Apple Configurator

A macOS application that allows admins to configure and deploy multiple iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS devices simultaneously. It allows for creating configuration profiles, installing apps, updating operating systems, and preparing devices for deployment, including manual supervision.

What to Know

Apple Configurator is the primary tool for manually supervising iOS and iPads when Automated Device Enrollment is not available. Supervision unlocks critical management capabilities, and Configurator is often the only practical way to supervise legacy devices or devices purchased from non-ABM-enrolled resellers. For small deployments or one-off device setups, Configurator provides a faster alternative to full MDM enrollment workflows.

Configurator also enables bulk device preparation, allowing IT to configure dozens of devices simultaneously with identical settings, apps, and profiles. This is essential for education deployments where IT needs to prepare classroom carts of iPads before the school year, or for retail environments preparing point-of-sale devices.

Common Scenarios

Enterprise IT: IT uses Configurator to manually supervise existing unsupervised corporate devices without erasing and re-enrolling through ADE. This is common when retrofitting older devices or devices purchased before the organization adopted ABM. Configurator is also used to restore devices to known-good configurations when troubleshooting, or to prepare demo devices for trade shows and presentations.

MSP: MSPs use Configurator for clients with small Apple deployments who don’t justify the overhead of ABM setup. It’s also used for emergency device provisioning when a client needs devices deployed immediately without waiting for ABM device assignment. MSPs should document Configurator workflows carefully since manual supervision requires physical device access and can’t be done remotely.

Education: Schools use Configurator to prepare shared iPad carts, installing baseline apps and profiles before distributing devices to classrooms. Configurator’s ability to simultaneously prepare 30+ devices makes it ideal for summer deployment cycles. Schools also use it to create blueprints—reusable device configurations that can be applied to new devices each year.

In Addigy

While Addigy primarily manages devices enrolled through ADE, it fully supports devices supervised via Apple Configurator. Devices supervised with Configurator and then enrolled in Addigy gain access to the same supervision-only features as ADE devices. Addigy can identify whether a device was supervised via ADE or Configurator in the device details page, helping admins understand each device’s enrollment history.

Addigy documentation provides step-by-step Configurator workflows for scenarios where ADE isn’t available. Admins can export Addigy enrollment profiles for use in Configurator, streamlining the process of preparing devices for Addigy management.