When you want to force the update of an app through the management console, the first step is to identify whether the app was added via the Play Store or directly uploaded to the platform as an APK.
- Play Store Apps:
First, you need to identify the version to which you want to update the app. To do this, you can:
- Manually update a device;
- Or access the record of a device that already has the app updated.
Then, go to the Monitoring > Applications tab, locate the app in the list, and identify the version code installed. This code is represented by an integer number (without dots), as shown in the example below:
After verification, the app must be added to the policy (if it’s already present, remove the existing entry before adding a new one).
Set the installation mode to "Forced Installation" and, in the "Minimum Version" field, enter the version code identified in the previous step. This will ensure that devices update the app to at least the specified version.
See the example below:
After adding the line with the new version to the policy, simply save the policy. Once done, all devices linked to that policy will receive the update immediately.
2) Apps uploaded via the portal:
For apps uploaded through the portal (APK), follow the steps below:
- Go to Applications > Software Catalog and upload the new version of the APK. You can edit an existing APK version or add a new one.
- After adding the update to the catalog, go to Applications > Deliver Application to send it to the devices.
- After completing these three steps, the devices will receive the update automatically.
Note: It is important to ensure that the APK was actually sent through the "Deliver Application" option. Simply updating an existing APK in the catalog or adding a new version does not guarantee the app will be automatically updated on devices. Manual delivery is essential for the update to be applied.