Use Apple Configurator to Add iPhone to ABM

In order to add personal devices to your Apple Business Manager account, you need to use Apple Configurator on a second device (either a Mac or iOS device).

Tech Lockdown Team

(A) Mac Apple Configurator

If you are using a Mac running Apple Configurator as your second device.

To add an iOS device to Apple Business Manager using a Mac computer, you'll need two devices:

The iOS device you want to manage and add to Apple Business Manager
A Mac computer that can run Apple Configurator

Get Started:

Connect your iOS device to your Apple computer using your USB cable (the same cable you charge your phone with).

Enter your passcode on your iOS device and authorize any connection requests. Otherwise, you will get an error in Apple Configurator.

Temporarily disable auto-lock on your iOS device so that you don't have to keep unlocking your device during this tutorial.

On your Mac computer, open the app store and download "Apple Configurator"

Open Apple Configurator

You should see your iOS device in apple configurator. If you don't, double check that your iOS device is unlocked and you have accepted connection requests.

We'll get started by creating a Wifi profile, which is required so that the MDM can automatically connect and prepare the device once it's reset.

In Apple Configurator, click file > new profile

Name the profile WiFi

Navigate to the Wi-Fi tab and add a configuration

Set the Service Set Identifier to match your Wifi network name, make sure Auto Join is selected, select Security Type:WPA / WPA2 Personal and then enter your Wifi network password.

Click the X button in the top left hand corner and save your profile

Two finger tap your device in Apple Configurator and select Prepare from the dropdown menu

Select Manual Configuration and enable most of the checkboxes, specifically Add to Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager and Activate and complete enrollment.

Select New Server.

You can leave the server field with the default settings and enter any name

Alternatively, if you plan to use an MDM like Manage Engine, you can copy the enrollment URL from Enrollment > Apple Configurator. You might have to click Configuration Steps and scroll through until you see Enter MDM server and URL.

Select the mdm.manageengine.com trust certificate

Create a new organization. This organization will be linked to your ABM account.

If you are prompted, generate a new supervision identity

Configure the iOS setup assistant, which are the initial steps you see when you reset a phone and start it up for the first time. You can show all steps or limit the steps you have to configure during startup. These steps can be completed after initial setup, so this part is up to you.

Choose a network profile

Select the WiFi profile you created previously

If prompted, enter your Apple Business Manager login details again and click Prepare.

Erase the device when prompted

Apple Configurator will wipe the device and configure it. You might need to unlock your device if the lock screen is active.

This process can take a few minutes. You might need to manually connect to WiFi once the device resets.

(B) iPhone Apple Configurator

To add an iOS device to Apple Business Manager using an iPhone, you'll need two iOS devices:

The iOS device you want to manage and add to Apple Business Manager
A second iOS device that can run Apple Configurator.

Note

Double check your iCloud account and make sure that you are syncing everything you want access to when you reset your iOS device.

On the iOS device you want to manage, navigate to Settings > General > Reset

Select Erase All Content and Settings

Start up the new or recently reset iPhone or iPad that you want to manage.

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

Important

Do not proceed past the Wi-Fi network step. You must restart the iPhone or iPad if you go past this step.

Bring your second iPhone with Apple Configurator close to the iPhone or iPad that you want to manage, then do one of the following:

Option 1: Scan the image that appears in Setup Assistant.

Option 2: Pair Manually

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.

Important: Don't restart the phone yet

Don’t restart the phone until you complete the task “Assign an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to an MDM server” in Apple Business Manager (see next section about assigning a MDM server in ABM).

Next Up

Add Device to ABM

Sync Device from ABM to ManageEngine

You can now sync your device from ABM to ManageEngine, so that ManageEngine can begin to control settings on your iPhone.