iOS ADE enrollment skipped after ABM assignment: device bypasses Remote Management screen during setup

iOS

Title: iPad skips Remote Management screen during ADE enrollment — fix ABM assignment order

When an iPad is assigned to Esper in Apple Business Manager (ABM) but the Remote Management screen never appears during Setup Assistant, the device completes standard iOS setup and enrolls as an unmanaged device instead.

Why this happens

iOS checks Apple's activation servers for an MDM assignment only once — at the very start of Setup Assistant, immediately after connecting to Wi-Fi. If the device was factory reset before it was assigned to Esper in ABM, that check returns no assignment and iOS skips the Remote Management screen entirely. The fix is to factory reset the device again, after the ABM assignment is in place, so the activation check finds the correct MDM server.

Before you begin

Confirm all three of the following are true before proceeding:

The device serial number is assigned to the Esper MDM server in ABM at business.apple.com → Devices → [Device Serial] → MDM Server.
A blueprint is assigned to an active enrollment profile in the Esper Console at Provisioning → Apple Business Manager.
Your Wi-Fi network allows unrestricted access to albert.apple.com, deviceenrollment.apple.com, and mdmenrollment.apple.com. Captive portals, proxies, and firewalls that block these domains will prevent the enrollment profile from being fetched.

Steps

Factory reset the iPad. The device must be erased after the ABM assignment is confirmed. Use either method:
- On the device: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone/iPad → Erase All Content and Settings
- Via Recovery Mode: hold the correct hardware buttons for your iPad model to enter Recovery Mode, then restore through Finder (macOS) or iTunes (Windows).
Connect to Wi-Fi during Setup Assistant. Use a network that has direct, unrestricted access to Apple's activation servers. This is the moment iOS contacts Apple to retrieve the MDM assignment — a blocked or intercepted connection here will cause the Remote Management screen to be skipped.
Wait for the Remote Management screen to appear. Do not advance through setup screens immediately after connecting to Wi-Fi. Allow several seconds for the activation servers to respond and return the enrollment profile.
Tap Enroll when the Remote Management screen appears. Follow the remaining on-screen prompts to complete enrollment.
Verify enrollment in the Esper Console. Navigate to Devices & Groups and locate the device. The status should change from unenrolled to Active and the assigned blueprint should be applied within a few minutes of tapping Enroll.

Verify: The device appears in Devices & Groups with a status of Active and the correct blueprint applied. This should be visible in the Esper Console within 5 minutes of completing Setup Assistant.

If this doesn't resolve it

Work through the following checks before contacting support:

Prior MDM not released: If the device was previously enrolled in a different MDM, that MDM must release the device before Esper can claim it. Confirm the previous MDM has removed its management profile and reassigned or released the serial number in ABM.
Stale ABM assignment: In ABM, confirm there is no previous MDM server still listed against the serial number. Only one MDM server can hold the assignment at a time.
Device not ABM-eligible: If the serial number does not appear in ABM at all, the device may have been purchased through a reseller without ABM device linking. ABM enrollment is not possible for devices that were not purchased through an authorized channel or linked via Apple Configurator.
Network filtering: Re-test on a mobile hotspot to rule out corporate network filtering as the cause.

If the Remote Management screen still does not appear after all of the above, contact Esper Support with the following information:

Screenshots of every setup screen from Wi-Fi selection onward
Confirmation that the ABM assignment is in place and showing the correct MDM server
Confirmation that the factory reset was performed after the ABM assignment was saved
The network environment used (corporate Wi-Fi, hotspot, etc.) and whether Apple activation URLs are reachable from that network

Still need help?

If you're still experiencing issues with iOS ADE enrollment bypassing the Remote Management screen after ABM assignment, please submit a support ticket and include your ABM token configuration, device serial numbers affected, and the exact point in the enrollment flow where the Remote Management prompt is skipped.