mobile device management (MDM)

A service that lets you remotely manage enrolled devices. After a device is enrolled, you can use the MDM solution over the network to configure settings and perform other tasks on the device without user interaction. Mobile device management is supported on Mac computers with OS X 10.7 or later installed, on iOS devices with iOS 5 or later installed, and on Apple TV with tvOS 10.2 or later installed.

To enable management, devices are enrolled with an MDM solution using an enrollment configuration profile, which can be completed directly by the user. For company-owned devices, MDM enrollment can be automated using Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager. When an administrator initiates an MDM policy, option, or command, the device receives notification of the action through the Apple Push Notification service (APNs). With a network connection, devices can receive APNs commands anywhere in the world.

MDM also enables distribution, management, and configuration of apps and books purchased through Apple School Manager, Apple Business Manager, or developed in-house.

To learn more about large-scale deployments of Apple devices, see the iOS Deployment Reference and the macOS Deployment Reference.