> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getprimo.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Migrate iPhones and iPads using Apple Business

> Reassign iPhones and iPads from a previous MDM to Primo via Apple Business, without erasing devices on iOS and iPadOS 26.

Move iPhones and iPads from your previous Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution
to Primo by reassigning them in Apple Business. On iOS and iPadOS 26 and later,
Apple's native migration moves each device without erasing it, and the device
stays supervised.

This article covers organization-owned iPhones and iPads registered in Apple
Business and enrolled with your previous MDM through
**Automated Device Enrollment (ADE)**. For Macs, see
[Migrate Macs using Apple Business](/mdm/rollout/migrating-macs-using-abm). For
devices not in Apple Business, choose another approach in
[enrollment methods](/mdm/rollout/enrollment-methods).

## Prerequisites

* The device is **organization-owned** and **registered in Apple Business**
* The device is enrolled with your previous MDM through
  **Automated Device Enrollment (ADE)**
* **iOS or iPadOS 26 or later** for a migration without erasing the device. For
  earlier versions, see the **iOS and iPadOS 18 and earlier** tab in
  [Migrate the devices](#migrate-the-devices)
* **Administrator access** to Apple Business, with a role allowed to set
  migration deadlines
* Primo already **connected to Apple Business** as an MDM server
  ([set this up first](/mdm/zero-touch/zero-touch-macs))
* An active **Apple Push Notification service (APNs) certificate** in Primo
  ([set it up](/mdm/get-started/set-up-apn-certificate))

<Info>
  Apple's native migration is not available for Shared iPad.
</Info>

## Prepare the migration

Complete these steps before you reassign any device. The migration removes
everything the previous MDM installed, and some of it cannot be recovered
afterwards.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Transfer your content token (VPP)">
    If you deploy apps purchased in volume, remove the content token from your
    previous MDM, then connect it to Primo. Never keep the same token active in
    both MDMs. Follow the migration order in
    [App Store apps](/mdm/policies/app-store-apps#connect-your-content-token),
    **Migrate from another MDM** tab.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Recreate your configuration in Primo">
    The migration removes every configuration profile installed by the previous
    MDM: Wi-Fi, restrictions, email accounts, and any other setting. Recreate
    the ones you need in Primo before the migration, so they apply as soon as
    each device enrolls.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Retrieve Activation Lock bypass codes">
    Export the Activation Lock bypass codes from your previous MDM. The
    migration invalidates them, and they cannot be recovered once the previous
    MDM is decommissioned. See
    [Activation Lock bypass code escrow](/mdm/guides/activation-lock-bypass).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Ask employees to back up their authenticator apps">
    See the warning in [Review what changes on the device](#review-what-changes-on-the-device).
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Start with a pilot of 2 or 3 devices. Once they have enrolled and the apps
  and profiles you expect are in place, migrate the rest of the fleet.
</Tip>

## Reassign the devices in Apple Business

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign in to Apple Business">
    Go to [business.apple.com](https://business.apple.com/) and sign in.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select the devices to migrate">
    Go to **Devices**, then select the iPhones and iPads you want to reassign.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reassign to Primo">
    Click **Assign Device Management**, select your Primo MDM server as the
    destination, and confirm the assignment.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the migration deadline">
    Apple Business asks for a deadline to complete enrollment, between 1 and 90
    days. Employees can postpone the migration until then. Keep the deadline
    within 30 days if you deploy apps purchased in volume.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  The deadline is mandatory. Reassigning a device without one does not start
  the migration: the device never receives a migration prompt, and nothing
  reports the failure, in Apple Business, in the cockpit, or on the device. Set
  the deadline in the same session as the reassignment.
</Warning>

<Note>
  This deadline is set in Apple Business and applies to the migration only. It is
  unrelated to the OS update deadline you configure in the cockpit, which
  enforces a minimum OS version.
</Note>

## Migrate the devices

What happens next depends on the OS version. Apple numbers iOS and iPadOS by
year, so version 26 directly follows version 18. There are no versions 19
through 25.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="iOS and iPadOS 26 and later">
    iOS and iPadOS 26 support Apple's native MDM migration.
    **Do not unenroll the devices from your previous MDM**: each device
    unenrolls itself during the migration.

    1. The device receives an **Enrollment Required** notification with the
       deadline you set.
    2. The employee can tap **Start Enrollment** to migrate right away, or
       **Not Now** to postpone it.
    3. Notifications repeat daily, then hourly during the last 24 hours.
    4. At the deadline, the migration is forced. The device unenrolls from the
       previous MDM, enrolls with Primo through Automated Device Enrollment,
       and restarts.

    The device is never erased and stays supervised, whether the employee
    starts the migration or the deadline enforces it.

    <Note>
      After the migration completes, delete any device records that remain in
      the previous MDM console.
    </Note>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="iOS and iPadOS 18 and earlier">
    Apple's native migration is not available before iOS and iPadOS 26. A
    device can only become supervised through Automated Device Enrollment or
    Apple Configurator, and both erase it. To keep the device supervised, you
    have to erase it and re-enroll it through zero-touch deployment.

    **Recommended:** update the devices to iOS or iPadOS 26 first, then follow
    the **iOS and iPadOS 26 and later** tab. The migration then happens without
    erasing them.

    If you cannot update the devices:

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Back up the device">
        Erasing the device deletes all its data. Have the employee back up
        anything they need, including their authenticator app accounts.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Reassign the device in Apple Business">
        Follow [Reassign the devices in Apple Business](#reassign-the-devices-in-apple-business).
      </Step>

      <Step title="Erase the device">
        Erase the device from the previous MDM console, or from the device in
        **Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Complete Setup Assistant">
        The device enrolls with Primo through zero-touch deployment and is
        supervised again.
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    <Warning>
      Before erasing, turn off **Find My** on the device, or confirm you have a
      valid Activation Lock bypass code. An erased device that still has Find My
      enabled comes back Activation-Locked. See
      [Activation Lock bypass code escrow](/mdm/guides/activation-lock-bypass).
    </Warning>

    Removing the device from the previous MDM and sending a Primo
    [enrollment invitation](/mdm/rollout/invite-employees) does not erase it,
    but the device enrolls unsupervised.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Review what changes on the device

* **Apps** — apps managed by the previous MDM are removed during the
  migration. Primo then reinstalls them according to your policies, **without
  their local data**.
* **Cloud-synced apps** — employees only need to sign in again. Their data
  comes back from the cloud.
* **Configuration profiles** — the migration removes all profiles from the
  previous MDM. Primo applies its own profiles after enrollment.
* **Supervision** — on iOS and iPadOS 26, the device stays supervised.
* **Activation Lock** — bypass codes from the previous MDM become invalid.

<Warning>
  Authenticator apps (MFA) lose their accounts when they are removed and
  reinstalled. Before the migration, ask employees to back up or transfer
  their authenticator accounts, for example to the app's cloud backup or to
  another device. Otherwise, they may lose access to the services those
  accounts protect.
</Warning>

## Verify the migration

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check the device appears in Devices">
    The device record shows the device as enrolled and supervised.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the enrollment state on the device">
    On the device, open **Settings > General > VPN & Device Management**. The
    previous MDM profile should be gone, and a Primo management profile
    present.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm profiles and apps are applied">
    Expected configuration profiles and app deployments appear on the device
    record.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Troubleshooting

**The device never shows a migration prompt**

* Confirm a **migration deadline is set** in Apple Business. This is the most
  common cause: reassignment alone does not trigger the migration, and nothing
  reports the missing deadline.
* Confirm the device runs iOS or iPadOS 26 or later and is not a Shared iPad.
* Confirm the reassignment is saved in Apple Business and the device is online.

**Apps purchased in volume do not reinstall**

* Confirm the content token is removed from the previous MDM and connected to
  Primo. Some apps may need to be reassigned manually once the new token is
  active. See [App Store apps](/mdm/policies/app-store-apps#connect-your-content-token).

## Contact

If devices remain unenrolled after the deadline, contact
[support@getprimo.com](mailto:support@getprimo.com) with:

* The device serial numbers
* The iOS or iPadOS version on each device
* The name of your previous MDM solution
* The migration deadline you set in Apple Business

## Related articles

* [Migrate Macs using Apple Business](/mdm/rollout/migrating-macs-using-abm)
* [App Store apps](/mdm/policies/app-store-apps)
* [Activation Lock bypass code escrow](/mdm/guides/activation-lock-bypass)


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