How can we check if LegacyAppConfigAssetReference applied in iOS 18.4?

Question

Created Mar ’25

Replies 5

Boosts 0

Participants 3

I found a new Payload attribute LegacyAppConfigAssetReference in AppManaged introduced in iOs 18.4 beta. So I tried it, however no configuration is discoverted in the installed app.

--

configuration

{
  "Identifier": "8c2af0b6-5ae0-5927-a1cd-bab5e4148bb8",
  "Type": "com.apple.configuration.app.managed",
  "Payload": {
    "InstallBehavior": {
      "Install": "Required",
      "License": {
        "Assignment": "Device",
        "VPPType": "Device"
      }
    },
    "AppStoreID": "535886823",
    "LegacyAppConfigAssetReference": "ac35558f-aefc-5faf-8f64-1faaff993b96"
  },
  "ServerToken": "2abdc89492d89ca1a213ca61318ae0651c2b8de660c2847a44a3fb8ad9d9a8ad"
}

--

declaration/asset/ac35558f-aefc-5faf-8f64-1faaff993b96

{
  "Identifier": "ac35558f-aefc-5faf-8f64-1faaff993b96",
  "Type": "com.apple.asset.data",
  "Payload": {
    "Reference": {
      "DataURL": "https://i3-oreore-ios-mdm.azurewebsites.net/asset_files/eyJpZCI6IjNkOTg2YWVjNzQ1MWJiYWZlZjJmZGU1NmZmYmJlYjdkLnBsaXN0Iiwic3RvcmFnZSI6InN0b3JlIiwibWV0YWRhdGEiOnsiZmlsZW5hbWUiOiJFbmNvZGVkQ2hyb21lUG9saWN5RXhhbXBsZS5wbGlzdCIsInNpemUiOjMyMjUsIm1pbWVfdHlwZSI6ImFwcGxpY2F0aW9uL29jdGV0LXN0cmVhbSJ9fQ",
      "ContentType": "application/plist"
    }
  },
  "ServerToken": "7433f7c0c991a1943636ff7bd8949e88738c684ecbde347ac8a9c5b5c19dda14"
}

--

And the data type of the managed app configuration is application/plist

http https://i3-oreore-ios-mdm.azurewebsites.net/asset_files/eyJpZCI6IjNkOTg2YWVjNzQ1MWJiYWZlZjJmZGU1NmZmYmJlYjdkLnBsaXN0Iiwic3RvcmFnZSI6InN0b3JlIiwibWV0YWRhdGEiOnsiZmlsZW5hbWUiOiJFbmNvZGVkQ2hyb21lUG9saWN5RXhhbXBsZS5wbGlzdCIsInNpemUiOjMyMjUsIm1pbWVfdHlwZSI6ImFwcGxpY2F0aW9uL29jdGV0LXN0cmVhbSJ9fQ
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Accept-Ranges: bytes
Cache-Control: max-age=31536000
Content-Length: 3225
Content-Type: application/plist
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2025 22:59:40 GMT
X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC '-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN' 'http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd'>
<plist version="1.0">
 <dict>
 <key>EncodedChromePolicy</key>
 <string>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</string>
 </dict>
</plist>

Please note that this example plist is the same content as is described here: https://www.chromium.org/administrators/ios-mdm-policy-format/

After applying the declaration, the app GoogleChrome is successfully installed but no managed app configuration seems applied.

MDMAppManagement.plist in the sysdiagnose is like below:

plutil -p logs/MCState/Shared/MDMAppManagement.plist
{
  "metadataByBundleID" => {
    "com.google.chrome.ios" => {
      "Attributes" => {
        "Removable" => 0
      }
      "flags" => 1
      "source" => "Declarative Device Management"
      "state" => 7
    }
    "com.microsoft.skype.teams" => {
      "Attributes" => {
        "Removable" => 0
      }
      "flags" => 1
      "source" => "Declarative Device Management"
      "state" => 7
    }
  }
}

I also tried with our private apps and not applied... How can we use this feature or check the configuration is applied? Thank you,

Boost

Answer 1

Device Management Engineer OP

Apple

Mar ’25

Can you please file a feedback report and include a sysdiagnose from the device.

Note that DDM managed app state is not tracked in the MDMAppManagement.plist. Instead you need to look at the state of the DDM declarations that is reported back to the MDM server. You can also see that state by looking the <sysdiagnose>/logs/rmd files.

1

Answer 2

Device Management Engineer OP

Apple

Mar ’25

Also, please try the following: send the app.managed configuration a second time but with the ServerToken changed so that it does an in-place update.

0

Answer 3

hikaruninomiya_i3 OP

Mar ’25

I actually tried what you advised above and it worked. However, it is difficult to use in operation if it does not work once the Configuration is applied, is there any plan to fix it?

Thank you.

0

Answer 4

yusuke-iwaki OP

Mar ’25

@Device Management Engineer Thank you. It seems your suggestion (reloading configuration by changing ServerToken) is effective.

We can check that it works as expected with Scrub Browser app. https://zenn.dev/link/comments/45b1d8bbde19b0 (sorry for Japanese article)

I think most MDM vendor would hesitate to implement this feature because we have to remember whether the configuration is applied with LegacyAppConfigAssetReference at the first time or not. It is far from declarative... The improvement would be really amazing for us.

Thank you :)

0

Answer 5

Device Management Engineer OP

Apple

Apr ’25

Please re-test with the 18.5 beta release, as the problem should now be fixed.

1