Find my iPad and Configurator

Question

Find my iPad and Configurator

Hi! We're deploying a small number of iPad 4s in my organization, using Configurator for the first time. The iPads will only be used in-house, but we do want to allow users to sign in with their own Apple IDs while they use it, or else create one to download apps of their choosing. We also want to be able to

use Find My iPhone (or iPad, in this case).

I followed the instructions here (and elsewhere) for setting up a cart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwrkVN2xSyE, allowing you to bypass putting in an Apple ID on each iPad and instead letting Configurator setup the devices for you. The computer I'm using to handle the iPads is signed into the same Apple ID that we're using to for iTunes and to download apps (all free), and the computer is authorized. I've had no problems getting the Configurator profile and apps on the iPads.

However, using this method there appears to be no way to track these devices using Find My iPhone, as these devices are not really signed in to the Apple ID we used on our computer. Am I correct in thinking that the only way to monitor the location of these is to use something like Meraki or another MDM, or to sign in with one of our Apple IDs and then use restrictions to prevent people from making account changes on the iPad? Or have I completely fouled this up in some way...?

I'm using the most recent version of Configurator (1.3), which doesn't have the Apple ID sign-in under Preferences that the initial version had.

Thanks for any help.

iPhone 4, apple configurator

Posted on Jul 1, 2013 11:24 AM

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Answer 1

iToaster

Level 3

739 points

Jul 1, 2013 2:39 PM in response to ipads4patrons

If you want to push settings OTA to ios devices you'll need a MDM

To use find my iphone with your corp iTunes account you'll have to configure iCloud find my iphone to use the same iTunes account on all devices if you want to see them in find my iphone iCloud.

If you want users to use their own iTunes accounts you'll also need to think about how this could effect calendar and contacts etc . You can have multiple iCloud accounts and if you want to keep users out if iCloud settings

The first iCloud account configured will appear as default in settings iCloud

A secondary account can be added and used for find my iphone and will be more hidden that the default iCloud account

If find my iphone is added as the primary account there is a good chance users could disable it or change it to there personal iTunes account

MDM solution won't track the iOS device unless it has some other 3rd party solution

All your normally able to see is device id, user name, installed apps, battery charge, free space

iOS version, last check in time, any groups the device or user is in, setting you've pushed, out etc

MDM solutions are still limited by what apple will allow.

It's still basically a user opt in system

I would recommend talking to suppliers and telling them

What you wish to do and ask if can they do it

Depending on your organization you may also need to inform users that their device location my be tracked at any time

You my need to amend any written agreements to reflect this change

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Answer 2

Jul 2, 2013 5:38 PM in response to iToaster

Thanks!

These devices will be used in-house, so they won't be leaving the building, and they will be used by a number of different people over the course of a day. We don't need OTA capabilities as we don't need to push any apps out; we're using Configurator so any apps and settings left from the previous user will be wiped when it's returned.

We're mainly concerned with wanting to give people as much freedom as possible in using them, while wanting to be able to track the iPad should someone walk out with it. Meraki states that it's able to do this, but like you said, it's up to the user to opt-in. There just doesn't seem to be a way to lock down iPads.

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