Hello, I’d like to clarify the technical limitations around app updates in an Apple School Manager (ASM) + MDM environment. Environment • iOS/iPadOS devices supervised and managed via Apple School Manager • Apps are distributed via ASM (VPP / Custom App) and managed by MDM • Apps are App Store–signed (not Enterprise/In-House) • Some apps include NetworkExtension (VPN) functionality • Automatic app updates are enabled in MDM Question From a technical and platform-design perspective, is it possible to: Deploy app updates for ASM/MDM-distributed App Store apps via a separate/custom update server, and trigger updates simultaneously across all managed devices, bypassing or supplementing the App Store update mechanism? In other words: • Can an organization operate its own update server to push a new app version to all devices at once? • Or is App Store + iOS always the sole execution path for installing updated app binaries? ⸻ My current understanding (please correct if wrong) Based on Apple documentation, it seems that: 1. App Store–distributed apps cannot self-update • Apps cannot download and install new binaries or replace themselves. • All executable code must be Apple-signed and installed by the system. 2. MDM can manage distribution and enable auto-update, but: • MDM cannot reliably trigger an immediate update for App Store apps. • Actual download/install timing is decided by iOS (device locked, charging, Wi-Fi, etc.). 3. Custom update servers • May be used for policy decisions (minimum allowed version, feature blocking), • But cannot be used to distribute or install updated app binaries on iOS. 4. For ASM-managed devices: • The only supported update execution path is: App Store → iOS → Managed App Update • Any “forced update” behavior must be implemented at the app logic level, not the installation level. ⸻ What I’m trying to confirm • Is there any supported MDM command, API, or mechanism that allows: • Centralized, immediate, one-shot updates of App Store apps across all ASM-managed devices? • Or is the above limitation fundamental by design, meaning: • Organizations must rely on iOS’s periodic auto-update behavior • And enforce version compliance only via app-side logic? ⸻ Why this matters In large school deployments, delayed updates (due to device conditions or OS scheduling) can cause: • Version fragmentation • Inconsistent behavior across classrooms • Operational issues for VPN / security-related apps Understanding whether this limitation is absolute or if there is a recommended Apple-supported workaround would be extremely helpful. Thanks in advance for any clarification

Title Why doesn’t this async function see external changes to an inout Bool in Release builds (but works in Debug)? Body I have a small helper function that waits for a Bool flag to become true with a timeout: public func test(binding value: inout Bool, timeout maximum: Int) async throws { var count = 0 while value == false { count += 1 try await Task.sleep(nanoseconds: 0_100_000_000) if value == true { return } if count > (maximum * 10) { return } } } I call like this: var isVPNConnected = false adapter.start(tunnelConfiguration: tunnelConfiguration) { [weak self] adapterError in guard let self = self else { return } if let adapterError = adapterError { } else { isVPNConnected = true } completionHandler(adapterError) } try await waitUntilTrue(binding: &isVPNConnected, timeout: 10) What I expect: test should keep looping until flag becomes true (or the timeout is hit). When the second task sets flag = true, the first task should see that change and return. What actually happens: In Debug builds this behaves as expected: when the second task sets flag = true, the loop inside test eventually exits. In Release builds the function often never sees the change and gets stuck until the timeout (or forever, depending on the code). It looks like the while value == false condition is using some cached value and never observes the external write. So my questions are: Is the compiler allowed to assume that value (the inout Bool) does not change inside the loop, even though there are await suspension points and another task is mutating the same variable? Is this behavior officially “undefined” because I’m sharing a plain Bool across tasks without any synchronization (actors / locks / atomics), so the debug build just happens to work? What is the correct / idiomatic way in Swift concurrency to implement this kind of “wait until flag becomes true with timeout” pattern? Should I avoid inout here completely and use some other primitive (e.g. AsyncStream, CheckedContinuation, Actor, ManagedAtomic, etc.)? Is there any way to force the compiler to re-read the Bool from memory each iteration, or is that the wrong way to think about it? Environment (if it matters): Swift: [fill in your Swift version] Xcode: [fill in your Xcode version] Target: iOS / macOS [fill in as needed] Optimization: default Debug vs. Release settings I’d like to understand why Debug vs Release behaves differently here, and what the recommended design is for this kind of async waiting logic in Swift.