Add devices using Apple Configurator to Apple Business Essentials
You can manually add the following devices to Apple Business Essentials using Apple Configurator, even if the devices weren’t purchased directly from Apple, an Apple Authorized Reseller, or an authorized cellular carrier:
iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV devices using Apple Configurator for Mac.
iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers (with macOS 12.0.1 or later) with Apple silicon or the Apple T2 Security Chip using Apple Configurator for iPhone.
App | iPhone | iPad | Mac | Apple TV | |||||||
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Apple Configurator for iPhone |
(iOS 16 or later) |
(iPadOS 16.1 or later) |
(macOS 12.0.1 or later) |
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Apple Configurator for Mac |
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After you set up the devices, they behave like any other device already in Apple Business Essentials with mandatory supervision and device management service enrollment. You can then shut down the device and store it until you need it or send it to the user. When you give the device to a user, they have a 30-day provisional period to release the device from Apple Business Essentials, supervision, and the device management service. This 30-day provisional period begins after successfully assigning and enrolling the device in:
A third-party device management service that links to Apple Business Essentials
The device management service within Apple Business Essentials
Manually add devices with Apple Configurator for Mac
There are two ways to add iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV devices to Apple Business Essentials in Apple Configurator:
Do select the “Activate and complete enrollment” option: Select this option if you have an existing device that your device management service already manages and has a record for. This can include managing all the Setup Assistant steps so that the user gets a device that’s ready to use.
Don’t select the option “Activate and complete enrollment” option: You have a new or existing device that requires unique user authentication to enroll in a device management service. The device remains at the Setup Assistant, and the user completes the enrollment.
Manually add an iPhone, iPad, or Mac using Apple Configurator for iPhone
To add an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to Apple Business Essentials, see the Apple Configurator User Guide for iPhone.
Manually add an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV using Apple Configurator for Mac
If the device is in use, sign out of iCloud, turn off Find My before erasing the device, and leave the device plugged in while the process completes.
In Apple Configurator for Mac, select one or more devices you want to prepare or Blueprints, then do one of the following:
Click Prepare in the toolbar.
Choose Actions > Prepare.
Control-click the selected devices or Blueprints, then choose Prepare.
The Prepare Assistant appears.
Select Manual Configuration, then add the devices to Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager.
Deselect Activate and Complete Enrollment, click Next, then select New Service from the Device Management Service menu and click Next.
Enter Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager in the Name field, leave the device management service URL unchanged, then click Next.
The URL won’t verify.
Click Next, don’t add a certificate, then click Next.
Do one of the following:
Select your organization
Select New Organization.
Click Next, enter the Managed Apple Account for a user with the role of Administrator, Site Manager (Apple School Manager only), or Device Enrollment Manager, then click Next.
Click Continue to complete the sign in, then select Generate a new supervision identity.
Select which Setup Assistant panes you prefer to skip in Setup Assistant, then click Next.
Select a Wi-Fi configuration profile, then select Next.
To learn how to create a configuration profile, see Create and edit configuration profiles in the Apple Configurator for Mac User Guide.
Authenticate using your macOS administrator user name and password, then click Update Settings.
If prompted, unlock the device.
If prompted that the device is already setup and need to be erased, click Erase to continue.
The device is then left at the Setup Assistant, and the user completes the enrollment.
Important: If you intend to use Automated Device Enrollment with manually added devices, don’t proceed with Setup Assistant on the device after you assign it to a device management service in Apple Business Essentials. See Assign, reassign, or unassign devices.
Manually assign a device you add with Apple Configurator to a device management service
After adding a device with Apple Configurator, it appears in a group named “Apple Configurator” in the Devices section in Apple Business Essentials. You can then assign the device to one of your device management services. After assigning a device to your service, it no longer uses any settings from Apple Configurator.
Important: You may need to refresh the list of devices in your device management service before the newly added devices appear.
In Apple Business Essentials, sign in with a user who has the role of Administrator or Device Enrollment Manager.
Select Devices
in the sidebar, then select Filter.Select Source, then select Manually Added and Apple Configurator, then select Search.
Select one or more devices, then select More
.Select “Assign to service,” then select the device management service you want to assign or reassign the device to.
Select Continue.
Carefully read the dialog, then select Continue.
A new activity generates a list of the assigned, reassigned, and unassigned devices for the selected device management service. You can wait for the activity to complete, view the activity, or select Close to close the window.
When an enrollment profile is removed using Apple Configurator
On devices with iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 or later, when you use Apple Configurator for Mac to enroll a device in Apple Business Essentials and then remove the device management service enrollment profile from the device, the device resets to factory settings and automatically releases from Apple Business Essentials.