Shared iPad in Apple device deployments
Shared iPad lets multiple students use the same iPad in a classroom. In this way learning experiences can be personal even though the devices are shared. Not only are transitions from class to class greatly simplified but time is saved. It’s easier to pick up right where students left off and automatically save student work. When used with Classroom, intelligent caching helps accelerate student sign-ins by returning students to an iPad they previously used.
Shared iPad requires a mobile device management (MDM) solution and Managed Apple IDs that are issued and owned by the organization. Users with a Managed Apple ID can then sign in to Shared iPad, which is owned by the organization. Devices must have at least 32 GB of storage and be supervised. Shared iPad is supported on:
iPad Pro
iPad (5th generation or later)
iPad Air 2 (or later)
iPad mini (4th generation or later)
Note: Managed Apple IDs don’t support Family Sharing.
User space considerations
When you set up a new Shared iPad using iPadOS 13.4 or later, you can configure it using your MDM solution to specify the maximum storage allocated for each user, or you can set the maximum number of users that can be stored on a device at one time. If neither configuration is set, Shared iPad automatically sets the maximum number of users to 10. And then, after iPadOS is installed, Shared iPad allocates storage based on the device’s capacity:
Devices with a storage capacity of 32 GB: 10 GB for the system, 8 GB for apps and media. The remaining storage is divided among the number of defined users, with 1 GB minimum per user.
Devices with a storage capacity 64 GB or greater: 10 GB for the system, 16 GB for apps and media. The remaining storage is divided among the number of defined users, with 2 GB minimum per user.
Using the above minimum values helps guarantee a good user experience, although these minimum values shouldn’t be a limiting factor for most deployments. For example, if you specify a value of five users on a 128 GB iPad, each user has approximately 20.4 GB of local storage.
If you don’t know how many users or the exact number and size of apps and data each app stores, configure Shared iPad with the default setting. After you understand how much storage is used per user, your MDM solution may be able to:
Configure a reserve request
Specify the number of users, which divides the local storage evenly for the number of users you requested
Reset reserve requests or the specified number of users (users must first be cleared from device)
Note: It’s recommended that you set the maximum storage value for users as low as possible to maximize the number of cached users and to minimize communication with iCloud and provide a faster sign-in experience.
Shared iPad temporary session
In addition to having the ability to provide personalized experiences for each student, Shared iPad includes the option to deploy devices with a standard configuration that students can use for a temporary session without a Managed Apple ID. This can be helpful when using iPad in early grade levels. When students are done using iPad, they can tap to sign out and their data is removed so that iPad is ready for the next user. For more information, see Signing in to Shared iPad in Mobile Device Management Settings for IT Administrators.