- It is important to note that the upgrade to Goodnotes 6 will occur automatically when you update the app after January 31, 2024, ensuring a hassle-free transition. There is no need to use MDM to make any changes (unless you don't have a license key to begin with). Rest assured that all your documents and data will remain safe and intact during this process.
- If you prefer to manually upgrade to Goodnotes 6 before January 31, 2024, or manually downgrade to GoodNotes 5 (subject to eligibility), we recommend that you review your MDM documentation and perform testing on a few devices as a best practice.
If you are seeing a warning within the Goodnotes app about changes to your deployment and the default version shown, this will be because the app is soon changing the default version and this may affect you, or your end-users.
For context, up until December 31st, 2023, GoodNotes 5 has been the default app for our volume purchasing users who obtain the app through Apple Business Manager or Apple School Manager and deploy using a License Key.
Starting February 1st, 2024, this will change and Goodnotes 6 will be the default version of the License Key. Since its launch in August 2023, Goodnotes 6 has proven to be stable and offers an improved user experience while retaining a familiar interface. See this FAQ to learn more about the differences between GoodNotes 5 and GoodNotes 6. See also this help desk article to learn which features you can enable or disable with your license key.
If you wish to manually downgrade to GoodNotes 5 or upgrade to Goodnotes 6, it is important to note that reinstalling the app is NOT required.
- If you want to manually downgrade to GoodNotes 5 (subject to eligibility*), a single small change to your configuration is required. See here: Goodnotes for School, Business & Enterprise - How to downgrade from Goodnotes 6 to GoodNotes 5 via AppConfig
- And if you’d like to manually upgrade to Goodnotes 6 before January 31, 2024, see here: Goodnotes for School, Business & Enterprise - How to switch from GoodNotes 5 to Goodnotes 6 via AppConfig
*To confirm if your License Key is eligible to use both GoodNotes 5 & Goodnotes 6, or just one of each, please check within your Goodnotes ⚙️ menu > About > Version eligibility.
If you are looking to reinstall the app, please ensure that your end-users have appropriate backups in place, either through iCloud Sync, Auto Backup or a Manual Backup. Normally, your MDM solution should provide an option to deploy a managed configuration by saving the changes and without reinstalling, for example: Jamf's own documentation. Please refer to the documentation of your MDM solution if you are unsure.