DDM becomes the present
It was the future once, but when it comes to Declarative Device Management (DDM) that future is now. Apple is removing all its legacy MDM mechanisms to replace them with DDM. “For IT admins, WWDC 2026 is a migration year,” wrote Fleet. “Apple is removing legacy MDM mechanisms and replacing them with Declarative Device Management (DDM). Some of it is urgent. Some of it just needs a plan.”
It’s a great step, though IT admins will need to ensure they aren’t relying on legacy MDM to handle any of their device fleets. That’s a particular issue around software and security update management. In most cases, your MDM provider has probably already introduced DDM support. But if you aren’t certain, now is the time to find out before your systems fail.
Apple has also added new DDM tools across various systems, apps, identities and more. Some of the highlights include:
- VPN and Network configurations can be provisioned using DDM; they also become credential-reliant, which should make management more streamlined.
- Apple Intelligence, Siri, and keyboard settings can also be configured via DDM, and admins can manage individual Apple Intelligence tools.
- Web content filter and content caching both become controllable with DDM.
- A new privacy key lets IT manage things like camera or microphone access.
- Apple has added a device system health reporting function to verify that hardware components on iPhone and iPad are genuine.
- IT will be able to detect whether a device is in Lockdown Mode.
“One of the new features I’m most excited about is the ability to set permission defaults for managed apps and websites viewed in Safari,” said Adam Henry, senior product manager at Iru. “While the user is still prompted to allow these permissions, we can now present those requests as a unified prompt immediately upon app launch, along with a custom explanation as to why those permissions are important — think a teleconferencing app or website that always needs access to camera and microphone.
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