iOS VPP app deployment delayed until overnight in HexnodeSolved

Hello @alice_grey ,

For VPP app deployment delays on iOS, first confirm that Hexnode UEM has the latest VPP license information from Apple Business.

Recommended checks:

1. Go to Admin > Apple Business/School Manager > Apple VPP in the Hexnode UEM portal.
2. Confirm that the Apple VPP account is active and not expired.
3. Click Sync to manually sync the latest apps and licenses from Apple Business.
4. Go to the Apps tab and search for the affected app.
5. Confirm that the License Type shows VPP.
6. Verify that enough VPP licenses are available for the target devices.
7. Re-initiate installation on the affected devices.

For immediate deployments, avoid waiting for the normal background policy sync. Go to Manage >  Endpoints > [select the device] > Actions > Install application, choose the VPP app, and push it directly. You can also run the Scan Device action to make the device check in and process pending commands sooner.

The overnight compliance change likely happened because the VPP sync/license allocation and device check-in eventually completed in the background. Using manual VPP sync, direct Install Application, and Scan Device helps reduce that wait when the deployment is urgent.

Regards,
Simon Scott
Hexnode UEM

Okayy got it. One more thing, does an iPhone or iPad need to be in Apple Business Manager to be managed by Hexnode? I had assumed ABM was mandatory for Apple devices.

Apple Business is not strictly required for enrolling Apple devices in Hexnode UEM.

You can enroll iOS/iPadOS devices using methods such as Open Enrollment or User Enrollment. However, ABM with Automated Device Enrollment is strongly recommended for corporate-owned devices because it enables supervision and stronger management controls.

Key differences:

• ABM/ADE enrollment can make the device supervised.
• Supervised devices support more restrictions and management options.
• The MDM profile can be made non-removable through Automated Device Enrollment.
• Silent VPP app installation works more reliably on supervised devices.

If new Apple devices are already assigned to our Apple Business Manager account, do they need to be removed from ABM before using Open Enrollment? And for existing ABM-enrolled devices, would switching them to Open Enrollment require a full reset?

New devices do not need to be removed from Apple Business just to use Open Enrollment.

If the device has an Automated Device Enrollment profile assigned, it will show the Remote Management screen during setup. To use Open Enrollment instead, leave the ADE profile unassigned in Hexnode UEM, complete the normal iOS setup, then open the Hexnode enrollment URL or scan the enrollment QR code from Safari.

For existing devices already enrolled through ABM/ADE, switching to Open Enrollment requires a factory reset. The supervised management profile installed through Automated Device Enrollment cannot be converted into an Open Enrollment profile in place.