How to Enable Supervised mode on iOS using Apple Configurator 2
For an effectual management of iOS devices, supervision is recommended. Supervision enforces the devices to enroll into an Apple MDM solution thereby granting granular control of managed devices to IT admins.
iOS devices can be supervised using Apple Configurator 2 (AC2) or Apple Device Enrollment Program (DEP). In this article, we’ll learn how to enable supervised mode on iOS using Apple Configurator 2.
What is Apple Configurator 2?
Apple Configurator is a free to use Mac OSX tool which is used by enterprises to deploy iPads, iPhones, iPod Touch, and Apple TV devices using a physical USB connection. Using Apple Configurator, supervised mode can be enabled on company-owned iOS devices with ease. With Apple Configurator 2, administrators can configure company policies, install apps and enforce security restrictions on devices before handing them over to the end-users.
Supervising iOS devices using Apple Configurator 2 (AC2):
Let us look at the step-by-step method to supervise iOS devices using Apple Configurator 2.
For this procedure, you need a Mac with the tool ‘Apple configurator 2’. You also need the iOS device that needs to be supervised. This device could be a new device or a factory reset device with no previous supervision configured. You also need a lightning USB cable to connect the device to Mac.
Step-1
Connect the device to the Mac using the USB cable. Launch the Apple Configurator 2 on your Mac. You can now see and control the device on your screen.
Step -2
Right click on the frame and choose ‘prepare’ from the list of options.
Step-3
You will be shown a dialogue box where you can choose to enroll the device into DEP or make it supervised. Choose ‘Supervise devices’ option.
Step-4
At this step, you can also allow or disallow the device to pair with other computers.
Step -5
In the next step, you can configure a server, essentially configuring the MDM for the device. At this step, you can choose to not enroll in an MDM or choose to enroll in the MDM of your choice.
Step -6
To enroll in an MDM, select a new server. Enter the MDM tool name and add a link to your policy/profile settings. Your desired MDM server will then be visible in the list. Select it.
Step -7
Now you can add your Apple ID and Password or skip the step. Other optional fields like Name, contact info and addresses will pop up on the screen. You can fill in the details and continue.
Step-8
Choose setup steps. These steps will be visible on the device when the device is started.
Step -9
Once this is configured, you can proceed to ‘prepare’ the device for supervision. You will have to enter the Mac id and password to continue the setup.
Step -10
The device data will then be erased, and the supervision procedure will begin. Once the device is ready, it can be set up within few simple steps.
Step -11
The device can be now connected to the internet. The device will display the MDM profile that was implemented onto the device in step number 5. You can continue if you want to implement the MDM or skip to simply supervise the device.
Step-12
If there’s no MDM solution, the device will be supervised but not enrolled in an MDM.
Supervising iOS devices using Apple configurator 2 is the easiest and the most ideal for businesses where the number of devices to be supervised is small. If the device supervised through Apple configurator is reset through MDM or by end-user, it will enter unsupervised mode and has to be physically supervised again.
Originally published at https://blog.scalefusion.com on May 28, 2019.
