Add devices to Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager in Apple Configurator for Mac
You can add the following devices to Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager using Apple Configurator for Mac, even if your organization doesn’t purchase them directly from Apple, or from an Apple Authorized Reseller or cellular carrier:
iPhone
iPad
Apple TV
After you set up the devices, they behave like any other device already in Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager 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 School Manager, supervision, and the device management service. This 30-day provisional period begins after successfully assigning and enrolling the device in a device management service that links to Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager.
There are two ways to add iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV devices to Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager:
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 “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 Apple TV
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 select 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 Server from the Device Management Services menu, then 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.
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 must 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 until you assign the device to a device management service. See Assign, reassign, or unassign devices in Apple School Manager or Assign, reassign, or unassign devices in Apple Business Manager.
Manually assign a device added with Apple Configurator to a device management service
When Apple Configurator adds a device, it places it into a group named “Apple Configurator” in the Devices section in Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager. You can then assign the device to one of your device management services that links to Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager. After assigning a device to your device management service, it no longer uses any Apple Configurator settings for enrollment in a device management service.
Important: You may need to refresh the list of devices in your device management service before these newly added devices appear.
In Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager, sign in with a user who has the role of Administrator, Site Manager (Apple School Manager only), or Device Enrollment Manager.
Select Devices
in the sidebar, then select Filter.Select Source, select Manually Added and Apple Configurator, then select Search.
Select one or more devices, then select Edit next to Edit Device Management Service
.Choose “Assign to service,” then choose 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 devices that are assigned or reassigned to the selected device management service, or that are unassigned from a device management service. You can wait for the activity to complete, or select Close to close the window.