We have an iOS Scanner app deployed through Hexnode as a required app. A newer version is available in the App Store, but devices are still showing the older installed version in the device Applications tab. The app is assigned through an App Group in the Required Apps policy, not as a local app. I expected the app to update automatically, but the Action History does not show an update action even after reassociating the policy. Is there a way to force the latest version to all devices without changing the existing policy setup?
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iOS VPP app not auto-updating through Required Apps policySolved
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For iOS VPP apps assigned through Hexnode, updates are checked automatically from the App Store once every day. Hexnode checks for available VPP app updates at 7:00 AM UTC and pushes detected updates to assigned devices at 10:00 AM UTC. The install behavior depends on device supervision:
- Supervised iOS devices can install app updates silently.
- Unsupervised iOS devices will prompt the user to accept and install the update.
The device must also be powered on and connected to the internet for the update command to reach it. If the app is part of a Required Apps policy, Hexnode also attempts to enforce the app installation periodically. However, if you want to trigger the update immediately, open the Required Apps policy, click Modify, and save the policy again. This can push the app install/update command again to devices that are actively communicating with Hexnode.
I tried saving the Required Apps policy again and also reassociated it, but nothing new appeared in Action History. The devices I checked still show the old Scanner app version. The newer version also does not appear in the report data yet.
In that case, try pushing the app manually using the Install Application action. In Hexnode UEM, go to Manage > Devices or Device Groups > Actions > Applications > Install Application. Select the Scanner app and click Install. This sends a fresh install command for the app. If the app is already installed and a newer App Store version is available, iOS should update the existing app instead of installing a duplicate. This is useful when you need to trigger the update immediately instead of waiting for the scheduled VPP update cycle.
That worked on the test devices I had with me. They moved to the latest Scanner app version after using Install Application from the device group action. The rest of the devices are in the field, so they should update when they come online. Just to confirm, manually pushing the app this way does not remove or change the Required Apps policy, right?
Correct. Running the Install Application action manually does not affect the Required Apps policy already associated with the devices. The policy remains in place and will continue enforcing the required app assignment. The manual action only sends an immediate app install/update command to the selected devices or device group.