Apple releases macOS Ventura 13.5 to further increase System Updates reliability

ByHenry Barefoot

On July 24th, 2023, Apple released macOS Ventura 13.5. Most notable within Apple’s enterprise release notes on the update is the significant focus on reliability of System Updates:

  • Network connectivity is more reliable when using the built-in firewall.
    • Observed Symptom: On devices with the built-in firewall enabled, users may have experienced disconnections or unreliable connectivity.
  • Software updates will no longer fail with “The base build is not compatible for this install method” when a software update delay is configured by MDM.
    • Observed Symptom: Detected when trying to install a new Rapid Security Response (RSR) System Update whenever an MDM Profile that deferred Software Updates was in place.
  • Restricting software updates to admin users doesn’t cause software updates from MDM to fail.
    • Observed Symptom: This would be caused when a MDM Software Update Profile was enforcing the setting “Restrict app installations to admin users”
  • More reliably finding available software updates.
    • Observed Symptom: This would indicate that no System Update was available, even if the device was eligible for a System Update.

We are encouraging all Apple admins to update their existing macOS Ventura devices to 13.5 to resolve some of the core System Update reliability issues that have been plaguing Apple Device Admins (IMPORTANT: except in the cases as noted in the below update). Existing Addigy customers can easily use System Updates via MDM, and apply the enforcement of this update across your desired fleet devices in a matter of minutes.

Addigy’s Commitment to a Resilient MDM Framework for macOS System Updates

It’s no secret that Addigy is consistently staying ahead of the curve for managing macOS System Updates. Without Device Admins having a reliable way to keep their fleet of devices up-to-date, it can increase the risk of zero-day exploits and bad actors potentially gaining access to corporate data. This is why we put a focus on MDM Watchdog and provide it to all Apple device admins regardless of their MDM of choice — with the hope that this can be a temporary stop-gap until Apple addresses the root cause of the problem.

We are encouraged and optimistic with Apple’s continuous improvements on the System Updates framework, and we will be championing our commitment to ensure our users have a seamless experience with Apple device management, and providing the avenues necessary to get there. 

As always, your feedback is invaluable to us. Please reach out to [email protected] to share your thoughts and feedback.

(Update) Potential Location Services issue in macOS Ventura 13.5

After this blog post’s initial draft, there have been reports on Location Services breaking in macOS Ventura 13.5. The observed behaviors are as follows:

  • System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services does not list any application permissions for Location Services. 
  • Inability to approve or turn on Location Services use within third-party applications. 
  • Inability to turn off Location Services for any third-party applications.

While Addigy still recommends devices on Ventura upgrade to macOS Ventura 13.5, Apple Device Admins that require the configuration of Location Services within third-party applications for business use might consider their use cases and hold off on the update until the Location Services issue is resolved.
For those on macOS 13.5 who need Location Services resolved, please file an Apple Product Feedback under macOS.

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