How do I remove a "profile"?

Question

Level 2

422 points

How do I remove a "profile"?

My work recently (finally) started supporting iphone/ipads. And they gave us DIY instructions, to connect to the exchange server, etc. During one step we had to navigate to a website, and click a link. It then warned us it was going to install something, and asked us to set a passcode. The instructions they gave us did warn that once this was done, it couldn't be undone (without a factore restore)

Well, I didn't realize what I was installing. Now my phone requires a device passcode, with a lockout interval of 5min. And not just a 4 digit pin. It has to be an 8 character letters/numbers/caps/symbols passcode.

Forget it. I'm not willing to put up with that. I don't need my work email on my phone that badly.

I noticed now in settings>general there is a new section called "profile", that wasn't there before. How do I get rid of it?? I want to get rid of the whole thing. I asked the help desk at work. Their helpful advice 'to delete an app, press on it until it wiggles'.

Really??

When I said that didn't work, she suggested contacting Apple. (nice to see such an informed IT department, but I digress.)

I have already restored it from a backup, but, I had synced the phone after the installation, so I guess the backup isn't old enough? Even after a total factory restore, it's still asking me to create the long passcode.

How do I get rid of this???

There must be some way...

My itunes only shows the most recent backup, so I'm not sure what else to do... (and if I could go back to an older backup,

right now the phone is telling me I must create a passcode within 60 min (now down to 14). I'm hoping that if I just DON'T create the passcode, it will deactivate those features, but I really don't know. Hopefully it won't just brick the whole phone. 😟

When I first added my exchange account, this summer, it forced me to add a 4 digit simple passcode. That I could live with. But having to enter this 8 character nightmare every 5 min is really untenable.

Thanks for your help!

20" iMac (Intel 2.33), MBA 1.8/80, Mac OS X (10.6.5), AEBS, AX, iPhone, iPad, iMac, AppleTV

Posted on Apr 4, 2011 7:30 PM

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Answer 1

Eric Ross

Level 6

11,817 points

Apr 5, 2011 2:18 AM in response to Alexroet

Go to settings,general, scroll down to the bottom, you will see a “profile” section. Click on the link, click on “Remove” to delete to remove. Or you can go ahead and set a passcode, then go into your settings, general, passcode lock and click on "Simple Passcode" this will allow you to go back to the four digit code.

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Answer 2

Alexroet Author

Level 2

422 points

Apr 5, 2011 4:23 AM in response to Eric Ross

Oh, I wish it were that simple.
It's a locked profile, that "cannot" be removed. And the "simple passcode" option is greyed out, so I can't change it.

Like I said- I've done a factory restore, and it's still there. If it were as easy as clicking the button that said 'remove' I would have done that long ago.

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Answer 3

wjosten

Level 10

95,545 points

Apr 5, 2011 4:34 AM in response to Alexroet

I've done a factory restore

Exactly what do you mean by "factory restore"? Did you set up as a "new" device, or from backup. The only way to remove this profile is to "wipe" your phone.

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Answer 4

Alexroet Author

Level 2

422 points

Apr 5, 2011 5:41 AM in response to wjosten

I restored it from a backup.

I can't believe the ONLY way to remove it is to set it up as new?! to lose everything I have, and then manually restore every app, setting, etc? That's crazy...

Or maybe I just don't understand what's in a backup? i.e. if I restore it as new, but then sync with itunes, will it put all my songs, pics, apps, etc back? What about voicemails and texts? that's what I really can't afford to lose.

And I had one other thought... what if my employer modified the profile (i.e. made it removable)... could I install the modified (and removable) one OVER the current one, and then remove THAT? Could that possibly work?

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Answer 5

Apr 5, 2011 5:57 AM in response to Alexroet

As has been said, the only way is to restore as new and do not restore your backup. The ability for an employer to lock a phone to the company's standard was essential before businesses would allow iPhones to be connected to corporate networks. The same is true for any smartphone. Blackberry has always had this capability, as has Windows Mobile, Synbian, etc.

You can restore your music and apps, but you will lose voicemails and texts (which are only in your backup).

Your employer could change the "policy" that the profile installed, but they may not want to.

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Answer 6

wjosten

Level 10

95,545 points

Apr 5, 2011 6:02 AM in response to Alexroet

That's how your employer protects their data. You got two choices to remove this profile: 1. Settings>General>Reset>Erase All Content & Settings, or 2. Restore your phone as a "new" device in iTunes. You will lose all data on your phone. Once done, you can then sync your content back to your phone.

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Answer 7

deggie

Level 10

167,943 points

Apr 5, 2011 6:04 AM in response to Alexroet

"The instructions they gave us did warn that once this was done, it couldn't be undone (without a factore restore)"

That is from your first post.

In order to provide security settings that satisfy most workplaces, Exchange and ActivSync install a profile that determines all security settings on the iPhone, lets them control what can be placed on the iPhone, gives them the capability to wipe the iPhone, etc. If there was an easy way to remove this and get around it then there wouldn't be much security present. Hence the warning. If these things weren't acceptable to you then you should have stopped at that point. Your employer cannot send another profile that is removable that would then allow you to remove the other one.

If you restore from a backup, as you have discovered, you will restore the profile, etc. You will have to restore it as a new phone then set up your sync to reload your music, pictures, apps, etc. from your computer.

You will lose your voice mails, settings, text messages doing this, so you need to move them to your computer to save them. This application will accomplish this: http://www.ecamm.com/mac/phoneview/

No, it is not free, but it is handy software to have around. After you move the items you need from your device do the Restore as New, set up your sync setting and put all your media back on, then use phoneview to put your voicemail and texts back on the device.

If you picked up your contacts from your Exchange server you may not be able to retain those.

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Answer 8

Alexroet Author

Level 2

422 points

Apr 5, 2011 6:19 AM in response to deggie

Sigh, that's what I was afraid of.

And yes, they warned us that "once this is installed you can't get rid of it without restoring", but, it wasn't clear what we were installing... I had a 4 digit simple passcode on before, to secure my exchange email- then this was a NEW profile to add more features... i could live with the 4 digit PIN but the 8 character password is too much. Had I known that THAT is what I would be adding and unable to remove, I never would have done it. so, sure, I should have been more careful, but they also could have been more clear.

And I understand removable security isn't very secure- But I'm not asking to set the phone up for work, then remove security and still be able to access work info. I'm asking to remove the security and just NOT have enterprise features on my phone. I'd rather not be able to access my work email, than have to use this password all the time. That shouldn't require me to lose everything on my phone.

regardless... I figured 'well, I can always do a restore'.
Failed to realize that if I'd backed up in the meantime, restore from backup will NOT fix the problem- the only option is set up as a new device.

I will try to scour my time machine tonight and see if I can recover a backup from the day before...

I already have PhoneView, so hopefully between all these things i can cobble something together. I had just been hoping there was a nice elegant solution that wouldn't take me 6 hours after work tonight, to get my phone back ALMOST the way I like it.

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Answer 9

deggie

Level 10

167,943 points

Apr 5, 2011 6:26 AM in response to Alexroet

Yep, you probably have some work ahead of you. The 4 digit passcode is not really very secure which is why so many people requested the capability to use a longer passcode, and which is why your employer is asking for this. To me it seems a small price to pay for the access to your work accounts, I doubt you have a 4 digit password for your work computer. But to each their own.

Good luck with restoring the backup, I had to do this recently for other reasons and it worked perfectly.

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