macOS – Available PKGs, now self updating

With service release 2606, Intune finally closes an old gap on macOS: available PKG apps assigned through the “macOS app (PKG)” type now update on the device automatically when you upload a new version to the existing app policy. Until now, the user had to open Company Portal and hit Install or Reinstall to get the newer build, which most users never did.

What it enables / Why this matters

For any PKG you distribute as Available (browsers, VPN clients, custom tooling), you can now edit the policy, upload the new .pkg with the same bundle ID, and Intune will push the update to devices where the app is already installed. No supersedence, no second app object, no user interaction.

The operational impact is real. Available assignments were basically a one time delivery mechanism on macOS. Anything you shipped as Available quietly drifted out of date the moment version 2 landed. That is now solved for the common case, provided you keep the bundle ID stable and your fleet runs the Intune management agent for macOS in version 2606.013 or later.

When to use it

Use it for any Available PKG where you want a stable, current version on devices without forcing installation. Typical cases: BYOD Macs, developer machines, kiosk style shared Macs with a curated software catalogue, or apps you offer as optional but still want patched (think Zoom, Slack, custom LOB clients).

Recommendation

Confirm the agent version across your macOS estate before you rely on this. You can check locally with:

/Library/Intune/Microsoft\ Intune\ Agent.app/Contents/MacOS/IntuneMdmAgent —version/Library/Intune/Microsoft\ Intune\ Agent.app/Contents/MacOS/IntuneMdmAgent --version

Keep bundle IDs stable in your packaging and stop building supersedence chains for simple version bumps on Available PKGs. For Required apps and security critical software, nothing changes: keep those on Required, ideally with a phased rollout by group.

References

🔗 What’s new in Microsoft Intune – Microsoft Intune | Microsoft Learn 🔗 Add an Unmanaged macOS PKG App to Microsoft Intune – Microsoft Intune | Microsoft Learn

Available on macOS finally means “kept current”, not “installed once and forgotten”. FINALY 🙂