Updating the OS on supervised iOS devices

6 min

In the Device Details page, you can use Ivanti EPMM to update the operating system on supervised iOS devices running iOS 10.3 or supported newer versions. Devices do not need to be unlocked for the OS update to succeed.

In the case of devices running up to iOS 10.2.1, you can successfully execute the Update OS Software command only if the devices are both supervised and managed by the Apple School Manager or the Apple Business Manager.

Ivanti EPMM presents different update options depending on whether you select only one supervised iOS device or multiple supervised iOS devices.

Note:

In Ivanti EPMM 11.5.0.0, the Device Details page > the Actions menu items "iOS Software Update" and "macOS Software Update" were removed.

In Ivanti EPMM 11.7.0.0, a new "Software Version Update" button was added to the Device Details page.

In Ivanti EPMM 11.8.0.0, support for pushing OS software to multiple devices was added to the Device Details page.

Updating the iOS on multiple supervised iOS devices

Prerequisite

Be sure you have configured your iOS software update policy. See Configuring iOS and macOS software updates.

Procedure

Go to Devices & Users> Devices.

Select the devices whose operating system you wish to update.

Select Actions > iOS Only > Update OS Software. A confirmation dialog box opens.

Click Confirm. Ivanti EPMM sends the OS update command to devices. Ivanti EPMM shows the status of the command in the Update OS Software window.

Click OK.

The Update OS Software option is not supported for devices running iOS 27 and later. Use Software Update Enforcement to configure and enforce software updates on these devices.

Updating the iOS manually on a single supervised iOS device

Administrators can manually set an iOS software version update for individual devices. This is done in the Device Detail tab for supervised DEP and non-DEP iOS devices using the "Software Version Update" button.

Once the administrator executes the update, the OS update download / installation cannot be canceled.

Procedure

Select Devices & Users > Devices.

Click the caret of the selected device. The Device Details section expands below.

Click on the Software Version Update button. The Software Version update page displays.

Use the drop-down to select the version to update to. If the required version is not available in the drop-down, the administrator can manually enter the OS version that needs to be pushed to the device. If a lower OS version is selected, no installation will occur.

Click Update. When the device is updated, the page displays the current version of the device and confirms that the device is updated with the version sent from Ivanti EPMM.

Note the following:

When installing a specific version of OS update for iOS devices, you must select a version that is available for the device. If you select an invalid or an unavailable version, software update of the device will be ignored.

If the device has a passcode, after MDM sends the update to the device, the device queues the update and the user is prompted to enter their passcode in order to start the installation.

Enable enforcedSoftwareUpdateDelay in iOS Restrictions to make sure the manual scan on devices for software updates will not delete the specific versions downloaded by this configuration. It will delay so the latest software update will not occur.

The Software Version Update option is not supported for devices running iOS 27 and later. Use Software Update Enforcement to configure and enforce software updates on these devices.

What the device user sees during software upgrade

After a new iOS is released, the iOS device checks and becomes aware that a new version of iOS software is available. If the device is locked with a passcode, the next time the device is unlocked, the device is able to begin to download the new iOS in the background without device user notification. After the download, on the Software Update screen, there is an indication that new version of iOS has been downloaded and the device user has the option to “Install Now”. If the device user taps "Later", the Software Update will keep requesting to install the update. After 3-4 attempts to install the new iOS software upgrade, no more deferring of the software update will be allowed. The user is required to input their passcode and that passcode is saved and used to update the device.