Purpose: To explain the ongoing problem that MDM Apple TVs will auto-update to tvOS 18 even when an OS update deferral profile is set in place.
Update:
10/29/2024
This is fixed in the latest tvOS 18.1. Please update at your own discretion as the update could break other things knowing Apple.
Summary:
With the release of tvOS 18 on September 16th along with iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia (version 15), it seems that Apple TVs will bypass an MDM software deferral. Like most administrators, this has caused quite a few issues that come with managing new operating systems that Apple has released.
This seems to mainly affect TV HD device models like 1st, 2nd, 3rd gen…etc. 4K Apple TV models seem to be unaffected by tvOS 18 bugs related to network connectivity.
Documented Problems:
AirPlay connections show "No Network Detected" after being connected for 3-5 minutes.
AirPlay quality seems to be lagging or quality seems to drop significantly when connected
Potential Solutions:
- Apple recommends that the screen mirroring device is updated to the latest OS version, which is iOS/iPadOS 18 or macOS Sequoia …sigh…
- To prevent wireless dropoff, connect the Apple TV with an Ethernet cable where applicable.
- Make sure Apple TVs are set to infrastructure for AirPlay Security profiles.
Resources:
- AirPlay system requirements: https://support.apple.com/en-us/101611