Enrollment methods for Apple devices
There are three main methods of device enrollment into mobile device management (MDM) solutions. One of those methods—Device Enrollment—has two different ways for a user to enroll: account-driven; profile-based. When you enroll Apple devices into an MDM solution, depending on the enrollment method, those devices can be supervised. Supervision generally denotes that the device is owned by the organization, which provides additional control over its configuration and restrictions. The table below summarizes the enrollment methods and whether they result in the device being supervised. For more information on supervision, see About Apple device supervision.
Enrollment method | Minimum supported operating system versions | Supervised upon MDM enrollment? |
|---|---|---|
iOS 15 iPadOS 15 macOS 14 visionOS 1.1 | No | |
iOS 17 iPadOS 17 macOS 14 visionOS 1.1 | No (iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro) Yes (Mac) | |
iOS 4 iPadOS 13.1 OS X 10.7 tvOS 9 visionOS 1.1 | No (iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro) Yes (Mac) | |
iOS 13 iPadOS 13.1 macOS 10.14.4 tvOS 13 watchOS 10 visionOS 1.1 | Yes |
Note: Not all enrollment options are available in all MDM solutions. To learn which MDM enrollment options are available for your devices, consult your MDM vendor’s documentation.
How enrollment methods help to protect the user’s privacy
The table below shows what information and capabilities are available to an MDM solution depending on the enrollment method. For more information on additional data separation capabilities supported by account-driven enrollment methods, see Account-driven enrollment methods.
Depending on the method used to enroll the device into an MDM solution, information about the user, their data, and the device vary. Account-driven User Enrollment and account-driven Device Enrollment provide the user with the most privacy and data separation. Profile-based Device Enrollment and Automated Device Enrollment provide IT administrators the most control over the device.
Note: The table below illustrates key differences of enrollment methods but isn’t a fully comprehensive list.
MDM ability | Account-driven User Enrollment | Account-driven Device Enrollment | Profile-based Device Enrollment | Automated Device Enrollment |
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Enforceable restrictions | Unsupervised only | Unsupervised only | All | |
Require passcode |
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Remotely erase managed data |
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Configure per-app VPN |
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Install and configure Managed Apps |
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Query the operating system version number |
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Query unique device identifiers like serial number |
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Query the device’s time zone |
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Query the device phone number |
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Query the roaming status |
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Query list of all apps |
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Configure VPN |
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Remotely erase all content and settings |
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Require complex passcode or password |
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Enforce software updates |
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Enforce and manage FileVault |
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Set the device name in macOS |
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Manage Activation Lock in macOS |
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Take over management of a personal app |
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Manage Activation Lock in iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS |
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Configure Always On VPN |
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Configure a global HTTP proxy |
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Set the device name in iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS |
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Turn on Managed Lost Mode |
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Query the device location |
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Collect frequency of app usage |
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View personal calendars, contacts, mail, notes, reminders |
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View iMessage or SMS messages |
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View FaceTime or phone call logs |
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View Safari browser history |
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