Control app settings on ios 11

GavinMcMenemy
Building a reputation

Control app settings on ios 11

Hi All,

I've asked Meraki support if it is possible to configure iOS apps during deployment.So far support hasn't been great. I've just been pointed at this page: https://documentation.meraki.com/SM/Profiles_and_Settings/Using_the_Managed_App_Settings_Payload

 

We have a social media team but we would like to know if it is possible to control settings in various social media apps (e.g. twitter and FB) to prevent contacts on iOS devices being synced to those apps?

 

FYI we're using ios 11 devices.

 

I can see various options for deplying and remove apps but very little about controling individual apps.

If finding custom plist files is the way to go. Has anyone managed it?

Interestingly there's Android app level controls available.

6 REPLIES 6
PhilipDAth
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

The same Android App level controls are available in iOS - but only if the App maker chooses to make them available and make them public knowledge.  Alas the vast majority of Apple app makers do not do this.

This doesn't fill me with joy.

Does anyone know if there's custom lists anywhere of these hooks? So far searching is not turning up anything interesting.

We might have to look at a different MDM solution.

DCooper
Meraki Alumni (Retired)
Meraki Alumni (Retired)

@GavinMcMenemyDid you purchase SM? Which social media app are you trying to control? What control(s) and/or settings are you trying to put in place?

 

Plist is the industry standard to configure custom app setting when it isn't an enterprise app. If you can provide more information as to what your trying to accomplish we can help get or see if the appropriate settings exist.

GavinMcMenemy
Building a reputation

Did you purchase SM? Yes we have Systems Manager

 

Which social media app are you trying to control? Let's just start with Twitter and Facebook. We will also have to look at Insta and potentially others. We will not allow WhatsApp on our devices.

 

What control(s) and/or settings are you trying to put in place? So one of the things we're interested in controlling is the sharing of address books. This is something you're prompted on when these apps install, the user can click "No" but we would like to automate this so that we click " No" for them.

At the moment we have to rely on them paying attention.

GavinMcMenemy
Building a reputation

ps. According to the person on the support case I opened  there is no way to do this for iOS.

DCooper
Meraki Alumni (Retired)
Meraki Alumni (Retired)

Where there is a will, there is a way! plist is supported via ios. I would check out the thread below and ask the question there. The topic in the thread doesn't give you an answer, but shows the code used to pull the information and where it is pulled from. If you can change the app behavior this could solve the problem.

 

I checked and I do not see where apple has allowed the EM vendors the ability to make the addressbook restriction yet. The only other option is to change the app behavior.

 

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/38241271/swift-3-xcode-8-cncontact-access-private/38244718#38244...

 

https://developer.apple.com/documentation/contacts/cncontact  Search for CNContactFetchRequest

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