iOS Keep app to date

[lcoetzee2]

Hello 🙂

Does anyone how often SM refreshes the metadata of applications?

If an app is released today 23/07/2019 - when will Cisco Meraki SM "refresh" the metadata in the background to know about the update?

Today we had to release a critical APP hotfix. When we clicked "refresh" the old APP version was displayed. Also, the "Keep app up to date" function did not pick up the new APP in the APP store.  However, on all other platforms (VPP, APP STORE etc) the new application version is shown.

If we Push --> Install/Upgrade to a client, then the latest version is installed.

I think it will be useful to know how often this information is refreshed in the background by Meraki or why it would not refresh it manually when "refresh" is clicked. Interestingly the Source: View in iTunes link is also "broken" for this specific APP.

Also logged a case with Meraki and will keep the thread posted.

[Richard_W]

Yeah, I'm unsure if Meraki actually polls the VPPs store or not. I end up manually selecting all apps in the app list and then select edit>refresh details.

[lcoetzee2]

Hi Richard, thanks for you tip. I tried this too... but it appears there is delay between when the APP is released and when Meraki "knows about it".

[Richard_W]

yeah, I agree that there is a delay.

I could fine nothing on the support about if Meraki polls VPP, they seem to defer to iOS handling auto updates as primary; as per:

https://documentation.meraki.com/SM/Apps_and_Software/Updating_Managed_iOS_Apps

[PhilipDAth]

>If an app is released today 23/07/2019 - when will Cisco Meraki SM "refresh" the metadata in the background to know about the update?

Systems Manager does not normally install the updates.  This process is exclusively managed between the device and the app store.

[lcoetzee2]

Apps using an Apple ID will rely on the APP Store -> Automatic Updates function (device managed)

Apps deployed using VPP without an Apple ID will rely on the MDM for updates (mdm managed). 
When a VPP APP update is available, and the device checks into the SM dashboard, it will receive a command to update 

(this is my understanding and I may be wrong)

Some MDM's like the link here: https://www.manageengine.com/mobile-device-management/help/app_management/mdm_app_management.html indicates that the "refresh" of APPs happens every 24 hours: "NOTE: The app updates are synced from the Store every 24 hours or when the apps are synced manually from ABM. If you are unable to find the app update, manually sync the apps by clicking on Sync VPP Apps from the App Repository."

I wonder how often Meraki syncs and if they can give us more information on the design, ie:

1) Sync window

2) When will the version in SM/VPP APP update

3) Will the device update after the version is updated by SM/APP when the device checks in?

This will help the community manage critical hotfixes of APPS.  We manage MDM for an Airline - and not being able to send an APP update for 24 hours may potentially ground the fleet. So I really want to understand the design.

[lcoetzee2 · Accepted solution]

Just to confirm.  The APP updates in SM is refreshed every 24 hours:

"efresh" of APPs happens every 24 hours: "NOTE: The app updates are synced from the Store every 24 hours or when the apps are synced manually from ABM"

[vassallon]

Don't forget that the device needs to be running iOS 12.1 or later for the auto-updates of Apps to work correctly. Anything before 12.1 didn't ever seem to work for doing auto-updates of Apps. Even though the boxes were checked it never seemed to update until something in 12.1 fixed the issue. I could never find any specific notes as to why either.

[Richard_W]

And this of course leaves Mac AppStore apps just hanging out?