App Refresh coming to Healthcare Listener in Jamf Pro 10.39.0!

[adam_mahmud]

The next release of Jamf Pro v 10.39.0 supports a new Healthcare Listener workflow called App Refresh.

App Refresh is a new iOS and tvOS patient device refresh workflow that:

• Uninstalls and reinstalls managed apps and in-house books 
• Provides faster way to refresh specific app content between patients — no device reset required
• Offers a wireless, automated process that removes on device steps for patients, staff and IT

App Refresh is a new option that health systems can consider alongside Healthcare Listener’s existing automated device wipe capabilities. Some Apple Services and third-party apps cannot be cleared with App Refresh and require a full device reset to be cleared between patients. These include:

• Use of Apple services, like iCloud and App Store
• Use of Apple default apps, like Safari and Camera
• Use of third-party apps that store user credentials in system chain and can persist app removal and reinstallation (ex: Facebook, Instagram) 

It’s critical for IT teams to test their hospital’s app selection and validate that no patient data remains on a device between patients. Jamf can not guarantee how all apps behave on iOS, iPadOS and tvOS as well as whether or not re-installation will clear a user’s login session. If you identify an app that does not work with App Refresh, please drop a note in the comments below!

For additional details about this upcoming Jamf Pro release, see: 

• Jamf Pro Release Notes - Jamf Pro 10.39
• Blog Post - Healthcare Listener: A wireless solution to streamline iPad and Apple TV deployments
• Technical Guide - Installing and Configuring the Healthcare Listener

[TimK]

This is something we've talked about for a while and I'm thrilled we get to release it to the general public now. I'm starting to put together a list of apps that don't play nice with uninstalling and reinstalling. These apps would need to be restricted from use with App Refresh or only used with the Healthcare Listener rule that wipes the entire device.

There are a few apps that I have found that will not only remember your name and pre-populate it, but it will remember your password, even though you have uninstalled the app. I’d love to know what other people have found in their testing. So far, I’ve found that Facebook and Instagram on iOS both remember who last logged in after re-installation and therefore should not be used.