Skip to main content

How we manage software updates on macOS with datajar.mobi

  • Updated

Introduction

This document describes the default macOS Software Update configuration and user experience for datajar.mobi managed macOS devices. To provide the most reliable and consistent experience, we only leverage the built-in software update frameworks and mechanisms provided by Apple's MDM specifications that are made available.
 
By default, macOS devices will:
  • Check for and install App Store app updates, operating system updates and security updates automatically (where possible).
  • Set a 7 day Software Update and Managed Distribution app deferral period. Please note that Managed Distribution app update deferrals are only supported in macOS 11 Big Sur and above.

If you wish to change these options for your datajar.mobi instance, please submit a ticket. 

Scope

Items covered by macOS's built-in Software Update framework are covered, including, major, minor or "point releases", security updates and select Apple applications (e.g. Safari):

 

Examples of what is covered:

  • macOS Big Sur 11.7.1 updating to 11.7.2.
  • macOS Monterey 12.6.1 upgrading to macOS Ventura 13.1.
  • Any version of macOS updating Safari.

Examples of what is NOT covered:

  • Applications deployed manually (i.e. a static version we package for you) by our Auto-Update framework, which functions independently.

User Experience for automatic updates

The user experience follows Apple's default behaviour, in the same way as if the computer was unmanaged. If users open System Preferences > Software Update (macOS 12 or earlier)/System Settings > General -> Software Update (macOS 13 or later), they will see all the options below enabled and locked:

 
mceclip0.png
 

When updates are available, users will see the following notification and can Install immediately or select from the options presented under the Later item:

macOS-Notification.png

  • With our default 7 day deferral in place, updates will only be visible to macOS devices managed by datajar.mobi after 7 days have passed following their initial release from Apple. Users will not be prompted to install updates until then.
  • Updates that do not require a restart will install in the background automatically (for example, Safari, XProtect definitions and other background configuration updates).
  • If an update requires a restart, users will receive a notification that updates are available and are prompted to install or delay the update.
    • If the computer is left logged in and connected to mains power, it will try to automatically log the user out and install the update between 02:00 and 04:00 or another time where the Mac is not in use.
    • This will fail if users have applications open that interrupt a graceful logout, for example prompting to save an open document in Microsoft Word.
  • On Apple Silicon Macs, users may be prompted for the password of a Volume Owner to install updates. The Volume Owner is the user whose account was created during initial setup of the Mac at the point of its enrolment.
  • Users can also install available updates at any time through System Preferences > Software Update.

macOS Major Upgrades

For computers with macOS Monterey 12.6.1 or later installed, major version upgrades (e.g. to macOS Ventura 13.1) are installed in the same way as minor updates. This means standard users who are Volume Owners can install them without having local administrator accounts.

For earlier versions of macOS, manual installation of major upgrades requires the user to also be a local administrator. The major upgrade is delivered in the form of an installer application rather than integrated into the Software Update dialog inside System Preferences/Settings.

Using Jamf Insights to update computers:

Navigate to Computers, search for then select one or more computers and choose one of the following options in the MDM MANAGEMENT tab: 

mceclip0.png

  • OS Update - Download
    • Will download and prepare the update in the background. Users can install it by navigating to System Preferences -> Software Update (macOS 12 or earlier)/System Settings -> General -> Software Update (macOS 13 or later), or it will install automatically if automatic updates are enabled on the device.
  • OS Update - Download & Install
    • Downloads and installs the update, and restarts computers after installation (please see below for more details of the user experience)

User Experience for forced updates

In addition to using Insights above, dataJAR Services team can send Mobile Device Management (MDM) commands to managed computers to force them to download and install operating system minor updates and major upgrades in one of the following ways:

  • Download the updates or upgrades for users to install.
  • Download the updates or upgrades and allow macOS to install later (deferral for devices running macOS 12.3 or later).
  • Download and install the update or upgrade, and restart computers after installation.

If you require operating system updates to be installed in this way, please request this by submitting a ticket.

Please note: this is performed as a manual process and we are only able to carry this out during dataJAR's business support hours.

Requirements for forced updates

  • Intel Mac with macOS 11 (Big Sur) or above
  • Apple Silicon Mac with macOS 11 (Big Sur) or above, with a Bootstrap Token escrowed

Apple Silicon Macs enrolled with datajar.mobi should have a Bootstrap Token, but this may not be the case in some circumstances.

For more information about Bootstrap Tokens and how they work, please refer to the following article: About Bootstrap Token on Apple Silicon Macs

Download the updates for users to install

This option effectively “caches” the update to make it more convenient for end-users to install, so they do not need to wait for it to download. Users will be prompted to install updates as below:

macOS-Notification.png

Download the updates and allow macOS to install later (deferral for devices running macOS 12.3 or later)

Updates are downloaded and prepared for installation in the background. Users are prompted to install updates and can defer this for a specified number of times (the number of allowed deferrals is customisable, based on your requirements). Notifications are shown as below:

 image5.png

The install notification is shown approximately once every 24 hours. A deferral occurs when the user closes the Notification window or clicks Remind Me Tomorrow. The user has the following options for the update after they click the notification:

  • Install Now: Downloads the update and installs it immediately.
  • Try Tonight: Downloads and installs later.
    If the user selects this option, based on machine learning from the data over the last 21 days, the Mac finds the best time to download and install the update — roughly between 2:00 am - 4:00 am (It may not always be during this time).
  • Remind Me Tomorrow: Defers the update until the next day.

Please note: After the maximum number of deferrals has been reached, macOS software update behaviour incorporates the characteristics of InstallForceRestart.

If the user does not see or ignores the notification, then the update will not install that evening. The final notification for installation bypasses Focus options like “Do Not Disturb”.

Download and install the update, and restart computers after installation

Updates are downloaded and prepared for installation in the background, then installed automatically. Users are prompted that updates are ready to install, and the computer will attempt to restart after one minute to complete the installation. A notification is shown as below:

image1.png

Please note: After the download is complete, the computer may immediately restart and install updates without any user notification. Applications that are running may lose data as a result of this.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues with installing software updates for macOS, please follow the steps in this article: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT212526

If you continue to have problems, please submit a ticket to us and we will be happy to assist.

Further information

Need further support?

Automate. Simplify. Succeed. If you still require assistance with us or have any further questions, please raise a ticket with our support team.

Alternatively, please see our frequently updated knowledge base articles for reference.

Related articles