Confused about when "Mac apps" require Config Profiles and if they're auto-installed

[Nate1]

Hey Jamf people

We are working to push more and more of our standard apps out via the Mac Apps section (either 'App Store' or 'Jamf App Catalog'). Slack, Zoom, Chrome,etc.

The part I'm confused about, is when they require Configuration Profiles to be installed with them. It looks like they're only if you want to suppress the developer updates so you can control updates yourself? Or is that wrong.

Separately, is there a way to control the Config Profile deployment so it automatically gets installed when the app is installed? For a few forced apps, this isn't an issue because we can use the same Smart Group for both the app and the config profile installation, but if we have an app 'Available in Self Service', how do we ensure the config profile is installed after the user installs via SS? Creating a Smart Group that checks for installation of that app isn't too trivial but it's just more work when it seems like there should be a setting in the settings for each Mac App that says 'Install associated Config Profile with this app?' Then allows you to select one...

Thanks for any help!

[Nate1]

Sorry, I should mention I do realize there's a big giant "Install supporting configuration profiles" in the settings, but I'm not sure how it knows which Config Profile to select. And do I need to push that Config Profile to all users first? Or will it auto-install? If it auto-installs, what should the scope be? Or should the settings of the config profile be "make available in self service"?

[stevewood]

For the Jamf App Catalog (App Installers) the "Install supporting configuration profiles" installs the profiles that come with the app installer. Meaning you do not create the config profile, it is created for you, and that is how it knows which profile to send down. And you are correct, the profiles basically disable the auto update functionality for apps that have that functionality so that the updates are handled by the app installers.

[JustinC]

@Nate1 If you selected the Install supporting configuration profiles checkbox, Jamf Pro deploys the supporting profiles before the InstallEnterpriseApplication MDM command is sent. App Installers checks that the profile has been successfully installed on the end user device before issuing the InstallEnterpriseApplication command. By having this check in place it also improves that chances of the end user device actually being online to successfully receive and action the install command as the machine must have been online to have responded to the profile check command.

[roiegat]

There is a really good article about it:
https://learn.jamf.com/en-US/bundle/technical-articles/page/Configuration_Profiles_for_Additional_Ap...

But essentially if have a configuration profile you can do two things:
-create a smart group to see if the application installed before pushing the profile

-Just deploy the configuration profile.  Even if the computer doesn't have the application, its not going to create any hard on the machine.