What is iOS Supervised Mode? How do I activate Supervision?
Last updated October 29, 2019
What is Supervision?
Supervision, introduced by Apple in iOS 5, is a special mode that gives an administrator more control of a device. It is intended for institutionally-owned devices. iOS supervised mode now extends to iPadOS and tvOS, but for simplicity in this article, we use iOS broadly.
While SimpleMDM historically controlled devices owned by employees in a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) fashion, companies now frequently own the devices themselves. This introduces new opportunities for controlling the device with SimpleMDM that previously would have been overbearing for an employee-owned device.
What Does Supervision Allow For?
The following are examples of what’s possible under supervision:
- Restrict access to apps
- Filter web content
- Configure home screen layouts
- App lock (Single App Mode)
- Activation lock bypass
- Silent app installations
- Enable Lost Mode
- Push remote OS updates
- Enable additional restrictions
For Apple’s current list of all supervised restrictions, please visit https://support.apple.com/guide/mdm/supervised-restrictions-mdm54960f92a/web
How To Activate Supervised Mode for iOS
The device enters supervision in two ways. The best method depends upon your deployment.
Note: Placing a device in supervision resets the device. All data and settings delete. If you restore data after switching to supervised mode, the device will reset to the mode (supervised or unsupervised) used during backup. Presumably, Apple does this to prevent companies from supervising employee-owned devices.
Supervise a Device with Apple Configurator
Apple Configurator is a macOS application. To supervise a device with Apple Configurator, you must have a macOS computer and USB cable available. Each device needs to connect to the computer. For a few devices, this is a good method.
- Download the latest version of Apple Configurator. We used Apple Configurator 2.2 in this guide. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/apple-configurator-2/id1037126344?mt=12
- Attach your iOS device to the computer using the USB cable
- Start Apple Configurator
- In the “All devices” view, click the iOS device
- Click “Prepare”
- Select “Manual” from the “Configuration” dropdown
- On the “Enroll in MDM Server” screen, optionally define an MDM server using your SimpleMDM enrollment URL
- On the “Supervise Devices” screen, ensure “Supervise devices” is checked
- Add the details of your company on the following screen if desired
- Generate a supervision identity when prompted (if you haven’t already)
- Click the “Prepare” button once you reach the end of the dialog boxes
- The device will prepare and reset
Supervise Devices using Automated Enrollment with Apple Business Manager (formerly Apple Device Enrollment Program (DEP))
Automated enrollment with Apple Business Manager is used to bootstrap new devices with a working configuration. For instance, automated enrollment can be used to automatically enroll devices in SimpleMDM when they are first unboxed and turned on. It can also place devices in Supervision mode automatically. This process is the way to go if your organization has a non-trivial number of devices that need to be placed under supervision.
More information on Apple automated enrollment/DEP is available here: Explained: The Apple Device Enrollment Program
To configure automated enrollment to supervise your new devices, complete the following steps from within SimpleMDM:
- Click “Enrollments” under the Devices heading
- Under the “Create Enrollment” dropdown, select “Automated Enrollment (DEP)”
- If you haven’t already, follow the instructions to pair SimpleMDM with your Apple Business Manager account
- Once paired, make sure “Place device in Supervised mode” is checked and click “Save”
- Associate your devices with the connected server in Apple Business Manager
- Activate your devices and connect them to the internet to complete enrollment
Once automated enrollment is configured, SimpleMDM automatically enables supervision on all devices enrolled from your Apple Business Manager account.
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Is it possible to turn off the device when in supervised, single app lock?
Yes. A device can be turned off, even when in single app lock an with buttons disabled by holding down the lock and the home button at the same time for approximately 5 seconds. When the device is turned back on, the device will return to single app lock.
Is it possible to take off supervised mode without apple configurator
Hi Arnas! You will need to use Supervisor or add the device to a DEP account to un-supervise a device.
First time user of Simple MDM , Trying to push apps to new supervised devices and it s requiring me to sign in to ITunes using a existing or create new apple I.D. I was under the impression that under supervised mode i would be able to push apps to devices w/o the the user of the device not needing to do anything
Hi Jose- Supervision allows you to install apps to devices without asking the user for permission. You will still need to account for app licensing requirements.
Here is a helpful article on the Apple Volume Purchase Program (VPP) which will help you avoid the Apple ID prompt: https://support.simplemdm.com/knowledgebase/articles/1132102-4-managing-app-licenses
If you have further questions, feel free to contact support@simplemdm.com. We’re here to help.
I purchase ipad 4th generation last 2 years ago from Ebay .com and yesterday i restored but when i setup look like linked to pearson education inc.( MDM ) so i cant unlock my ipad again before unlinked so please can u help me .
You will need to contact the seller of the device or Pearson Education and ask them to remove the device from their Apple DEP account.
if i am using a supervised ipad can someone view my photos
Supervision does not currently grant an MDM access to the Photo app data.
You write “You will need to use Supervisor or add the device to a DEP account to un-supervise a device.” But in the article, you wrote “If you restore the data after switching to supervised mode, the device will reset to the mode (supervised or unsupervised) that the device was in during the backup. Apple does this presumably to prevent companies from supervising employee owned devices.” That’s confusing. Would restoring from an unsupervised backup take it out of supervised mode or not?
Supervisor and DEP are the two mechanisms available for changing the supervised state on a device. If you want to make an unsupervised device supervised or vice versa, you will need to use either Apple Configurator or DEP. The quote above is not meant to imply that using DEP will unsupervise the device by default, rather, that DEP can be used to remove the supervision if desired.
Apple provides additional clarification about this:
About Device Enrollment: If you restore from a backup while setting up an enrolled device
If the device is supervised and I restore it then enrol it with new/different Apple ID – the device will be unsupervised now or not?
Backups retain the supervision state. If you restore to a previous backup where the device was unsupervised, it will restore as unsupervised.
Is it possible to stop a user from entering their AppleID on the iPads using Apple Configurator 2?
Is it possible to allow users only access to specific apps? phone, messages, email, camera, photos and one 3rd party app?
Yes, SimpleMDM supports this. Please see our post on app restrictions: Block/Hide Any iOS App
Is it possible to supervise a device without sim card (using configurator 2)?
Yes, supervised mode is set before the device enters the Setup Assistant screens. You may still need a SIM card to use the device.
I tried Simple MDM a while ago to solve this problem and was unsuccessful. I’ll try it again if you think the current version will do what I need.
I use Apple Configurator to lock an iPad in Single App Mode. I would like to be able to track the iPad’s location remotely and see its history. It only has WiFi, not a cell connection. The last time I tried it, Configurator Single App Mode kept other apps like SimpleMDM, Google Maps, and FollowMee from running in the background and letting me check the location remotely. FindMyPhone does work but only gives the current location and not the history when the iPad has a WiFi connection. I used to use Guided Access and FollowMee. But the behavior of Guided Access changed so that when the iPad’s battery runs down completely and is recharged, Guided Access doesn’t reopen automatically. Is there a way to use SimpleMDM to track the iPad’s location and history while locking it into a particular app at all times, not giving access to the home screen?
Hi Alan- You’ve accurately observed that iOS does not allow other apps to run in the background when a device is in single app mode. This is still the behavior. If you would like location tracking, you will either need to use MDM Lost Mode or the app in Single App Mode will need to provide the tracking functionality.
Our understanding is that devices will restart in Single App Mode when it is enabled. You mentioned Guided Access, which is similar in functionality to Single App Mode, however is configured on the device itself instead of MDM. Guided Access many have slightly different behavior. We recommend testing the scenarios you wish to use the device in, using the latest version of iOS, to be certain.
Is it possible to supervide an iPad over the air (without USB cable?)
Hi Max- Yes, this is possible if you utilize the Apple Device Enrollment Program (Apple DEP). This program allows businesses to configure devices as supervised when they are initialized for the first time. More information on Apple DEP is available, here: Explained: The Apple Device Enrollment Program
My organization owns two different DEP accounts and two different MDM solutions. We want to take phones deployed on DEP account and MDM solution “A” and move them to DEP account and MDM solution “B”. I had heard that was not possible. Is it possible and what are the steps in brief? Thanks.
Hi Jeff. Our recommendation is to:
If wiping the devices isn’t an option, proceed with step 1 and then, instead of wiping the devices, unenroll them from MDM solution “A” instead. Once this is completed, you can manually enroll them with MDM solution “b”. Third party open-source tools exist, like UMAD, that encourage users to complete the DEP enrollment and/or User Approved MDM (UAMDM) steps if devices were enrolled manually instead of with DEP.
Thanks will give it a try as soon as I have a window of opportunity in the coming month and respond back.
Finally responding back. So we didn’t have to assign the device to the new MDM but just unassign it from the existing. Then we wiped the device and enrolled it as a supervised device in our new MDM. I think what was originally at issue was that Apple support told us we couldn’t do this, and we couldn’t when they told us that. That was back in 2018, though. But when we did this last year, it worked and everything was fine. I appreciate the help. 🙂
If I have used a DEP & MDM and given the device to an employee who has then logged into their own personal iCloud account, can I still completely wipe the phone without needing them to log out or visiting an Apple Store? Can I also wipe the phone completely remotely if they have left the business but still retain the device?
Hi Emily! Activation lock is the iOS feature that requires a user to remove their Apple ID before the device is truly “unlocked” for future use. If you’ve enrolled a device with SimpleMDM using DEP, activation lock is, by default, disabled. Even if a user has entered an Apple ID, you will still be able to wipe the device and use it without them needing to sign out. The wipe process will sign them out automatically.
If you are using a different vendor, your mileage may vary.
I’ve been creating a profile for the Teacher’s iPads on Configurator 2 and I’ve come across a difficulty. When I’m going through the restrictions I’ve allowed them to use passcodes so they can have emails however this seems to also allow them to go in a delete the profile. Or … have a missed a restriction that I should have ticked to stop this from happening. I have it so they can’t delete Apps or install Apps as I want to manage this through Configurator 2 and I thought that would also stop them from deleting the profile as well?
Hi Robyn- If you are using SimpleMDM, this should not be an issue. Please contact technical support if this is the case. If you are using Apple Configurator without an MDM, you’ll want to seek help from Apple or another outlet.
Will the supervisor know what we are searching even using private tabs
Hi Kammy – The Apple MDM protocol does not directly enable a vendor or company to track what a user is searching for in any web browser within iOS. If a company configures a web proxy, they may be able to track web traffic, however, this does not directly relate to Supervised mode nor the Apple MDM protocol.
Can a supervisor or device manager see the photos I have taken on the device?
Supervision does not allow an administrator to view the photos on your device.
Does supervised mode allow for screen capture of device screens? Can I schedule this to happen intermittently or at desired set times?
Hi Curious – Supervision, and Apple MDM for that matter, do not currently support screen capture.
On step 4 of the DEP supervision method, a message above the checkbox says “These options are not configurable as of iOS 13 and macOS 10.15. They can be optionally configured for previous OS versions.”
On iOS 13+ devices, do these features still work and are just not customizable or do they not work at all? I’m hoping the former as that is quite a big feature to lose if its the other way around. TIA.
Hi Jack- As of iOS 13 and macOS 10.15, enrollment is forced, Supervision is forced, and the device cannot be unenrolled by the user.