Hi Team,
We are currently using the “OS Update” action to push patches to our fleet. However, the default 1-minute auto-reboot delay is causing some frustration among our users as it doesn’t give them enough time to save their work.
We would like to change this delay to 2 hours (120 minutes). Could you please advise on how to configure this? Additionally, if we look into using Deferral policies instead, what is the default behavior if the deferral value is left as “Not Configured”?
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Thankyou for raising this question. That 1-minute countdown you are seeing is actually a standard macOS system behavior when a restart is enforced remotely via a UEM.
1. Adjusting the Reboot Delay
While the legacy MDM “Update OS” remote action does not allow you to change that specific 1-minute popup timer, you can achieve a more controlled experience using Software Update Preference policies.
Instead of a hard enforcement, you can manage the native behavior:
Navigation: Policies > macOS > Patches & Updates > Software Update Preferences.
Strategy: By enabling “Automatically install macOS updates,” you allow the OS to handle the installation during “inactive” hours, which is much less intrusive than a forced remote command.
2. Deferral Behavior (Default Settings)
To answer your second question: If the deferral settings are left as “Not Configured” (or the checkbox is disabled), the default value is 0 days.
Here is what that means for your devices:
Immediate Visibility: As soon as Apple releases a Major or Minor update, it becomes visible to the device immediately.
User Notifications: Users will see update notifications in System Settings as soon as the OS performs its routine check.
No Buffer: There is no “holding period.” If you trigger a remote update command from the Hexnode portal, the process begins immediately without any built-in delay.
If you need to give your users a specific window, we recommend using a Maintenance Window policy. This ensures updates only trigger during a pre-approved time block (e.g., Friday nights), effectively giving your users all week to prepare.
Hope this clears things up! Let us know if you need help setting up those maintenance windows.
Regards,
Mary Romero
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