On the MDM front, if you have a Mac in the office you can run the Apple Configurator app for free too. It can manage app deployment and security stuff as well as other things.
sarahk8944: Thank you very much, we will definitely look into setting up a company icloud. The time being spent on this phone is crazy. We have had a long chat with Apple, they are somehow going to remove the device from that icloud. Don't know how, don't want to know just want it done. Thanks everyone for the advice. Valuable lessons learnt here.
That is the other way to do it (get apple to remove the device ID from the icloud account) but this can take so long to do and you have to prove the device is the companies etc. It is a good idea what apple has done as if the device is stolen the people can't use it even after reloading the OS via DFU mode. Just a bit of a pain if you have a number of devices to look after
Once you have setup the company ID for icloud make sure you turn off everything (keychain, backups etc) under icloud setting except find my iphone. Also go into the General settings under about and change the device name to something like the users name, this way you can then log in to icloud with the company ID and use that to find phones, delete or lock them.
Like i said before they can still use their their apple ID for the app store and itunes etc.
If they really want to use icloud get them to sign something :)
Oh on another note we get our staff to sign something saying that they can use the devices for games etc however we are not held responsible for any lost personal data from a remote delete (had 1 guy go nuts because his device was wiped along with pictures of his grand kids first xmas pictures) and the devices "may" be tracked if needed.
Also to note they can end up using iCloud backup/ photo sharing if they switch it on (purposefully or not) so ensure they ae told the risks associated and/or that you'll delete it periodically if they fill it up?
sarahk8944: We have had a long chat with Apple, they are somehow going to remove the device from that icloud. Don't know how, don't want to know just want it done.
Did that happen? I've seen posts on another forum where people have stated that Apple will never do this (what evidence they had for this statement is unknown), so I'd be interested in hearing whether it was actually done or not.
MDM solution is not going to help you I am afraid with this issue.
Background. Airwatch setup with over 200 iPad's for students and 50 odd iPad's or iPhone's for staff.
I have had 2 iPad's returned. Wipe the device and of course asking for Apple ID activation. Lucky for me, they used the work email address to sign up. Gained access to their mailbox and and removed the activation.
3 iPad's returned from students last week. They signed out of our education Apple ID and signed in with their personal email address. Finished course, left etc and these 3 are locked. We now have to email apple with the receipt/prove ownership of the device and they can remotely activate it providing the device is connected to a WiFi network which they can be. Not sure how long this is going to take.
There is no policy/API available to MDM servers which can stop from Apple ID being locked to the device even if you deploy a standard image via the Apple configurator.
The best you can do on the MDM server is block iCloud from being turned ON/setup which is what enabled this remote activation of iOS devices. I have this turned OFF on the student side but not on the staff side due to upper level management decision despite telling them the risks.
The issue is that Apple see's iOS devices as an end user's device and thus you cannot stop anyone from factory resetting the device despite the strictest of MDM policy (again no API available to block the master profile being removed with a passcode). This is what the students did. iOS devices are not enterprise devices right now.
Did hear from somebody that hopefully in the next version of iOS this year, they will either remove the activation restriction completely or arrange for some online portal where businesses go unlock these devices with ease if this happens.
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