Apple TV MDM enrollment: A complete guide for IT teams

Apple TV MDM enrollment is becoming essential as Apple TVs gain popularity for being a versatile tool across a plethora of industries. Hospitality, education, and corporate business sectors are now utilizing Apple TVs to enhance presentations, streamline communication, and elevate customer experiences.

As Apple TV usage increases, so does the need for its effective management. To start managing them, we need Apple TV MDM enrollment. Through it, organizations can streamline and secure the onboarding procedure and harness the full potential of these devices.

In this blog, we’ll dive into why Apple TVs need an MDM solution and how you can enroll them with ease through the Scalefusion UEM solution.

Why Apple TV needs MDM

Apple TVs have become more common across conference rooms, classrooms, retail stores, hospital wards, and many other industries, changing the way people interact with them. Powered by a dedicated tvOS, Apple TV boasts high versatility with different use cases, which is why many organizations are migrating to it.

This rapid integration of Apple TVs creates the need for a streamlined onboarding process. Efficient onboarding sets the stage for hassle-free device management throughout their lifecycle and saves valuable time and resources. More importantly, it also minimizes the risk of potential security vulnerabilities that can arise from improper configuration and unauthorized access.

To ensure this, organizations need a comprehensive MDM for Apple TV, such as Scalefusion, capable of enrolling, managing, and scaling with the organization’s adoption rate.

How to enroll Apple TV devices

Now that we know the clear need for efficient management of these tvOS devices, let’s see how you can enroll them with ease through Scalefusion.

Before you begin, make sure to:

Create a tvOS Device Profile
Create a tvOS Enrollment Configuration
Complete the APNs setup in Apple Setup
Complete the ADE/DEP setup in Apple Setup
Configure the Setup experience in Apple Setup
Have physical access to an Apple TV device (and a Mac device in case you manually enroll Apple TV in Apple Business or Apple School Manager (ASM)).

Apple TVs can be enrolled in the following two ways:

Method A: Using Automated Device Enrollment (ADE)

Previously known as the Device Enrollment Program (DEP), ADE leverages ABM/ASM to automate the enrollment of tvOS devices.

Step 1: Assign MDM Server

After having completed the Automated Device Enrollment or Device Enrollment Program setup in the Apple Setup section on the Scalefusion dashboard, go to the Devices menu in your ABM or ASM dashboard.

Click Assign Device Management and choose the Scalefusion MDM Server from the list of Device Management Services and click Continue.

Step 2: Assign a Default MDM Server

In ABM or ASM, set a default MDM server by device type from your account profile menu.

Once you’ve assigned your MDM server in ABM/ASM, you must sync it with the Scalefusion dashboard.

Click the Sync Now button. You can also assign a default configuration here.

Step 3: Configure Device Setup Settings

In the ADE/DEP tab, you can also configure Automated Device Enrollment settings for your tvOS devices.

In the tvOS setup, you can configure which items are shown or skipped during device enrollment. Save the changes.

Step 4: Enroll the device using ADE

You may see a few initial setup questions when you turn on your device for the first time.

When prompted, select the Region, Language, and Wi-Fi. An internet connection is required to complete the ADE process. Once the device is connected to the internet, the setup process will continue according to the settings you have configured in Device Setup Settings.

When the setup process is complete, the device will appear under Devices on the Scalefusion dashboard.

Note that if you have previously turned the devices on and completed the setup panes, they must be reset. The devices only check in with the ADE service when not set up.

Method B: Enroll Device using Apple Configurator

Although this process is manual, it is useful for enrolling already-owned devices and devices that didn’t come directly from an Apple Authorized Reseller.

Note that –

Make sure the Apple TV is running on tvOS 10.2 or a later version
Devices running iOS 11 or later that were not purchased directly from Apple or an authorized reseller can be manually added to your ADE account using Apple Configurator.

Step 1: Head to Apple Configurator

Use an Ethernet cable to connect the Apple TV to a router. Ensure that your Mac is also connected to the same network.

On your Mac, open Apple Configurator, go to Paired Devices, and click Pair. When the Apple TV appears correctly in Apple Configurator, right-click the device and select Prepare. Select Manual Configuration.

Make sure to check the box for:

Add to Apple School Manager and Apple Business.
Supervise devices and then Allow devices to pair with other computers.

Step 2: Select the MDM server

In the next screen, you will be asked for the details of the MDM server. If you’ve already created an MDM server, you can select it from the list and click Next. Or, select New Server from the drop-down and click Next.

Note that you need to generate the MDM server URL from the Scalefusion dashboard.

Step 3: Set up Supervisioning Identity

Choose New Organization from the drop-down menu (if ‘New Server’ was selected earlier), then click Next.

At this point, you will be asked for your ABM or ASM credentials. Please enter the credentials and click Sign In. Once the sign-in is successful, you will be asked to choose a Supervisioning Identity. Click Next.

Step 4: Configure the tvOS Setup Assistant

Once you configure the tvOS Setup Assistant, the selected steps will be shown to the user during device setup.

When you are ready, click Prepare. You may be prompted to enter your Mac’s admin credentials. You will be shown a warning that the device will be erased. Click Erase.

Step 5: Sync the TV with the Scalefusion dashboard

After the Apple TV completes the erase process, sign in to your ABM or ASM. The device should now appear in your ABM or ASM account. Assign the Apple TV to the appropriate Scalefusion MDM server.

Next, navigate to the Scalefusion dashboard, go to Getting Started > Apple Setup > ADE/DEP > tvOS Devices Synced, and sync the devices.

The Apple TV will need to be wiped once again. In Apple Configurator, select the device, and click Actions > Advanced > Erase All Content and Settings.

Step 6: Finishing up

Once the Apple TV has been restored, follow the on-screen instructions.

On the remote management screen, click Continue. The device will now enroll in Scalefusion MDM.

Note that devices manually added to ABM via Apple Configurator can be removed by the user within 30 days of enrollment.

Simplify Apple TV enrollment with Scalefusion

Given Apple TV’s capabilities to work with different use cases to enhance presentations, communication, and customer experiences, its rapid adoption across the industry starts to make sense. Thus, the need for its effective enrollment at scale has never been higher.

Scalefusion Apple TV MDM allows organizations to enroll Apple TV at their own pace with simple steps and scale with the organization. It offers a comprehensive suite of features to tailor Apple TV functionality and apply these configurations across different device profiles.

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