Onboarding Apple Devices

Important Notes

  • If your devices were purchased from Apple under an Apple Customer Number or from a Device Enrollment enabled reseller, it’s typically easier to work with those organizations to have the devices added to your Apple Business Manager account automatically. However, any devices that weren’t purchased from Apple or Device Enrollment enabled resellers won’t be automatically added to your account. Instead, with Apple Configurator 2, you can manually add them to Apple Business Manager and assign them to your MDM solution.
  • Joining the device is provisional for 30 days. Once you add these devices to Apple Business Manager, you have a 30-day provisional period to remove them from your MDM and Apple Business Manager. This period begins after the device is activated, and once the 30 days are up, the device can only be released through Apple Business Manager.

Pre-Provision Macbook

Macbook Requirements

  • An iPhone is required if setting up an already purchased Macbook
  • iPhone is not required if you have the reseller or Apple store add the device to the Apple Business Manager. This option must be done at time of purchase.

Onboard Macbook

  1. Wipe the Macbook by going to System Preferences > System Preferences (in the menu bar) > Erase All Content and Settings.

  2. Install the Apple Configurator 2 app on the iPhone you plan to use to onboard the Macbook.

  3. Turn on the Mac and select the language in Setup Assistant, click Continue, then stop when you see the Country or Region pane. Note: You must restart the Mac if you go past the Country or Region pane.

  4. Open the Apple Configurator app on the iPhone and bring it close to the Mac and do one of the following:

    • Scan the image that appears in Setup Assistant
    • Click pair manually in the lower left corner of the Setup Assistant, then tap Manual Pairing in Apple Configurator and enter the six digit code that appears.

  5. Wait for the assignment process to complete, then click Shut Down to turn off the Mac.

    Important: If you want the Mac to enroll in MDM, don’t restart the Mac until you complete the task “Assign the Mac to an MDM server.”

Assign a Mac to an MDM Server

  1. Make sure you’ve properly configured your MDM solution so that it contains enrollment settings and an enrollment profile for the Mac.
  2. Sign in to Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager.
  3. Select Devices from the sidebar, then use the filter to show only “Devices added by Apple Configurator.” The Mac should appear in the list. You may need to refresh the list of devices before the newly assigned Mac appears.
  4. You can now transfer the Mac to an existing MDM server in Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager. For more information, see: Assign, reassign, or unassign devices in Apple Business Manager
  5. After the Mac is assigned to an MDM server, you can restart the Mac to enroll it in MDM.

Pre-Provision iPhone/iPad

iPhone/iPad Requirements

  • Macbook is required with the Apple Configurator 2 software installed.
  • iPhone/iPad must be factory reset in order to join to business account.

Onboard iPhone/iPad Device

  1. On the macbook, open Apple Configurator and go to File > New Profile.
  2. Fill in the following in the General section:
    • Name:
    • Identifier:
    • Organization:
    • Description:
    • Automatically Remove Profile:
  3. Fill in the following in the WiFi section:
    • Service Set Identifier (SSID): The name of the WiFi network.
    • Auto Join: Check the box to enable auto join.
    • Disable Association MAC Randomization: Check the box to ensure the Mac uses an “unobfuscated” MAC address.
    • Security Type: WPA/WPA2 Personal
    • Password: The password for the WiFi network.
  4. Save the profile and close it.
  5. Connect the device to the Macbook with a physical cable (usb-c).
  6. Select the device in Configurator and click Prepare.
  7. Select the option to configure with Automated Enrollment.
  8. Choose the profile you created on steps 1-4.
  9. Skip the option to setup a user.

Onboard iPhone with Apple Configurator

Onboard iPhone with Apple Configurator on Mobile Phone

  1. Launch Apple Configurator on your iPhone. Ensure that the MDM and WiFi sharing settings are correctly set.

  2. Start up the iPhone or iPad.

  3. Continue through the Setup Assistant, then stop when you see the Choose a Wi-Fi Network pane.

    • Note: You must restart the iPhone or iPad if you go past the Choose a Wi-Fi Network pane.

  4. Bring your iPhone with Apple Configurator close to the iPhone or iPad, then do one of the following:

    • Scan the image that appears in Setup Assistant.

    • Tap Pair Manually in the lower-left corner of the Setup Assistant, then tap Manual Pairing in Apple Configurator and enter the six-digit code that appears.

    • Note: If Setup Assistant doesn’t show the pairing pane on the iPhone or iPad you want to add, return to the Home Screen on your iPhone, then tap the Apple Configurator app again.

    • The serial number and other information about the iPhone or iPad are uploaded to Apple Business Manager

    • Wait for the process to complete, then tap Erase and Shut Down.

  5. Important: If you didn’t choose to automatically assign newly-added devices to an MDM server when you added iPhone or iPad, you must complete the task Assign a device to an MDM server.

    • Ensure the MDM has a record of the device to proceed with Automated Device Enrollment.

    • If prompted, ignore the proximity setup option.

  6. Proceed with Setup Assistant on the newly configured iPhone or iPad.