Lock and locate Apple devices
With MDM solutions, you can lock an Apple device remotely, and even locate a lost or stolen iPhone or iPad that is in Lost Mode.
Lock devices
There are three ways you can remotely lock an Apple device: with Activation Lock, by locking a Mac remotely, or by using Managed Lost Mode.
Activation Lock: When Activation Lock is turned on, it’s difficult for someone else to use or sell an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch if it’s ever lost or stolen. Further, if you manage Activation Lock with an MDM solution, you get additional theft deterrence and can even turn off Activation Lock for devices your organization owns.
Lock a Mac: Mobile device management (MDM) administrators can lock a Mac with a six-digit personal identification number (PIN) and include a short message. After the command has been sent to the device, the device restarts and the user can see the message. The user can’t restart into macOS until the PIN has been entered and validated by the Mac.
Note: Locking a Mac computer with Apple silicon requires macOS 11.5 or later.
Managed Lost Mode: Managed Lost Mode for supervised iPhone or iPad locks the current user out of the device until Managed Lost Mode is turned off.
Locate lost or stolen supervised devices
MDM solutions can remotely place a supervised iPhone or iPad in Lost Mode (called Managed Lost Mode). When an MDM solution remotely turns on Managed Lost Mode, the current user is locked out of the device. The Lock Screen displays a message that can be customized by the MDM administrator, such as displaying a phone number to call if the device is found. Also, when a device is in Managed Lost Mode, an MDM solution can remotely query for the device’s location (even if location services are off) and, optionally, play a sound. Managed Lost Mode automatically enables Low Power Mode to help extend the device’s battery life and doesn’t require Find My to be turned on to use.
When an administrator turns off Managed Lost Mode, which is the only way the mode can be exited, the user is notified that the MDM administrator has turned on Managed Lost Mode and collected the device’s location through either a message on the Lock Screen or an alert on the Home Screen.