ScheduleOSUpdate - 2 step process ?

Hi,

We're investigating unreliable OS Update management with iOS devices - in a nutshell, it takes ages to see the update installed.

Looking again at the doc:

Downloading and installing updates in iOS and tvOS is a two-step process. Send a ScheduleOSUpdate command with Default for InstallAction to download the updates. Then send another ScheduleOSUpdate command with a Default InstallAction to install the updates. Software updates may require a restart, which prevents the device from responding. When this happens, the MDM server resends the ScheduleOSUpdate command when the device checks in again, however, the device won’t return a value for UpdateResults.

This not was not in the original PDF - and I missed the 2-step note.

Our Apple contact was a bit surprised and redirected me to the Dev Forum to get clarification about the expected behavior.

Polling devices to know when to send the command a second time is not welcome for large organizations.

Could the process be clarified ? Is there a way to upgrade a device with one single command MDM side ?

Thanks !
Answered by Device Management Engineer in 655742022
On iOS and tvOS, installing an OS update is indeed a two-step process. First you tell the device to download an update, then tell it to install it. This lets you spread out the downloads of many devices so your network is not overwhelmed, yet still install all the updates at a designated time. There is no way to download and install in one step.

You can use the two separate install actions, "DownloadOnly" and "InstallASAP", instead of "Default". "Default" just means "install if an update is already downloaded, otherwise download".

You can use the "OSUpdateStatus" command to see the state of a device. OSUpdateStatus will tell you if a download is in progress, the status of the download, and if an install is in progress.

On devices protected with a passcode, the user of the device must accept the install before it can begin. The user can refuse an update for a period of time, but will eventually be forced to accept it in order to continue using the device.

Accepted Answer
On iOS and tvOS, installing an OS update is indeed a two-step process. First you tell the device to download an update, then tell it to install it. This lets you spread out the downloads of many devices so your network is not overwhelmed, yet still install all the updates at a designated time. There is no way to download and install in one step.

You can use the two separate install actions, "DownloadOnly" and "InstallASAP", instead of "Default". "Default" just means "install if an update is already downloaded, otherwise download".

You can use the "OSUpdateStatus" command to see the state of a device. OSUpdateStatus will tell you if a download is in progress, the status of the download, and if an install is in progress.

On devices protected with a passcode, the user of the device must accept the install before it can begin. The user can refuse an update for a period of time, but will eventually be forced to accept it in order to continue using the device.

Thanks for the clarification !
ScheduleOSUpdate - 2 step process ?
 
 
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