iOS 14: Several MDM commands fails with error "Couldn’t communicate with a helper application"

Developer Tools & Services General
Srikanth Gopalakrishnan OP
Created Oct ’20
Replies 5
Boosts 0
Views 4.6k
Participants 5
With iOS 14 devices we can see that Many MDM Commands Fails with error " Couldn’t communicate with a helper application." . This Error is more frequent in InstallApplication , InstallProfile command , but other MDM commads also face the same issue. I have attach sample response from some devices. We have seen this error in previous version of iOS but with iOS 14 these are very frequent.


InstallApplication Errors

Code Block 
<?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>CommandUUID</key>
	<string>InstallApplication;Collection=51075000000853127</string>
	<key>ErrorChain</key>
	<array>
		<dict>
			<key>ErrorCode</key>
			<integer>1005</integer>
			<key>ErrorDomain</key>
			<string>DeviceManagement.error</string>
			<key>LocalizedDescription</key>
			<string>Could not install app.</string>
		</dict>
		<dict>
			<key>ErrorCode</key>
			<integer>4097</integer>
			<key>ErrorDomain</key>
			<string>NSCocoaErrorDomain</string>
			<key>LocalizedDescription</key>
			<string>Couldn’t communicate with a helper application.</string>
		</dict>
	</array>
	<key>Status</key>
	<string>Error</string>
	<key>UDID</key>
	<string>UDID-UDID</string>
</dict>
</plist>

Code Block 
 <?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>CommandUUID</key>
	<string>InstallApplication;Collection=33783000002227119</string>
	<key>ErrorChain</key>
	<array>
		<dict>
			<key>ErrorCode</key>
			<integer>4099</integer>
			<key>ErrorDomain</key>
			<string>NSCocoaErrorDomain</string>
			<key>LocalizedDescription</key>
			<string>Couldn’t communicate with a helper application.</string>
		</dict>
	</array>
	<key>Status</key>
	<string>Error</string>
	<key>UDID</key>
	<string>UDIDUDIDUDID</string>
</dict>
</plist>


Code Block <?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>CommandUUID</key>
	<string>InstallApplication;Collection=51075000000853127</string>
	<key>ErrorChain</key>
	<array>
		<dict>
			<key>ErrorCode</key>
			<integer>1005</integer>
			<key>ErrorDomain</key>
			<string>DeviceManagement.error</string>
			<key>LocalizedDescription</key>
			<string>Could not install app.</string>
		</dict>
		<dict>
			<key>ErrorCode</key>
			<integer>4097</integer>
			<key>ErrorDomain</key>
			<string>NSCocoaErrorDomain</string>
			<key>LocalizedDescription</key>
			<string>Couldn’t communicate with a helper application.</string>
		</dict>
	</array>
	<key>Status</key>
	<string>Error</string>
	<key>UDID</key>
	<string>UDID-UDID</string>
</dict>
</plist>


InstallProfile Errors

Code Block 
<?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>CommandUUID</key>
	<string>SingletonRestriction</string>
	<key>ErrorChain</key>
	<array>
		<dict>
			<key>ErrorCode</key>
			<integer>4099</integer>
			<key>ErrorDomain</key>
			<string>NSCocoaErrorDomain</string>
			<key>LocalizedDescription</key>
			<string>Couldn’t communicate with a helper application.</string>
		</dict>
	</array>
	<key>Status</key>
	<string>Error</string>
	<key>UDID</key>
	<string>UDIDUDID</string>
</dict>
</plist>


AvailableOSUpdate Error

Code Block <?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>CommandUUID</key>
	<string>AvailableOSUpdates</string>
	<key>ErrorChain</key>
	<array>
		<dict>
			<key>ErrorCode</key>
			<integer>12050</integer>
			<key>ErrorDomain</key>
			<string>MCMDMErrorDomain</string>
			<key>LocalizedDescription</key>
			<string>The attempt to check for an available update failed.</string>
			<key>USEnglishDescription</key>
			<string>The attempt to check for an available update failed.</string>
		</dict>
		<dict>
			<key>ErrorCode</key>
			<integer>2214</integer>
			<key>ErrorDomain</key>
			<string>DeviceManagement.error</string>
			<key>LocalizedDescription</key>
			<string>Scan failed.</string>
		</dict>
		<dict>
			<key>ErrorCode</key>
			<integer>4097</integer>
			<key>ErrorDomain</key>
			<string>NSCocoaErrorDomain</string>
			<key>LocalizedDescription</key>
			<string>Couldn’t communicate with a helper application.</string>
		</dict>
	</array>
	<key>Status</key>
	<string>Error</string>
	<key>UDID</key>
	<string>UDIDUDIDUDID</string>
</dict>
</plist>

ClearPasscode

Code Block <?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>CommandUUID</key>
	<string>ClearPasscode</string>
	<key>ErrorChain</key>
	<array>
		<dict>
			<key>ErrorCode</key>
			<integer>701</integer>
			<key>ErrorDomain</key>
			<string>DeviceManagement.error</string>
			<key>LocalizedDescription</key>
			<string>The device’s passcode cannot be cleared.</string>
		</dict>
		<dict>
			<key>ErrorCode</key>
			<integer>4097</integer>
			<key>ErrorDomain</key>
			<string>NSCocoaErrorDomain</string>
			<key>LocalizedDescription</key>
			<string>Couldn’t communicate with a helper application.</string>
		</dict>
	</array>
	<key>Status</key>
	<string>Error</string>
	<key>UDID</key>
	<string>UDIDUDIDUDID</string>
</dict>
</plist>


Replies  5
Boosts  0
Views  4.6k
Participants  5
Device Management Engineer OP
Apple
Oct ’20
Generally the error "Couldn’t communicate with a helper application" indicates that a process crashed or exceeded resource limits. I suggest that you take a sysdiagnose and then file feedback with Apple. Please attach the sysdiagnose, the MDM command, and the device's response.
0
Srikanth Gopalakrishnan OP
Oct ’20
Thanks for your response. We have reported with sysdiagnose and the case id is FB8761764 .
0
Questorthews OP
Jun ’21

Hi Srikanth,

Was the root cause of the "Couldn’t communicate with a helper application." error on installapplication commands ever discovered?

--Andrew Davis

0
Srikanth Gopalakrishnan OP
Oct ’21

Hi , We have submitted two more feedbacks with sysdiagnose on same issue FB9705858 , FB9713811

0
Joohae Kim OP
Aug ’23

Has this problem been solved? do I have any thing can do to fix the issue?

0
iOS 14: Several MDM commands fails with error "Couldn’t communicate with a helper application"
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