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single iCloud account to backup multiple iPads

  • May 15, 2015
  • 9 replies
  • 80 views
M
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SCENARIO

88 x iPad Air (1 grade level)
each with an average of ~10 to 12GB usage
use single iCloud account with 1TB space for backup

every single app has license for each device (via VPP spreadsheet)
we configure 88 devices with same iTunes/iCloud account so that we don't need to push newly purchased app thru MDM. new apps automagically appear via "auto download" feature of iTunes Store

BACKGROUND:
We used to configure each iPad with their individual iCloud account, but the free 5GB is not cutting it. Most of the iPads keeps displaying a pesky warning that iCloud has ran out space.

Question:
For iCloud backup, is there a documented hard limit to the max number of devices you are allowed to associate with a single iCloud account? or the limit would simply be the available iCloud space?

Is there a better way?

Best answer by Kaltsas

I believe the hard limit is 100. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204233

Device does not appear in the device list You can set up up to 100 devices with the same Apple ID. If you attempt to add more than 100 devices to Find My iPhone with your iCloud account, the device will not appear in your All Devices (iOS 7 or later) or Devices (iOS 6) list. If you need to add a new device when you already have 100 devices registered, you will need to remove one of the existing devices from your device list in order to add a new device.

We have aprox. 1200 iPhones deployed for use with Voalte. The Security office requires to be able to locate the devices should they walk away so we have a whole mess of Apple IDs. When we've discussed this with our SE Apple asserts that we are using iCloud in a manner it wasn't designed for, i.e. it is intended for consumer use only. I totally get it. Apple doesn't intend corporations to track people. I also get the security office wanting to protect our assets.

I submitted feedback a while back that detailed a third kind of Apple ID (in addition to the current service/consumer ID types available). This would be an ID not subject to the limitations of the consumer apple ID, I detailed how we would intend to use it in shared use scenarios (not one to one where if a device walks away we have it associated with an employee).

Doesn't solve your backup problem but rest assured that there are many of us out there struggling to get iOS devices to fit squarely in our environments.

9 replies

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  • St0rMl0rD
  • Valued Contributor
  • May 15, 2015

I would advise against it, because once you will want to restore from an iCloud backup, it will only give you "iPad" as a name, and not the device name itself, so you won't have any idea which iPad you are restoring.

S
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  • St0rMl0rD
  • Valued Contributor
  • May 15, 2015

And yes, you cannot associate more than 10 devices with one iCloud account.

M
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  • mattware
  • Contributor
  • May 15, 2015

I wouldn't bother backing up the devices. Just redeploy if you have a failure.

cdenesha
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  • cdenesha
  • Honored Contributor
  • May 15, 2015

It sounds like you have already implemented this. You'll have noticed that the iPad names are indeed shown individually when looking at the backups.

I think @St0rMl0rD is right that it is supposed to be a 10 device maximum for iCloud. You'll have discovered that Apple does not always enforce it. Hope that Apple doesn't come checking..

Please note that you are also not using iCloud according to the EULA, which requires it to be for a person. Hope that Apple doesn't come checking..

Is there a better way? I don't think so.. perhaps a tethered iTunes backup would work but probably not "better". I recommend submitting a request to Apple for more free iCloud space for schools. www.apple.com/feedback

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  • McArenas
  • Author
  • New Contributor
  • May 15, 2015

Thanks for the input guys. Greatly appreciated.

K
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  • Kaltsas
  • Valued Contributor
  • Answer
  • May 15, 2015

I believe the hard limit is 100. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204233

Device does not appear in the device list You can set up up to 100 devices with the same Apple ID. If you attempt to add more than 100 devices to Find My iPhone with your iCloud account, the device will not appear in your All Devices (iOS 7 or later) or Devices (iOS 6) list. If you need to add a new device when you already have 100 devices registered, you will need to remove one of the existing devices from your device list in order to add a new device.

We have aprox. 1200 iPhones deployed for use with Voalte. The Security office requires to be able to locate the devices should they walk away so we have a whole mess of Apple IDs. When we've discussed this with our SE Apple asserts that we are using iCloud in a manner it wasn't designed for, i.e. it is intended for consumer use only. I totally get it. Apple doesn't intend corporations to track people. I also get the security office wanting to protect our assets.

I submitted feedback a while back that detailed a third kind of Apple ID (in addition to the current service/consumer ID types available). This would be an ID not subject to the limitations of the consumer apple ID, I detailed how we would intend to use it in shared use scenarios (not one to one where if a device walks away we have it associated with an employee).

Doesn't solve your backup problem but rest assured that there are many of us out there struggling to get iOS devices to fit squarely in our environments.

M
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  • McArenas
  • Author
  • New Contributor
  • May 16, 2015
Device does not appear in the device list You can set up up to 100 devices with the same Apple ID. If you attempt to add more than 100 devices to Find My iPhone with your iCloud account, the device will not appear in your All Devices (iOS 7 or later) or Devices (iOS 6) list. If you need to add a new device when you already have 100 devices registered, you will need to remove one of the existing devices from your device list in order to add a new device.

Thanks for pointing this out Kaltsas! Been looking for the right keyword for this to appear. I am loving this community!

M
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  • McArenas
  • Author
  • New Contributor
  • May 18, 2015

I just tried it today and indeed it works!

D
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  • dah0041
  • New Contributor
  • May 18, 2015

hi guys
today i faced a little problem when a costumer bring me his iphone with receipt and asked me to remove icloud by my gsx admin but i tried in end nothing so anyone knows the method to disable icloud by gsx acess?

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