Why a Native macOS App Changes Device Management
Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager are the backbone of any serious Apple device deployment. If you manage Macs, iPads, iPhones, or Apple TVs at scale, you spend a lot of time inside these web portals. The problem is that the web interface can become incredibly tedious when you are dealing with thousands of devices. Clicking through pages, searching one by one, and wrestling with slow load times eats into your day. Apple released an official API for these services last year, opening the door to automation and new tools. A new native macOS app called ASBMUtil is one such example.
Rod Christiansen built ASBMUtil using SwiftUI. Instead of wrestling with JSON and terminal commands, Mac admins can now interact directly with the Apple Business API through a clean, native interface. The app transforms how you browse devices, apply filters, assign MDM servers, and export data. Below are five concrete ways this tool improves your workflow.
1. Device Browser with Paginated, Sortable Table and Details Sidebar
The main view of ASBMUtil is a single native table that shows every managed device in your Apple Business or School Manager account. Macs, iPads, iPhones, and Apple TVs all appear together in one list. You can sort by any column — serial number, model, device status, or MDM assignment. Pagination keeps the table responsive even when you have tens of thousands of records.
Click a Row to See Full Details
When you click any row, a sidebar slides in from the right. This sidebar displays the complete device details: serial number, order status, current MDM server assignment, AppleCare coverage expiration, and MAC addresses. For macOS devices running API 1.4, you get Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and built-in Ethernet MACs. For iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and visionOS devices (API 1.2), the app pulls the relevant MAC addresses as well. With the latest API 1.5 support, devices that have multiple network interfaces return an array of MAC addresses, so you never miss a connection point.
Imagine you are a school district IT manager preparing 500 new iPads for the fall semester. The web portal forces you to open each device detail page individually. With ASBMUtil, you scroll through the table, spot a batch with the same order number, and click one row to verify AppleCare coverage. The sidebar shows everything instantly. That single click saves you hours of clicking back and forth.
2. Powerful Filters to Narrow Down Your Fleet Instantly
Filtering in the web interface often means using dropdowns that reload the page each time. ASBMUtil brings filters that work like a native macOS app should. You can filter by device status (e.g., Unassigned, Assigned, Removed), order number, model family (MacBook Pro, iPhone 15, etc.), or MDM server. Even better, you can stack multiple filters at once. For example, you can show only unassigned iPad Pro devices from a specific order number. The table updates in real time.
This capability is a game changer for anyone who needs to audit a large fleet. Suppose you are an IT manager facing a tight deadline to enroll hundreds of new MacBook Airs. You need to confirm they are all showing as “Assigned” to the correct MDM server. Instead of manually scanning a spreadsheet, you set a filter for model family “MacBook Air” and status “Assigned”. The table instantly shows only those devices. If any are missing, you can spot the gap and take action.
3. Bulk Assign and Unassign Devices with CSV Import
One of the most tedious tasks in Apple Business Manager is moving hundreds of devices between MDM servers. The web interface requires you to select devices one page at a time. ASBMUtil lets you select multiple rows in the table, right-click, and choose a destination server. The assignment change happens through the API in seconds.
Import a CSV for Large Batches
If your desired state arrives as a CSV file — which is common when you receive a shipment from a reseller — you can import that CSV directly into ASBMUtil. The app matches serial numbers and applies the assignments in bulk. This is far more reliable than manually copying and pasting serial numbers into the web portal. For example, a school district receives 200 new iPads with a CSV from the vendor listing serial numbers and the target MDM server. You import the CSV, and ASBMUtil assigns all 200 devices in one go. No errors, no double-checking.
4. Export Selection or Filtered Results to CSV or JSON
After you have filtered and reviewed your devices, you often need to share that data with colleagues or import it into another system. ASBMUtil uses the macOS share sheet to export your current selection or the entire filtered view to CSV or JSON. This means you can send the data to Numbers, Excel, or any app that supports the share sheet.
Consider a scenario where you need to provide a quarterly audit report showing AppleCare coverage for all managed iPhones. You apply a filter for model family “iPhone”, then click export. The share sheet lets you save a CSV file or send it via email. The export includes all visible columns, including MAC addresses and AppleCare dates. No more manual copy-paste from the web interface.
The JSON export is particularly useful for developers or automation pipelines. If you are building scripts that process device data, you can pipe the JSON directly into your workflow. ASBMUtil makes the Apple Business API feel like a native part of your Mac.
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5. Multi-Profile Switching and Full API Version Support
Many IT administrators manage multiple Apple environments — perhaps one for a school district and another for a separate business unit. ASBMUtil supports multi-profile switching. You can store credentials for several Apple Business Manager or Apple School Manager instances in the app settings. From the sidebar, you flip between profiles instantly. No need to log out and back in through the web portal.
Staying Current with Apple’s API Updates
Christiansen has kept ASBMUtil perfectly in sync with Apple’s recent API additions. The app supports AppleCare coverage lookups (API 1.3), MAC address retrieval for all device types (API 1.2 and 1.4), and the new array format for devices with multiple network interfaces (API 1.5). This means you are not left behind when Apple updates its API. The native app updates through GitHub releases, so you can always grab the latest features.
For someone new to the Apple Business API, ASBMUtil removes the intimidation factor. You don’t need to learn curl commands or parse JSON responses. The app handles all the API calls behind the scenes. You just point and click. This lowers the barrier for less technical team members who need to perform device management tasks.
Getting Started with ASBMUtil
You can download the latest release directly from GitHub. The app is free and open source. After installing, you will need to generate an API token from your Apple Business Manager or Apple School Manager account. The process is straightforward: go to the Settings section in the web portal, create a new API token, and paste it into ASBMUtil. The app then fetches your device list and you are ready to go.
If you manage an Apple fleet, ASBMUtil is a utility you should absolutely add to your toolkit. It transforms the way you interact with Apple’s enterprise tools. The shift from web-based management to a native macOS app reduces friction for IT admins. No more waiting for page reloads. No more juggling multiple browser tabs. Just a clean, fast, native experience.
Apple @ Work is brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle integrates deployment, management, and protection of Apple devices in a single professional-grade platform. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Whether you use ASBMUtil or another tool, having a solid MDM foundation is essential. ASBMUtil complements that foundation by giving you a native interface to your Apple Business Manager data.
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