Wyatt,
Trivial but ensure that the device is carrier unlocked.
Short answer, use Apple Configurator 2 (AC2) to add the device to your Apple Business Manager (ABM). Provided your ABM and IBM MaaS360 are token exchanged, the iPhone (or any iOS) will automatically populate in MaaS360. This is a manual device enrollment.
Long Answer,
This KB illustrates how to add a device to Apple Business Manager via Apple Configurator 2. This is to only be done once a Managed Apple ID has already been created. Failure to do so will complicate the enrollment process.
Step 1)
Ensure that iPhone has Find My iPhone turned off before Factory Reset. Then proceed with factory reset. Apple Configurator 2 should already be installed. User should have already backed up all pertinent data. Instructions to backup data can be found in KB Backup iCloud.
Step 2)
Open Apple Configurator 2 on an Apple machine running macOS 14 Samoa or newer. Then plug in the iPhone and you should see the iPhone populate after a few moments. Next click Prepare in the top right, you must click on the iPhone image itself to un-gray the populate button. When you click populate, if the iPhone has not been factory reset, a prompt explaining that the device is already prepared, click erase. Once this process is complete click prepare again until you are met with the Prepare Devices screen.
**You can use an iPhone to complete a manual device enrollment, but have found it widely unreliable; recommend using a Mac, Mac Mini, or any MacBook see here for more info Requirements for Apple Configurator - Apple Support
Step 3)
In the Prepare Devices screen click next. Ensure that in the Prepare with: selection is Manual Configuration. And the checkboxes Add to Device Enrollment Program, Activate and complete enrollment, Supervise devices, and Allow devices to pair with other computers are all checked. Now click Next.
Step 4)
In the Enroll in MDM Server screen ensure that "Configuration File Name You Created" is selected. By default it should and then click Next.
Step 6)
In the Assign to Organization screen, ensure that "Your Organization Name" is selected. By default, it should and then click Next.
Step 7)
In the configure iOS Setup Assistant you should see Show All Steps selected. This is by default, do not change any values here. Now click Next.
Step 8)
In the Choose Network Profile, you should choose a network profile you configured. To create a network configuration file via the AC2. You can create one by going to File > New Profile. There you can choose the configuration you want, in this case a Wi-Fi (I have found it is easier on Wi-Fi) and fill out the profile and save it.
Step 9)
At the Automated Enrollment Credentials Page ensure that there is nothing listed in the User Name or Password fields. They should be blank by default, then click Prepare.
Step 10)
At this point the phone will reboot several times, and an error message may appear. Always click erase if they do. The process is only complete once the device populates in the Apple Business Manager. At times the Apple Configurator will display a failed message, yet still populate the device in ABM. As long as the device populates in the ABM then this process is complete. If it does not, rinse and repeat the above steps until complete.
FAQ)
I have attempted several times the steps above but cannot add the device to the Apple Configurator. Ensure that the Network Profile is configured correctly. This should only be changed when doing a remote install. You can also try uninstalling Apple Configurator 2 and reinstalling it. One final fix would be to update the MDM Server.
A weird error showed that there was a network communication error. If the device was active on a wireless connection before this can stop the enrollment process. Proform a clean wipe and try again.
A format error has occurred. This can happen in devices running iOS older than 11. To fix this update the device past iOS 11 and try again.
Additional information can be found Common errors while enrolling iOS devices using Apple Configurator - Hexnode Help Center
Hope this helps, there is a lot more behind the scenes if you do not have ABM or AC2 configured.
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Sam Jones
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Original Message:
Sent: Thu June 06, 2024 01:53 PM
From: Wyatt Seal
Subject: Add Existing iPhone to IBM MaaS360?
Can someone please provide the correct steps in adding an iPhone that has already been setup into MaaS360?
Essentially, a new employee got a phone preemptively and it has already been set up.. we would like to try to get this added into our Maas360.
We do not do Managed AppleIDs.. normally iPhones come preconfigured with MaaS360 whenever we get them from AT&T, and during the setup process it prompts for the user's MaaS credentials, and there are no issues.
The difference here is that this phone was not preconfigured.. and its a Verizon phone we want to get added. We have already added an Android Verizon device in the past, so I don't think this would be an issue.
Scanning the QR code created from Add a Device in the MaaS portal on the phone prompts that a Managed Apple ID is needed (again, we do not do and have not ever done this in our setup), and trying to install the IBM MaaS360 app from the app store directly and enter the company ID and MaaS user username prompts that it must be enrolled from the web.. which I am assuming is the QR code.
Is there a way to get this device added to MaaS easily for Apple? It seems like a very quick process on Android, but wasn't sure if I was missing a step. The invite has been extended through the portal.. but seem to be caught in a loop after that.
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Wyatt Seal
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