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Profiles vs. Declarations: Managing Apple Devices the DDM Way

Aug 27, 2026 –
Addigy Admin Training series Profile vs Declarations Managing Apple Devices via DDM with Mauricio Steves

What this webinar is about

Apple’s management model is shifting. Starting with macOS, iOS, and iPadOS 26, admins can now deploy settings as Declarations (Declarative Device Management, or DDM) instead of the traditional MDM configuration profiles — and for a growing set of features, DDM is becoming the preferred path.

This session gives Apple admins a clear, practical understanding of the difference between the two, why it matters, and how to put it into practice today inside Addigy’s Device Settings. It’s deliberately hands-on: attendees leave able to build and deploy their first declaration with confidence, not just describe the theory.

The way you configure Apple devices just changed. Here’s what “declarative” actually means — and how to start using it in Addigy in the next 30 minutes.

Why now

  • OS 26 and its point releases (26.4) have unlocked a wave of new declaration-only settings — including Apple Intelligence controls, external intelligence integrations, Disk Management, and Migration Assistant.
  • Admins are actively deciding when to switch from profiles to declarations, and many aren’t sure how the two interact. This webinar answers that head-on.

Who should attend

  • Apple admins new to Declarative Device Management
  • Teams currently managing devices via legacy MDM profiles who are moving to OS 26+
  • IT generalists who own Apple fleets but don’t specialize in MDM internals
  • Existing Addigy customers wanting to adopt the newest Device Settings capabilities

No prior DDM experience required. Basic familiarity with MDM/device management is helpful but not assumed.

Attendees will walk away able to:

  1. Explain the core difference between a profile (server-driven command) and a declaration (device-enforced desired state).
  2. Recognize which settings are available as declarations and which OS versions support them.
  3. Understand precedence — what happens when both a profile and a declaration exist for the same setting.
  4. Read Addigy’s Device Settings declaration builder correctly, including the crucial “Include” opt-in model.
  5. Build and deploy a real declaration (a Passcode baseline) via Policy or GoLive.
  6. Apply best practices for staging, testing, and batching declarations across a mixed-OS fleet.