Error: App Installation - Sign into iTunes to allow domain.jamfcloud.com" to manage and install apps

[rayskwire]

Hi all,

Novice Jamf user here. I have a configuration of 18 iPads we'll call "Teaching" iPads. As far as I can tell, I'm not using anything that doesn't already come in the box, so to speak, so I have a policy that configures a specific wireless connection and then pushes out five or 6 apps that we purchased through Apple School Manager, which is connected to our instance of Jamf.

All the apps appear to deploy, but I keep getting this pop-up message on the screen that tells me to sign into iTunes to manage/install apps but we're not using iTunes on these devices and we don't have AppleID accounts associated with these devices, as they are being managed centrally by our organization.

The only clue I get is when I pull up a specific device and look at the management history and see the command "Install App - Self Service" that is either at pending or can't install because the device was busy and I have no idea what this means.

Any idea what I might be missing?

[mainelysteve]

That's due to a setting you have selected currently. 

Read through this documentation to get Self Service installed manually using volume purchasing.

[rayskwire]

So perhaps I'm not understanding a few things and I'm not sure I want self-service at all, unless it is required? I just want to be able to push out specific apps so that they are available on the device with no input from the users and from what I can tell, they are. 

All our deployed apps are marked in Jamf\Devices\MobileDeviceApps as Free.
Distribution method is 'Install Automatically/Prompt Users to Install'
'Display app in Self Service after it is installed' is UNchecked.
'Automatically Force App Updates' is checked.
'Make app managed when possible' is checked.
'Make app managed if currently installed as unmanaged' is checked

My scope is a group of 18 "Teaching" iPads
Managed Distribution has 'Assign Content Purchased in Volume' checked and our Org VPP is selected.

Lastly, my iPads were all out of date and were just updated to iPadOS 15.7. within the last 30 minutes or so. I haven't seen this error pop up since and am running an Inventory Update now in Jamf to see if the Install Self-Service comes back up or not. But how do my deployment settings look?

The hardest thing for me for this is that I'm a Windows person through and through and I can build, configure, and deploy Windows images all day long with custom configurations but on the Apple environment, it's all very new to me.

Update: Did an inventory update and under Pending Commands, I see "Install App - Self Service" and I think this is what's been throwing that prompt to sign into iTunes. Does that sound right?

[mainelysteve]

You're close.

By default Self Service is set to auto install, no matter if you use it or not. Your individual app settings aren't determining if Self Service makes it onto a device or not. 

By treating Self Service as an app installed in volume(see article above) you'll achieve two things here: the ability to put it on whatever device you want(or none at all) and two it will prevent the prompt to sign into iTunes from appearing since the app will be licensed to the device and not an AppleID.

[rayskwire]

OK. Found the Jamf Self Service App in ASM and volume licensed myself 100 copies, which I had not done before.

Am I understanding what you're saying about 'deploying or not deploying' this app to my devices correctly in thinking now that this particular app is volume license as far as Jamf Pro is concerned with nay app I have volume licensed, it is now irrelevant whether I deploy this app or not?

[mainelysteve]

Not sure I understand that completely.

The volume license just ensures that if were to be deployed the license would be applied to the device itself and not a user(i.e. Apple ID). You could just as easily changed the setting to manually install self service and not made the effort to get it into your app catalog. I'd call this exercise important enough and not entirely irrevelant as it's possible you'd want to make an app available for install in the future but not use automatic install. I force install necessary apps only and use the self service model for other not so necessary ones.