Apple ID for Organization iPads

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Apple ID for Organization iPads

Hello All,

I work with a volunteer fire department and we use two iPads between two different apparatus to receive pages and navigate to them. These were set up before I joined and are on a member's personal Apple-ID. This is an issue as the staff of the department rotates often, and members are usually only active for 3 to 5 years. The worry is that when this member leaves (likely soon), the devices will become difficult if not impossible to use. I was assigned to resolving this issue as one of the more tech-savvy members. I had been looking into Apple Business Manager as a solution, but saw that it may require us using/paying for other software for central management in tandem with ABM.

I am wondering if registering with ABM would be a generally good idea to resolve our issue, or if there may be a different way for us to register the devices under an Apple-ID which is not tied to a specific person. We really don't care about managing access to software and settings on the devices, we just don't want to have them tied to a specific person's ID.

Any assistance is appreciated, and I may ask some dumb questions as my experience with apple products for organization use is limited.

iPad Air

Posted on Sep 12, 2025 11:27 AM

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Answer 1

Sep 12, 2025 11:37 AM in response to WY_Nate

I would consult with the Apple business team to see what MDM solutions they would recommend, hopefully not at an extra cost. Consulting with the business team is free. Most Apple Stores have their own business team if there is one nearby and you would prefer face-to-face. Otherwise, see https://apple.com/business and scroll down to the “Get in Touch” button.

You said you use the iPad to “receive pages and navigate them” - is this done through a third-party app? If so, the issue I foresee is that the app download would be tied to that member’s Apple Account. There may also be an issue if iCloud, and more specifically Find My, is enabled on these iPads. That means that the iPads would be locked to that Apple Account, and even if erased, would still require their password to set up the iPad. In the interim, maybe you can ask that member to disable that feature while they are still there.

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Answer 2

Sep 12, 2025 01:17 PM in response to WY_Nate

Hello, I’m aware of four options. The first is to remove the current Apple Account since it’s linked to a personal account and a lot of personal information. This raises privacy and security concerns, in addition to the ones you mentioned about rotating members and the difficulty of use.

A potential solution is to create an Apple Account for the volunteer fire department. You can name the account anything you like, but perhaps a name related to the fire department (instead of a person) would be more appropriate. This approach should address the concern about future staff departures.

The other options involve Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions. One that I’m familiar with is JAMF. You can visit its website (JAMF.com) to learn more. A few years ago, they offered a free tier if you enrolled a small number of devices, I believe it was two or three. However, it’s been a while, so I can’t confirm if they still offer this free option. (I couldn’t quickly find out if JAMF currently offers a free tier after a quick check of their website moments ago. But they do offer a free trial period.)

The second option is ABM, which also provides similar capabilities for enrolling and managing devices as JAMF. Both solutions have associated monthly costs that you may or may not want to consider.

The last option I believe would work is Apple Configurator. It allows for enrollment and management of devices, similar to the previous two options. You can download it from the App Store.

I hope one of these options works for you.

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