Set Up iPads without Users

[Wombat]

Hi!

Newbie here so sorry if this has been asked before.

We are a Special Needs School and want each class/Department to have a number of iPads that are a shared resource - not 'one each'.  As our students find it hard to log in on devices so we want a simple passcode to open a device then they can use whatever apps are installed.  We want to be able to control what apps etc. are on each iPad (will be specific to a Department) but not to the level of a specific person.

Please can someone offers some advice as to how we would set this up.

Many thanks.

[Fluffy]

There's a couple of different ways you could set this up, though I have not used most of this in the field.

One way is to make a Device Group with apps and/or profiles for whatever each class/department needs. If you plan to only push out apps automatically, you would not need to worry about assigning an owner.

Should you want to make some apps or profiles on-demand, then you would want an owner for each. I would not recommend using the same owner for all of them, because that can make Jamf Student get messy. Would be better to make individual generic users to "own" them (Class 1-1 for example).

As for a passcode, you would have to enter it manually after the device is enrolled as you cannot set the passcode with a configuration profile, only require/allow it. The part I have not tried on iPads in use (but want to) is having no passcode. You would accomplish this in a configuration profile by not requiring a passcode and uncheck the box for "Allow modifying passcode" under the Restrictions payload.

The other way is to make shared iPads, which I have no inkling on how to configure or use other than what I've read. You can read Jamf's documentation here, but you should know it appears to require configuring classes through Apple School Manager.

[Wombat]

Thanks Fluffy,

I'll try setting up a 'dummy' user and install one with that and see if I can get it to work.

[jpeters21]

I run my environment with out any assigned users.. basically ASMs users method only allow those accounts access to assigned apps (we wanted our instructors to be able to test out new software) .. with VPP and Jamf an apple ID is not required so I guess not really sure the specifics of what you are running into. In a shared device setting it would require preset PINs that are shared which is not very secure. That said if your not sure about Application assignments, have you been onboarded yet or done the online training yet?

[Wombat]

Thanks,

I can 'see' the ipads in ASM and 'see' them in Automated Device Enrollment in Jamf.  My test ipad now tells me that it has the name that I prescribed but I can't seem to control it in any way.  it was 'set up' before I connected it through ASM/Jamf which I guess could be at least part of the problem.  However the fact that it now has the name I gave it makes me think I am missing something else!

I've created a profile and 'unchecked' the things I DON'T want users to do (set a pass code etc.) but I can still do that on the ipad.  I also got a free app through ASM that I can see in Jamf but although it says I have used one licence the app has not deployed to the ipad.

Any other thoughts?

Thanks.

[Fluffy · Accepted solution]

---

it was 'set up' before I connected it through ASM/Jamf which I guess could be at least part of the problem.

---

I believe a majority of your issues would be that it was already set up when you added it to ASM. You'll want to do an Erase All Content and Settings on it and go through enrollment with a profile assigned.

Have enrolled an iPad into a MDM before, or would you like some steps for doing it in Jamf School?

[jpeters21]

I agree with Fluffy, sounds like the device is not even in supervised mode which a reset would take care of. You would also need to have the enrollment profile setup. If you have not already set up the link with you VPP account and ASM/Jamf I would suggest also as other wise you would need an apple ID on the device.

[Wombat]

I'm getting there now so thanks for your help!  Once I Factory Reset them they 'fire up' asking to connect to the MDM and then come up with the Profiles I've created!  Now I just need to sort how that all works!