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iPad asks for Apple ID when opening app that was downloaded through Self Service?

  • October 16, 2014
  • 7 replies
  • 52 views
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I've just deployed around 80 iPads and quickly found out that each one is asking for an Apple ID user/pass whenever they open apps that were downloaded through Self Service. All of these apps were distributed using the "in house" method to avoid having to have an Apple ID when installing them (I do not want an Apple ID on any of these iPads). However, requesting the Apple ID when a user opens the app completely defeats the purpose.

Am I just missing some option somewhere? Is there any way around this issue?

Thanks for any help.

Best answer by stoneacheck

Then I'd follow the steps of getting whitelisted and setting up a Mac to run this for as many as you need + 25% more for padding. We used it to generate "institutional" ID's for our music/art/PE classroom sets for elementary buildings that never leave the classroom as an alternative to Configurator, which we have been using in classroom sets until managed distribution was available, but once we went to managed distribution we liked it so much more we decided to generate these IDs (with the benefit if Apple does change direction again next year or whatever, you can in theory pull those licenses back and distribute them to different IDs if needed). You should have no problem supervising them to get the auto-app loading (unless you someone else bought you the iPads).

https://github.com/brandonusher/Apple-ID-AppleScript is what we used. I had to tweak it but it looks like he's making commits in the last month so you might be fine.

7 replies

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  • stoneacheck
  • Contributor
  • October 16, 2014

If you're distributing paid app-store apps, not an app you wrote and developed in-house in Xcode, you can do it through redemption codes in email/self service or managed distribution - that's about it. Both require a user to have an Apple ID as you are either "gifting" an app to an Apple ID or loaning it to them with the respective models. This is why Apple developed Apple ID for under 13, so everyone can have one. I understand not wanting to have an Apple ID on the iPads, believe me, but until Apple changes it's mind, every iPad needs an Apple ID. If you're looking to control that experience more and aren't dealing with children (so no option to mass upload a csv), you could ask your Apple rep for 30 days of whitelist for your IP and go to town with the automated Apple ID script and at least that way you have ID's you have some control over (but if you're using redemption code they're still being "gifted" to those IDs so you better plan on how you want to repurpose them if that employee or student leaves).

Elaborate on your "in-house" method? I've heard of people downloading an .ipa from the app store and reuploading it to the JSS and faking it to be an in-house, and while purchasing enough copies may legally cover themselves, that's technically not supported by JAMF or Apple aka you're gonna have a bad time. The best answer is use managed distribution, get everyone in your company or school to create an apple ID, and then distribute them the app. If the iPads were bought by the company or organization through Apple, you can pop them in DEP, supervise them OTA with Casper and apps will actually install automatically as you assign them. It actually works.

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  • Disarmer
  • Author
  • New Contributor
  • October 16, 2014

Thank you for the response!
My "in-house" method is exactly as you described (downloading the .ipa and uploading to JSS as "in-house"). Currently I'm only using free apps on the iPads, so this method works very well to distribute apps without needing an Apple ID to install the apps. They're all managed OTA with Casper and I'm able to distribute the apps just fine. However, after the apps have installed, they are being asked for an Apple ID to launch the app. My major problem here is that these iPads are being used for 3-4 year olds (Pre-K students), so having Apple IDs on them is not exactly easy to keep up with.

I was really hoping there was some way to bypass this Apple ID issue so I don't have to deal with 3-4 year olds having to use an Apple ID to launch little kiddie games (pretty much all they're used for).

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  • stoneacheck
  • Contributor
  • Answer
  • October 16, 2014

Then I'd follow the steps of getting whitelisted and setting up a Mac to run this for as many as you need + 25% more for padding. We used it to generate "institutional" ID's for our music/art/PE classroom sets for elementary buildings that never leave the classroom as an alternative to Configurator, which we have been using in classroom sets until managed distribution was available, but once we went to managed distribution we liked it so much more we decided to generate these IDs (with the benefit if Apple does change direction again next year or whatever, you can in theory pull those licenses back and distribute them to different IDs if needed). You should have no problem supervising them to get the auto-app loading (unless you someone else bought you the iPads).

https://github.com/brandonusher/Apple-ID-AppleScript is what we used. I had to tweak it but it looks like he's making commits in the last month so you might be fine.

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  • jarednichols
  • Valued Contributor
  • October 16, 2014

@stoneacheck is correct.

Talk to your Apple rep (I can find out who if you don't know who it is) to get yourself whitelisted before creating U-13 Apple IDs. The method you're currently doing may violate the App Store EULA.

Once you do that, use VPP Managed Distribution to assign your apps. If your devices are supervised you can push the apps directly to them.

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  • Disarmer
  • Author
  • New Contributor
  • October 16, 2014

Thank both of you for your help. I guess my vision for no Apple IDs will have to go in the trash for now!

I will contact Apple and get ourselves whitelisted and use the script to create some Apple IDs. One last question though... is there an easy way to push these Apple IDs to the iPads or am I going to have to manually add them all?

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  • aedwards
  • New Contributor
  • October 16, 2014

Is this the process you're using? https://jamfnation.jamfsoftware.com/discussion.html?id=7446

If so, the reason it's prompting for an Apple ID is because there is no key bag containing the Apple ID. Once you sign into the Apple ID on the iPad (by opening one app and entering the info), you can then sign out of the Apple ID (settings --> iTunes ---> sign out) and then you will never have to input an Apple ID on that iPad again. This is all assuming that all your in house apps you've uploaded were all downloaded with the same Apple ID.

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  • Disarmer
  • Author
  • New Contributor
  • October 16, 2014

It is indeed the process I'm using. Thanks for the information. However, now I'm thinking I might as well just make Apple IDs for the iPads since I have to sign in to each iPad anyway. That's really the only part I was trying to avoid.

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