Add devices from 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’ve set up the device or devices, they behave like any other device already in Apple Business Essentials, with mandatory supervision and mobile device management (MDM) enrollment. The device can then be shut down and stored until needed or sent to the user. If the device is given to a user, they have a 30-day provisional period to release the device from Apple Business Essentials, supervision, and MDM. This 30-day provisional period begins after the device is successfully assigned to and enrolled in:
A third-party MDM server linked to Apple Business Essentials
The device management that’s built in to 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 option “Activate and complete enrollment”: Select this option if you have an existing device that already has a record in, and is managed by, your MDM solution. 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”: You have a new or existing device that requires unique user authentication to enroll in MDM. The device is left 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 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 MDM Server dropdown menu and click Next.
Enter Apple School Manager in the Name field and leave the MDM Server 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 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 the device is assigned to an MDM server in Apple Business Essentials. See Assign, reassign, or unassign devices.
Manually add a Mac
To add a Mac to Apple Business Essentials, see the Apple Configurator User Guide for iPhone.
Manually assign a device added with Apple Configurator to an MDM server
After a device is added by Apple Configurator, it’s placed into a group named “Apple Configurator” in the Devices section in Apple Business Essentials. You can then assign the device to one of your MDM servers. After assigning a device to an MDM server, any settings assigned by Apple Configurator are no longer used for MDM enrollment.
Important: You may need to refresh the list of devices in your MDM solution before these newly added devices appear.
In Apple Business Essentials, sign in with a user that 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 Edit next to Edit MDM Server
.Choose “Assign to server,” then choose the MDM server 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 MDM server or unassigned from an MDM server. You can wait for the activity to complete, 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 then remove the MDM enrollment profile from the device, the device is reset to factory settings and automatically released from Apple Business Essentials.