Automatic WiFi Logon - Payload for WiFi not updating

My gut reaction is that during the profile update process, the device disconnected before the process command could be completed. So either the profile got corrupted, the switch to activate auto-connect didn't get applied or the cert was removed but not reinstalled.

Just curious if your wi-fi is in a separate profile from your restrictions and certs? I found that having those in different profiles helped us with some connection issues. To that point, I have a smart group set to apply the wi-fi profile to all active devices with an owner just to make sure it is always there.

Not sure if this helps at all, but...

Our district has an open/unfiltered SSID that we have for device setup. It is disabled 98% of the time so students can't get stupid with unfiltered internet access. We only turn it on during setup sessions and instances where we need to repush corrupt profiles to a 'stuck' device. Because it's used during initial setup it's a remembered wi-fi on the device and typically a device that won't connect to the profiled wi-fi will connect to this one so we can repush.

Any time I need to make a change I have that SSID turned on to make sure there's some sort of connectivity available to the iPads.

I hope some of this helps. 

Hi Greg, thanks for the reply!

So to answer the question: Yes Wi-Fi Profile is seperated from other payload. I reorganized all of our jamf profiles a while ago, because I ran into the exact same issue that, when the profile is deleted, wifi is also gone. Also there is a second network the iPads can access, that being the current main network. The network I'm having the auto-connect issue with is a seperate testing networking with a different SSID, so the iPads definetly recieve the entire profile.

The iPad is updating the wifi to not autoconnect when reciving an updated profile, but the iPad does not change the setting to auto-connect again, when updating the profile again. Very strange behaviour. It definetly recives the entire profile no matter what and that's why I think this is bug.

Best Regards

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@SFL wrote:

Hey everyone,

at the moment we're testing a new WiFi network. Some of our students iPads have been assigned a profile for that WiFi network, so they can log in while supervised with their teachers. The profile is set to not automaticly log into the wifi network, so the iPads don't just yet rely on that network. Now I tried to update that setting so that the iPads SHOULD automatically log into the wifi network, but the setting on the iPads themselves does not update, even tough the profile has been updated in Jamf School. The other way around (iPads connect automaticly and the profile is updated so they don't do that) the setting updates as intended.

Is this a bug? Does anyone have an idea how to get around this issue without making the iPads forget the WiFi completly?

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Hey there! That's a peculiar issue you're running into with Jamf School and the Wi-Fi profiles. It definitely sounds frustrating when a setting change doesn't propagate as expected.

While it could be a temporary glitch or something specific to your environment, it's worth exploring a few common culprits and potential workarounds before jumping to the conclusion of a bug. Here are a few things you could investigate:

Check the Scope: Double-check the scope of the updated profile in Jamf School. Ensure that the iPads you're testing with are indeed still within the target group or have the profile correctly assigned to them. Sometimes, devices can inadvertently fall out of scope.

Profile Priority: If you have multiple Wi-Fi profiles configured, review their priority settings. It's possible that another profile with conflicting settings is taking precedence. Ensure the profile you want to take effect has the highest priority.

Configuration Profile Status: In Jamf School, navigate to a specific iPad and check the status of the configuration profile. It should indicate whether the profile has been successfully installed and if there are any errors reported. This can give you a clue if the update even reached the device.

Managed vs. Unmanaged Settings: Sometimes, if a user has manually configured Wi-Fi settings on their iPad, it can interfere with managed profiles. While you mentioned the iPads haven't been automatically connecting, it might be worth checking if any manual configurations exist that could be overriding the new settings.

Delayed Application: While usually quite prompt, sometimes there can be a slight delay in configuration profiles being applied to devices. Have you waited a reasonable amount of time (e.g., 15-30 minutes) after updating the profile to see if the change eventually takes effect? You could also try manually triggering a check-in from the iPad (if that option is available in your setup).

Specific OS Version: Are all the affected iPads running the same version of iPadOS? Sometimes, unexpected behavior can occur on specific OS versions. It might be worth checking if there are any known issues related to Wi-Fi profile management on the iPadOS version your students are using.

Consider a "Nudge": As a workaround (though not ideal), you could try making a small, temporary change to the profile other than the automatic join setting, saving it, and then reverting it back along with the automatic join change. This might sometimes "nudge" the system to re-evaluate and apply the entire profile.

Jamf School Logs: Examine the logs within Jamf School for any entries related to profile deployment or device communication that might indicate an issue.

Best regards,
Sandra