Migrate devices to a new management service in Apple Business Manager
In Apple Business Manager, users with the roles of Administrator and Device Enrollment Manager can migrate devices from one device management service to another. This includes being able to set a deadline for the migration to take place.
For example, you may be:
Moving from an on-premises to a cloud-based device management service.
Moving devices into a single device management service when acquiring another organization.
Migrating from one device management service to one from a different developer.
Note: You can cancel the migration before it starts, which reverts the device to the original device management service and cancels migration prompts on the device.
Migration includes the following features:
Users with the roles of Administrator and Device Enrollment Manager can set a deadline for completing enrollment, and view the pending migrations notification on the device page.
If the user doesn’t take action, the organization can enforce migration and reenrollment. This involves a restart on an iPhone or iPad, and a nondismissible full-screen prompt on a Mac.
iPhone and iPad devices have the option to preserve apps and their associated data if the new device management service delivers the apps before sending the
DeviceConfiguredcommand.After reenrollment, the new device management service creates Activation Lock bypass codes.
Important: To provide continued service access and a seamless user experience, administrators need to ensure the new device management service applies configurations that match those of the previous device management service and use the await_device_configured key for Managed Apps, FileVault, and Activation Lock configurations.
Requirements
To migrate from one device management service to another, your devices need to meet the following requirements. If they don’t meet the requirements, they’re unable to show the deadline option, and bulk actions result in failures (which appear in the activity log).
Devices with iOS, iPadOS, or macOS 26.
You need to own the device and enroll it with Automated Device Enrollment. Additionally, macOS 26 supports migration for Mac computers that unenroll and reenroll with profile-based enrollment.
If you enroll the device manually using Apple Configurator, it needs to be after the 30-day provisional period.
Note: Migrating to and from the device management service within Apple Business Essentials isn’t currently supported.
For more information, see Migrate managed devices to another device management service in Apple Platform Deployment.
Before you begin
Before you begin migration of devices, consider the following:
Volume purchased apps
If volume purchased apps are part of the deployment, don’t set a migration deadline greater than 30 days. To properly prepare before a migration that involves volume purchased apps:
1. Remove the content token from the current device management service.
2. Upload a new content token to the destination device management service.
Depending on your current device management service, you may have the option to immediately remove the app after removing the license.
If you can’t access the current device management service, you can’t unassign the apps, so the apps remain assigned and users can use them as follows:
For up to 30 days or when the app developer performs a receipt check.
Until the new device management service unassigns them.
Eventually, the content token expires, and the previous device management service loses access to the Apple Business Manager location. Assignments still remain.
Migrate a single device to a new device management service
In Apple Business Manager
, sign in with a user who has the role of Administrator or Device Enrollment Manager.Select Devices
in the sidebar, then select a device you want to migrate to another device management service.Note: You can use the device filters to locate eligible devices.
Select More
, then select Assign Device Management.Select the device management service you want this device to migrate to.
If you want to set a deadline, select Add Deadline.
If you're unable to set a deadline, the device doesn’t meet the requirements.
Set a deadline of less than a day or more than 90 days.
Select Continue.
Carefully read the dialog, then select Confirm.
You can wait for the activity to complete, view the activity, or select Close to close the window.
If there are unassigned apps, reassign them with the new device management service.
Migrate multiple devices to a new device management service
In Apple Business Manager
, sign in with a user who has the role of Administrator or Device Enrollment Manager.Select Devices
in the sidebar, then select the devices you want to migrate to another device management service.Select More
, then select Assign Device Management.Select the device management service you want this device to migrate to.
If you want to set a deadline, select Add Deadline.
If you're unable to set a deadline, the device doesn’t meet the requirements.
Set a deadline of less than a day or more than 90 days.
Select Continue.
Carefully read the dialog, then select Confirm.
You can wait for the activity to complete, view the activity, or select Close to close the window.
If there are unassigned apps, reassign them with the new device management service.
Edit the date of, or cancel a migration for, a single device
In Apple Business Manager
, sign in with a user who has the role of Administrator or Device Enrollment Manager.Select Devices
in the sidebar, then select the device that you want to edit the migration date or cancel the migration for.Select Change Deadline, change or remove the deadline, then select Save.
Edit the date of, or cancel a migration for, multiple devices
In Apple Business Manager
, sign in with a user who has the role of Administrator or Device Enrollment Manager.Select Devices
in the sidebar, then select the devices that you want to edit the migration date or cancel the migration for.Select Unassign or Reassign, change or remove the deadline, then select Save.