Deferred Removal Overview
Deferred removal is a two week grace period in which apps are blocklisted from a device after the device is removed from the app scope. Deferred removal provides a safety net in case there was an error in scoping/group assignment, so end users do not lose their personal in-app data immediately.
Once the 2 week period completes, the apps will finally be removed from devices.
What about the VPP license?
The VPP licenses are withdrawn and the app will enter its VPP license grace period (which lasts 30 days).
How does this work for Documents?
Deferred removal does also work for documents; however, they won't be placed on a blocklist as documents can't be blocklisted.
Deferred Removal Workflows
How can I find out which apps are marked for deferred removal?
You can find out if the app is marked for deferred removal:
From the device record itself
From the scope of the app
How do I revert this status and keep the apps installed?
You can revert the deferred removal by adding back the scope that was removed or by returning the device to the smart group which had the apps scoped.
I don't want to wait two weeks before the app is removed, can I force delete the app(s)?
Yes you can, if you go to the device's Managed Apps overview, you'll see a "Delete deferred Apps from this device" button in the top right. You can also do this from the App overview with a bulk action "Delete deferred Apps from devices"
Note: There's currently no way to disable deferred removal or to set a length of deferral yourself.