App distribution VPP "Pending - Application is not available to install"

[itberlage]

We upgraded our environment to 9.9 since then our apps are not being distributed to our managed iPads.

We keep getting this from the management tab - "Pending - Application is not available to install"

When troubleshooting this problem I could trace it down to the "Limitations" option we have for deployment. When we distribute a App to the All Managed iPads it will install on the iPad, but when we combine it with the Limitations Tab thats connected to our Active Directory via LDAP and combine it with a user group from there the app won't install and gives the error. This is how we always distributed our apps before 9.9.

Anyone know how I can fix this to use my groups again, since not every group in my organization needs the same apps. Manually assignments is no option.

[cgalik]

We recently discovered a similar issue, but with 9.82. I was seeing a bunch of those messages on miscellaneous managed iPads. We spent days troubleshooting with JAMF to see why these messages kept appearing, until we discovered that because of exclusions we had set, the apps were not supposed to be installed in the first place. The JSS apparently figured this out, and revoked the licenses for the apps (device-based VPP assignments), but this apparently didn't prevent the JSS from attempting to install the apps anyway. Since the device didn't have a VPP license for the apps, they each showed up in the Management tab with "Pending - Application is not available to install." The opened a product issue regarding this behavior.

[sebastienleroy]

I am having the same issue today in version 9.9
After configuring the JSS. I purchased vpp content. The content gets populated in the JSS. When I try to push the apps to some devices I get the same error. App distribution VPP "Pending - Application is not available to install"

I then tried the following things:

1) cancel all pending commands
2) search for vpp content and search all apps again one by one. (hoping that this will trigger something)

This only results in the same problem , application is not available to install.

[martin]

Hi @itberlage,

I would recommend that you report this incident to JAMF Support. We're experiencing the same issue so this might be a defect.

Martin

[St0rMl0rD]

Make sure you don't have the app that is "pending" assigned to users and devices at the same time - it won't work. It either has to be assigned to users or devices, one or the other.

[JSASD_JAMF]

We are having the same issue. In our environment we are not using AppleID's, so we have also found that apps that have already been downloaded and installed have become unusable. The users are then being confronted with a message to login with an AppleID. Also, under Global Management -> VPP Accounts, the licenses are populated with our purchase as mentioned above, but the "In Use" column reads "0" instead of what it had previous to the update.

Can anyone confirm the same symptoms?

I have a call in to our JAMF rep as of this morning, but have heard nothing back yet.

Hopefully we find a solution to this quickly as the users are becoming restless!

[martin]

Hi @JSASD_JAMF,

Apps would not launch due to a bug in iOS and with "Automatically update all App Store apps" turned on. This issue has been solved in iOS 9.3.

Resolves an issue that could prevent some VPP purchased apps from launching after being updated

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1842

Some apps show no licenses are in use but other have licenses in use and we still get this error.

[IT-CKrape]

Thank you for the quick reply @martin , but I am a little confused on your answer. Are you saying that all the devices need to be updated to 9.3 or 9.3.1? If so, we can make that happen, but it still does not explain why our JAMF server is not recognizing the utilization of the license / allowing new downloads even on updated devices.

If you could please clarify what steps need to be taken I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you again.

Just for me to clarify, this is what we are seeing in the JAMF VPP Section.

[martin]

Hi @IT-CKrape,

iOS 9.3 fixed the autoupdate bug that prevented the apps from launching after they have been updated bij the JSS.

Question regarding these licenses. Are these paid apps and if so do you still see them in your VPP account under Purchase History?

[IT-CKrape]

Thank you for the clarification @martin. They are both free and paid apps.

We have actually come to another point regarding these apps. It appears that the update to JSS 9.9 may have cause some kind of an issue with our app distribution permissions.

We are currently basing our apps on AD groups by grade level. The apps that do not have these restrictions, that is to say they are available to everyone, do not have any issues and are being reported correctly within our system.

I have also commented on this post: https://jamfnation.jamfsoftware.com/discussion.html?id=19440
which appears more along the lines of what we are now seeing.

I am still waiting on a return call from our JAMF REP for confirmation of an issue and/or possible solutions.

[itberlage · Accepted solution]

I made a support ticket for this problem I was seeing.

Got a workaround for now what helps in my case. Will share it here with you guys.

A few newly identified product issues were just brought to my attention. It is pretty evident that we are in fact seeing them in action here. Namely the product issue with reference PI-002098 has the following description: "Any iOS object utilizing push notifications not deploying if scoped with an LDAP Group Limitation" The workaround for this seems to be creating a "fake" or in other words, empty group in LDAP and then adding that group to the exclusions list of the scope.

[lehmanp00]

That workaround is NOT working for me. I have tried it on a few apps and conifg profiles and adding a empty AD group to the exclusion list is not making any difference.

[m_green]

Buying more VPP licenses from volume.apple.com worked for our district. As soon as JSS refreshed the total license count, apps started installing on the iPads.

[iPad_Sheriff]

I have noticed two things that cause this error:

1) If the user has attempted to install from Self Service, the error will appear when MDM attempts to push the app to the device on top of the self service install.

2) If you add an app to the app catalog and assign it to devices at the same time, then it will throw the error. Add the app first, save, add device assignments, save again.

[Sandy]

I just had this happen suddenly yesterday on many apps all associated to one VPP account, but it was the one we were working on at the time.
Today I will look more closely at other VPP accounts and app distribution. I was about to update my Casper Suite from 9.9.1 to 9.9.3. After the upgrade, I logged in and had a notification that my Token for that VPP had been revoked.... for no reason that I can tell. It was not expired. I had recently changed the password for that VPP Apple ID, as am in process of distributing tasks to building techs.
Re-uploaded the token, and all began to flow again.

[Nick_Gooch]

Tokens expire after a password reset.

This token will expire after one year or after a password reset.

[Sandy]

Oooh, so that explains it! Thanks @Nick_Gooch

[mpermann]

@Nick_Gooch do you have a link to the JAMF or Apple documentation where you read the token expires after a password reset. I seem to remember reading that too, but I'd like to cite a specific document. Thanks.

[Nick_Gooch]

@mpermann Log into your VPP account through volume.apple.com and go Account Summary. It says it in the Managed Distribution section.

Easily assign apps or books to users on iOS 7 or later or on OS X 10.9 or later using a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution, such as the latest version of Apple Profile Manager. If you have an MDM solution, you can download a token which can be used to link your MDM solution with your VPP account. Once linked, you can invite users, assign apps and books, and revoke and reassign apps directly through your MDM solution. This token will expire after one year or after a password reset.

[simonheider]

Hi,
we are experiencing the problem that VPP Apps don't get installed either on macOS neither on iOS devices.
We are running the 9.96 of the JSS with macOS 10.10.5 server.
I tried to define the scope by computer and also by group but on the clients nothing happens. Just get the installing screen in the self service.
I already had a support session with JAMF and our network team analysed the situation also but couldn't find anything. So any help is appreciated to get the VPP distribution running as it should.

Best,

Simon