One of the things that Apple Configurator 2, or an MDM solution, can do to make large-scale iOS deployments easier is to disable some of the screens displayed to users during the initial setup of an iOS device. This is critical when trying to get to a zero-touch deployment. On a DEP-based device, most of these steps would be disabled by your MDM solution. However, on a non-DEP-based device, these options would be disabled on the iOS device directly.
To disable the initial configuration screens during activation on an iPhone or iPad and therefore require less steps during the setup of devices, first plug a device into Apple Configurator. Then, right-click on the device and choose the Prepare… option.
From the prepare wizard, first choose whether the configuration will be automatic or assist during the initial configuration of DEP-based devices. Because there’s no MDM in this scenario, we’ll select Manual.
As mentioned, there’s no MDM for this deployment, so at the MDM server screen, we’ll elect not to use an MDM and then click on the Next button.
At the Supervise Device screen, we’ll go ahead and enable supervision, so that we can make use of some other options, such as disabling features in profiles that are only allowed to be disabled using a supervised device. Click Next.
Finally, we’re at that Apple Configurator 2 screen where we can disable activation screens. Here, choose the following that you’d like to disable:
- Language: Disables the screen to set the language. The language will default to English, but can be configured after the setup process is complete if English is not the preferred language.
- Region: Disables the screen to set the region during setup.
- Location Services: Disables the screen to disable Location Services at setup. Location Services can still be disabled once setup is complete.
- Set Up: Disables the Set Up screen.
- Apple ID: Disables the screen to configure an Apple ID during setup. An Apple ID will still be required to install apps manually and can be configured during an app purchase. Apple IDs will not be required for Volume Purchase Program (VPP) purchases using the device-based deployment options via MDM.
- Zoom: Disables the screen to enable the zoom options.
- Siri: Disables the screen to disable Siri, the voice recognition options on the iPhone.
- Diagnostics: Disables the prompt to send Diagnostic information to Apple.
- Passcode: Disables the prompt to configure a passcode. Passcodes can still be configured by users once the device has been setup.
- Touch ID: Disables the prompt to make a fingerprint your passcode. You an still setup Touch ID at a later time. Touch ID will be required in order to use Apple Pay.
- Apple Pay: Disables the prompt to set up Apple Pay during the activation process. You can still setup Apple Pay manually at a later time.
Once you click on the Prepare button, you will run the Activation process on the iOS device; albeit without all the extra screens. Note that you can configure this for blueprints and so do this on devices en masse.