Prebuilt Apps allow administrators to make macOS applications available for on-demand installation through the Self Service app. This guide explains how to assign Prebuilt Apps to Self Service and what end users will experience.
Table of Contents
- How It Works
- Assign Prebuilt Apps to Self Service
- Remove Prebuilt Apps from Self Service
- End User Experience
How It Works
Version Behavior
Prebuilt Apps installed through Self Service always use the latest available version.
- When a newer version becomes available, the app's status automatically updates to Update.
- Assigning a Prebuilt App to both a policy and Self Service allows end users to install updates between deferrals, providing a more flexible update experience. End users can also trigger updates directly from the Self Service menu bar icon without opening the full Self Service app.
PPPC Profiles
Some Prebuilt Apps include Privacy Preferences Policy Control (PPPC) profiles.
- These profiles are applied automatically when the app is installed through Self Service.
- The process is silent and does not change the end user experience.
Assign Prebuilt Apps to Self Service
- Go to Policies and select the policy you want to configure.
- Navigate to Self Service > Mac > Prebuilt Apps.
- Select the applications you want to make available in Self Service.
- Click Add/Remove > Add to Self Service.
- Verify the Status column shows Enabled for each selected app.
Note: The applications will appear on the Self Service Install tab the next time the app refreshes.
Remove Prebuilt Apps from Self Service
- Go to Policies and open the desired policy.
- Navigate to Self Service > Mac > Prebuilt Apps.
- Clear the selected checkboxes for the apps you no longer want displayed.
- Click Add/Remove > Remove from Self Service.
- Confirm the Status column no longer shows Enabled.
Note: The applications will be removed from the Self Service catalog during the next refresh.
End User Experience
Menu Bar
The Self Service menu bar icon is always present in the end user's menu bar. When Prebuilt App updates are available, a red badge appears on the icon.
End users can click the icon at any time to open a popover listing all apps with pending updates, along with the date each update will be enforced.
From the popover, end users can update individual apps using the Update button next to each app, or apply all pending updates at once using Update All.
Note: The menu bar icon uses your organization's custom Self Service icon (.icns file) if one has been configured. Otherwise, the default Addigy icon is used.
Install Page
When users open Self Service, they land on the Install page. Prebuilt Apps appear with:
- Icon
- Name
- Category
- Status button (Install, Update, Installed, etc.)
Note: Users can search for apps using the search bar.
App Details
Selecting an app opens a details window displaying:
- Version
- Category
- Description
- Icon
Installation Statuses
Self Service shows installation progress using the following states:
- Install — App is not installed
- Queued — Installation request submitted
- Downloading — App is downloading
- Installing — App is installing
- Installed — Installation successful
- Install — If installation fails, the status returns here to retry
Activity
Users can view installation history from the Activity page in Self Service.
Prebuilt Apps Categories
- Prebuilt Apps include predefined category assignments.
- Categories cannot be edited.
- Smart Software allows custom category assignment if needed.