Apple Configurator 2 is a great tool. But you need to debug things from time to time. This might mean that a profile is misconfigured and not installing, or that a device can’t perform a task you are sending it to be performed. This is about the time that you need to enable some debug logs. To do so, quit Apple Configurator and then write a string of ALL into the ACULogLevel key in ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.configurator.ui/Data/Library/Preferences/com.apple.configurator.ui.plist: defaults write ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.configurator.ui/Data/Library/Preferences/com.apple.configurator.ui.plist ACULogLevel -string ALL To disable, quit Apple Configurator and then delete that ACULogLevel key: defaults delete ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.configurator.ui/Data/Library/Preferences/com.apple.configurator.ui.plist ACULogLevel
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Add Profiles To Blueprints In Apple Configurator 2
One of the tasks you’ll need to perform in Apple Configurator 2, is to assign Profiles to iOS devices in order to set them up with features or restrict the device from using certain features. I cover creating a profile here. To get started applying a profile to a device, bring up the Blueprints screen. Choose a Blueprint and right-click on it. Choose Profiles… Browse to the profile and then click on Add Profile. The profile is then applied to any devices that the Blueprint is applied to. For more on Blueprints, view this article.
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Upgrade Devices And Apps Using Apple Configurator 2
Apple Configurator has always been able to upgrade devices. But it can also now upgrade apps that are on devices. To run an upgrade, first open Apple Configurator 2. Once open, right-click on a device and click on the Update… option. You can update all assets on the device concurrently, using the default option. Here, we’re going to select to update only the items we need to in the drop-down menu. Select Only Some Apps and then you’ll see a list of each app that needs an upgrade on the device. Check the box for the apps to be updated and then click on the Update button. Apps are updated…
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Create A Backup In Apple Configurator 2
One of the more common tasks performed in Apple Configurator is to create a backup of a device and restore that backup to multiple devices. This backs up the icon placement on screens, the settings on the device and anything not stored in the operating system or secure enclave of a device. Once you’ve created a backup, you can assign that backup to a blueprint or deploy the backup to individual devices. To create a backup, first open Apple Configurator 2 and tether a device to the computer running Apple Configurator. Next, right-click on a device and then choose the Back Up option. Once you unlock the device (if locked) the…
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Install Apps To iOS Devices Using Apple Configurator 2
One of the primary use cases for Apple Configurator 1 and Apple Configurator 2 is to get apps on devices. Even with MDM, you can use Apple Configurator 2 for app deployment. The value here might be that you end up transferring 10 gigs of apps over a USB cable, rather than over the air in larger deployments. Here, we’ll look at a basic app deployment using Apple Configurator 2. To get started, first download the app and get it in iTunes. This can be accomplished by copying the .ipa file for an app onto a device, or syncing an iOS device with iTunes that has the app installed. Take care that…
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Enable Device Supervision On iOS Devices Using Apple Configurator 2
When a DEP device is setup, the device is supervised. By supervising a device, in Apple wisdom, ownership by the organization is proven and so additional options for limiting what a device can do. For example, supervised iOS devices that are enrolled in an MDM solution by a DEP portal cannot then be unenrolled. Supervision also allows an MDM to escrow a key that can be used to unlock a device locked by Activation Lock. And there are plenty of restrictions and other management options that Apple makes available on a device owned by an organization rather than an individual. It’s understandable given the massive consumer market served and the desire to preserve…
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Automate MDM Enrollment Using Apple Configurator 2
I’ve written a number of articles on automating MDM enrollments using Apple Configurator in the past. In Apple Configurator 2, there are some new options that make the process much easier than it’s ever been in the past. To get started, let’s open Apple Configurator 2 and click on a Blueprint we’d like to apply to devices being prepared during a mass iPad or iPhone enrollment through Apple Configurator. Control-click on the Blueprint to set up for automated enrollment and click on the Prepare button. At the Organization screen, select the organization you’d like to enroll your device in and click on the Next button. At the Server screen, select…
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Install Apple Configurator 2
Apple Configurator 2 is a great tool to manage iOS devices. It’s also a pretty decent tool when you need to create profiles for use on Macs. Apple Configurator is easily installed using the Mac App Store. This involves a number of tasks: Restore: Restore an operating system to an iOS device Duplicate: Similar to imaging (but not), restore various options on a device so it is similar to a previous device. There are limitations to this feature as any data stored in the secure enclave will not be duplicated Application Assignment: Install apps on devices with or without an MDM solution to manage the devices Supervise: Enable supervised mode on…
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Restrict Access To Sites On iOS Devices Using Apple Configurator 2
One of the more common requests we get for iOS devices is to restrict what sites on the web that a device can access. This can be done in a number of ways. One is using the content filter option in Apple Configurator 2. The second is using a Global HTTP Proxy. We’ll cover both here, using custom profiles. Both require the device be Supervised. Use the Content Filter To enable the Content Filter, open Apple Configurator and click on the New menu. From there, click on Content Filter in the sidebar. You have three ways you can use the Content Filter. These include: Built-in: Limit Adult Content: A basic profile that…
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Migrate Settings From Apple Configurator 1 to Apple Configurator 2
The first time you open Apple Configurator 2, if you’ve been using Apple Configurator 1, your settings will be upgraded from the old sqlite3 database in Apple Configurator 1 into the Apple Configurator 2 decentralized file structure. To get started, first backup your computer. I’d recommend a clone as with certs and profiles and databases and all that fun stuff. Once you have a solid backup, open the new Apple Configurator 2 app and then click on the Next button at the Introduction screen. At the Library Migration screen, select each of the types of data that you’d like to migrate and click on the Next button. At the Device Backups screen, you will…