How to Set Up a Work or School iPhone

Step by step

1. 5 min

   Ask which account you are getting

   Before you touch the phone, ask IT whether you sign in with a Managed Apple Account issued by the organization or with your own personal Apple Account. A managed account is created and owned by your employer or school. They can reset its password and revoke it.

   Note: Apple used to call it a Managed Apple ID. Same thing, newer label. The old name still turns up in portals and help pages.
2. 10 min

   Watch for the Remote Management screen

   If the organization bought the iPhone, Automated Device Enrollment shows a Remote Management screen during setup, shortly after the Wi-Fi step. Sign in with your work credentials there. The phone enrolls itself, installs the management profile, and may push apps before you reach the Home Screen.

   Note: On a company-owned device that screen usually cannot be skipped. That is the design of it, not a fault in the setup assistant.
3. 10 min

   Enroll your own iPhone through the portal

   If the iPhone is yours, do not wipe it for Remote Management. Install the organization's portal app, often named Company Portal, sign in with your work account, and follow its prompts. Some organizations instead use Sign In to Work or School Account under Settings > General, in the device management row.

   Note: This route is User Enrollment. Work data lands on a separate volume, which is the reason IT cannot reach the rest of your phone.
4. 5 min

   Add work mail and calendar

   Enrollment often installs the mail account for you. If it does not, go to Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts > Add Account and choose Microsoft Exchange or Google. Calendar, Contacts, and Notes ride on the same account, so turn on only what you want syncing.

   Note: If the account arrived inside a profile, its server settings will be greyed out. Ask IT to change them rather than deleting the account.
5. 5 min

   Check profiles, VPN, and certificates

   Open Settings > General and tap the device management row, labelled VPN & Device Management, or VPN, DNS & Device Management when a DNS profile is installed. Everything the organization installed sits there: the management profile, VPN configurations, Wi-Fi settings, and certificates. Tap a profile to read the payloads it carries. Root certificates also show under Settings > General > About > Certificate Trust Settings.

   Note: A root certificate plus a company VPN means traffic routed through that network can be inspected. Read the payload list before you agree to it.
6. 5 min

   Learn what your admin can actually see

   An administrator can typically see device model, serial number, OS version, and managed apps, enforce a passcode policy, install or remove managed apps, and wipe managed data. On a personally owned enrolled iPhone they typically cannot read your personal messages, photos, or browsing history.

   Note: Company-owned supervised phones allow more than that. Ask your IT team for the written policy instead of guessing from the settings screen.