[ipad] Activation Lock

[Koldov]

I've just been asked to repurpose some very old iPads (that have been sitting in a cupboard for ages) into locked down SEN devices.

 

We manage our iPads with Cisco Meraki and as far as I know they are all in ASM, so I created a SEN 'OU' in Meraki and locked down everything in the settings and put on a couple of appropriate apps, then I thought I would send a 'wipe device' command to just get rid of everything.

 

Now I haven't done this before (or if I have it was a very long time ago), but I guess I was expecting it to reboot, then I'd enter the Wi-Fi password and as if by magic it would realise it was 'managed' get all the settings and put all the apps on... at least from reading posts on here that's what it's 'supposed' to do, right?!

 

It didn't...

 

In fact it's just sitting there saying 'Activation Lock' This iPad is linked to an Apple ID and password... blah, blah, blah...

 

I mean they have been enrolled in ASM and managed by Meraki for years, so what went on before that I can't remember, but I thought they went into ASM, then into Meraki and that was it! I never remember them being manually set-up with an Apple ID... I do recognise the Apple ID, but no idea of the password and in fact I don't really want to keep them linked to an Apple ID, do I?

Edited October 5, 2023 by Koldov

[DavR]

You should be able to override the activation lock from Meraki. You can either do it individually from the device's page, same section where the wipe commands are.

 

Or you can do it en masse from the Devices screen. You may find it helpful to add the activation lock column to your view.

[Koldov]

Yes I did see that option....

 

I didn't tick it as I didn't know it would be activation locked, or tied to an Apple ID.

 

Unfortunately these devices are now wiped and so I don't think Meraki can do anything else with them....

EDIT: Interestingly, adding that column to Meraki shows 'Activation Lock' is disabled for all of them...?

Edited October 5, 2023 by Koldov

[DavR]

You should still be able to use the settings in here to clear the activation lock. My understanding is that the activation lock exists on Apple's activation servers, not on the device itself, so you should be able to clear it regardless of the status of the device. It's exactly the kind of scenario you're facing, that these features are here to resolve. You may need to use a bypass code, if the clear lock doesn't work, it's been a while since I've done one.

 

EDIT: Interestingly, adding that column to Meraki shows 'Activation Lock' is disabled for all of them...?

 

So, that's where things get a little complicated. There is a user mode activation lock, set by a user registering an iPad against their Apple ID, and an MDM activation lock, which you can set from within your MDM. Sounds like you've got the former enabled.

 

You'll find this page a useful read - https://documentation.meraki.com/SM/Monitoring_and_Reporting/Activation_Lock_for_iOS_Devices

[robintech]

probably someone prior did it on the iCloud after they lost track of them

[Koldov]

No, you're right I thought you meant as an option when wiping, but I see now there is an actual button and Meraki obviously can still send commands even when the device has had the management profile remove when it was wiped.

 

Anyway....

 

Clicked on the 'Clear Activation Lock' in Meraki and rebooted the iPads and they've now started up telling me there is 'Remote Management'...

 

Thanks again for the advice and links, I've never really got round to looking into the iPad management in any real depth! I don't have time, so it was just a set-up and forget.

Edited October 5, 2023 by Koldov

[DavR]

Excellent news, glad to be of help!

 

Tbh exercising my MDM knowledge helps me remember how the thing works, same as yourself, it's very easy to set it up and forget.