Accessing iPad on PC when supervised with Apple Config 2

[TheGirlInIT]

Hi All,

 

I'm hoping I can get some answers. I was thrown in the deep end a few years ago with configuring a meer 30 iPads for our academy. Since then it has grown to well over 300! I use Meraki MDM to deploy apps and Apple Configurator 2 to manage/supervise them. Recently during the summer holidays I updated around 200 iPads - all updated security settings and a few new restrictions. As I am aware there is an option to allow/disallow iPads connecting to non-host machines. As these iPads are used throughout the academy I have this box ticked so pupils and staff alike can plug into any of our machines and access photos/videos on the iPad they wish.

Since updpating during the summer it now appears that when plugged into a PC, we get the error message "This iPad is supervised by another computer and cannot be used by this computer". We've never had this problem before (apart from years ago when first figuring out I had to tick the box to allow it) but suddenly it's became an issue.

I thought at first it was because we have a mixture of models and iOS (9.3.5 > latest) but it seems to be across all versions and models. Am I missing something? Is there a different option that is conflicting? I have a number of restrictions set and disallowed system apps but not sure what could cause this suddenly.

 

Help please!

Stace

[Brimstone]

Questions first...

 

Are you using a free version of Meraki?

 

If not then have you recently updated the version of AC2 or Meraki?

[TheGirlInIT]

Questions first...

 

Are you using a free version of Meraki?

 

If not then have you recently updated the version of AC2 or Meraki?

 

Yes free version of Meraki. AC2 is on latest version. I was starting to think it was something to do with Meraki or AC2 itself as we have a btach of 30 ipads that havent been updated or touched in a few months and they can connect to other computers fine and they have the same profiles installed as the ones that wont connect.

[Brimstone]

My suggestion would then be to check the MDM payloads of the iPads that can connect OK against the MDM payloads of ones that can not.

 

Also,

 

You aren't manually adding devices to DEP via Configurator at all?

[TheGirlInIT]

Not using Apple DEP, adding meraki profile via the MDM systems app provided by Meraki. I have a workaround - not sure if it's a full solution though. I found an old profile that when installed (with the existing one removed) the iPads were able to connect to other PCs. I compared both profiles side by side and made them mirror. Once saved and applied the old profile still allowed the device to connect. The only different between the two that I can see now is the Unique ID of the profile.

I have also re-uploaded the old (now with new restrictions) profile to the MDM profile. This seems to have resolved the problem, whether it lasts or causes any other conflicts I don't know.

[Brimstone]

If you have 2 profiles being used, one from AC2 and one from the MDM then you need to ensure that you have not unticked any restrictions in the MDM profile as these may overide AC2 profiles.

 

I'm quite frankly amazed you are finding the time to plug 300 x iPads into configurator, you should be using Apple School Manager and DEP.

[TheGirlInIT]

tbh I dont have the time - but someone has to do it. When I started this back in 2014 there wasnt any Apple School Manager or DEP. When I approached Apple with some questions at an education talk they had in store they had no answers for me except 'Apple Classroom' was going to be introduced - which didnt help with my MDM questions. They 'unofficialy' said they knew of other schools that had/were using Meraki and found it worked well for them. At the time we were only managing 30-60 iPads. I'm now responsible for over 300 and they just keep growing. Ideally I'd like to scrap it all and start a fresh - but i doubt they'd let that happen!

[Brimstone]

If you use a combination of Meraki MDM for App's and just AC2 for Supervision for all the iPads it quite easy to move across to Apple School Manager without any disruption.

 

What's critical here is when you created the VPP account, if it was before Feb 2014 then you need to contact Apple using the form in the link below requesting that your VPP login is added to Apple Deployment Progarms.

 

https://www.apple.com/support/itunes/vpp-edu/

 

If you don't know this date then there is an easy way of checking this. Just goto deploy.apple.com and check to see if your VPP login works then go ahead and upgrade the account. You will now have DEP functions but these won't happen on any device until you contact the reseller to exchange DEP ID's with them and then factory reset each iPad.

[TheGirlInIT]

Thanks,

 

I think I'll stick to what we're doing for now as I really dont want to be reconfiguring 300+ iPads until absolutley necessary.