it.
| Setting | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Software Update Server URL | The URL of the software update catalog. | Not supported on macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later. |
| Restrict app installations to admin users | If true, restricts app installations to admin users. | This will not prevent standard users from updating the OS via System Settings > Software Update. |
| Allow installations of beta releases | If true, prerelease (beta) software can be installed on this computer. | |
| Automatically install app updates | If false, deselects the "Install app updates from the App Store" option and prevents the user from changing it. | |
| Automatically install macOS updates | If false, restricts the "Install macOS Updates" option and prevents the user from changing it. | |
| Automatically check for updates | If false, deselects the "Check for updates" option and prevents the user from changing it. | |
| Allow background downloads for updates | If false, deselects the "Download new updates when available" option and prevents the user from changing it. | |
| Automatically install XProtect, MRT, and Gatekeeper updates | If false, restricts the automatic installation of configuration data. | |
| Automatically install critical updates | If false, disables the automatic installation of critical updates and prevents the user from changing the "Install system data files and security updates" option. |