Software self-service

Available in Fleet Premium

Fleet’s self-service software lets end users update and install approved apps from a curated list on the Fleet Desktop > Self-service page. This reduces overhead for IT and keeps teams productive. This guide covers how to add, install, and update self-service software in Fleet.

Add software

1. Select the team to which you want to add the software from the dropdown in the upper left corner of the page.
2. Select Software in the main navigation menu.
3. Select the Add software button in the upper right corner of the page.
4. Pick a Fleet-maintained app, app store app, or upload a custom package.
5. Check Self-service to make it available for self-service as soon as it's added.

Script packages (.sh and .ps1 files) are useful for self-service configuration tasks like connecting to a VPN or configuring printers. Learn more in the deploy software guide.

You can also add the software and later make it available in self-service:

1. Select the team to which you added the software from the dropdown in the upper left corner of the page.
2. Select Software in the main navigation menu.
3. Select the All software dropdown and choose Available for install. This filters the results in the table to show only software that can be installed on hosts. If you don’t see your software, page through the results or search for your software's name in the search bar. Once you find the software, select its title.
4. Select the pencil (edit) icon and check Self-service in the Options section. You can also assign categories and add a custom icon. Icons appear on the My device > Self-service page. Custom icons are only available for custom packages and app store apps.
5. Select the Save button.

If a software item isn't made available in self-service, end users will not see it in Fleet Desktop > Self-service. IT admins can still install, update, and uninstall the software from Fleet.

Deploy self-service on iOS and iPadOS

Install this configuration profile to add the self-service web app to the home screen on iPhone and iPad.

Create the self-service configuration profile

On your Mac, open iMazing Profile Editor. Create a new profile and add a Web Clip payload with these settings:

Under the General tab

• Name: Friendly name like "iOS self-service".
• Identifier and UUID: You can use default values.

Under the Web Clip tab

• Label: Type "Self-service". This name will display as the app name on the home screen.
• URL: <your_server_url>/device/$FLEET_VAR_HOST_UUID/self-service
• Removable: Uncheck it.
• Icon: Upload a square icon that will be displayed as the app icon on the home screen.
• Full Screen: Check this field.
• Target Application Bundle Identifier: Select Choose..., type "safari" in the search box, and select Safari - com.apple.mobilesafari.

Download configuration profile

You can also download the configuration profile (.mobileconfig) and change values in code editor. If you want to change the icon, use iMazing Profile Editor and follow the steps above.

Download example Web Clip profile from our repository.

IT admin experience

How to view, update, install, or uninstall self-service software:

1. Go to Hosts.
2. Select a host to go to the Host details page.
3. Open the Software > Library tab and select Self-service in the dropdown.
4. To update, install, or uninstall, select Update, Install, or Uninstall.

Update appears for eligible updates, regardless of whether the app is set to self-service.

Currently, for Apple App Store (VPP) apps, if Apple host is running an app version that can’t be updated because the latest App Store version requires a newer OS version, Fleet always shows “Update available.” The update then always fails, since the latest app version is incompatible with the host’s OS.

To find the minimum OS version for the app, visit the App Store, find the app, scroll to the bottom, and look for Compatibility under Information.

Tips:

• Use the Software > Library table to quickly identify and action pending updates.
• When a software install or uninstall fails, select Failed to see error details that can help with troubleshooting.
• To automatically install software, you can use Fleet's policy automations. Learn how.

End user experience

How to update, install, or uninstall self-service software:

macOS and Windows:

Find the Fleet icon in your menu bar (macOS) or system tray (Windows) and select Self-service. This will open your default web browser to the list of self-service software available to update, install, or uninstall.

iOS and iPadOS:

Tap the Self-service icon on your home screen. This opens the self-service software catalog where you can install apps.

If updates are available, end users can update one or all available self-service software. They can also view update progress and error details directly.

API

Fleet provides a REST API for managing software, including self-service software packages. Learn more about Fleet's REST API.

GitOps

To manage self-service software using GitOps, see the software key in the GitOps reference documentation.

Note: When managing Fleet via GitOps, software packages uploaded using the web UI persist only if they are also defined in GitOps with the hash_sha256 field.

Advanced

How updates work

When Fleet shows Update instead of Install:

• The software is detected in Fleet's software inventory (software installed on the host).
• Fleet has a newer version of the software. This version is newer than at least one version of the software in Fleet's software inventory.

Currently, if a host has two versions of the software installed, with each version installed in different locations, Fleet can only upgrade one version. In this scenario, Fleet will still show Update. If this happens, the best practice is to run a custom script to uninstall the old version. Here's an example script that removes a copy of Google Chrome present in a macOS host's Downloads/ folder:

rm -r /Users/noahtalerman/Downloads/Google\ Chrome.app

For more technical detail and edge cases, refer to the software self-service diagram.

Statuses

When an install, uninstall, or update is triggered by an IT admin or end user in the Fleet UI or by an end user—Fleet continuously monitors ("polls") and surfaces a loading status (e.g., "Installing...").

• If the host is online, Fleet will poll automatically every 5 seconds to check for completion. When the install, uninstall, or update completes or fails, the status will update without the IT admin or end user having to reload the page.
• If the host is offline, IT admins see a pending status. When pending, the action has not started on the host. IT admins can cancel pending actions on Host details > Activity > Upcoming tab.