If you are looking for Apple DEP, you are looking for something Apple renamed. The Device Enrollment Program is now Automated Device Enrollment (ADE), and the old deploy.apple.com portal was retired on 14 January 2021.
The capability did not go away. ADE does what DEP did: devices bought from Apple or an authorized reseller enroll into your device management service and apply your policies the first time they are switched on, with nobody touching the device.
What changed is where it lives. In April 2026 Apple replaced Apple Business Manager, Apple Business Essentials and Apple Business Connect with a single platform called Apple Business. ADE now runs there, or in Apple School Manager for schools.
What is Apple DEP (Apple Device Enrollment Program)?
The Apple Device Enrollment Program (Apple DEP) was Apple’s method for getting company-owned devices into management without an admin handling each one. Apple now calls it Automated Device Enrollment, and it runs inside Apple Business or Apple School Manager. It enrolls iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TVs into a Mobile Device Management (MDM) system automatically, which matters most once the fleet is large enough that configuring each device by hand stops being realistic.
With DEP, IT admins can configure the devices without actually touching them. The devices are supervised during activation, and the users can start using the devices straight out of the box.
The admins can also configure the device setup screens, reduce complicated steps, and the users can promptly start using the devices. DEP eliminates the need for self-enrollment and the potential risk of users not enrolling the device into an MDM at all. These devices can be pre-configured and enrolled into a trusted MDM platform. Using DEP, IT admins can supervise and enroll multiple devices, mitigating IT efforts.
To manage any Apple device effectively, it should be supervised. Apple Device Enrollment Program imparts supervision at the time of device setup.
Although devices not purchased through DEP can be manually enrolled into DEP, there is a provisional period of 30 days since device activation. During this period, device users can remove the devices from enrollment as well as supervision.
Hence, having DEP preconfigured in Apple devices is suggested for locking the device using Apple MDM enrollment. Apple Device Enrollment Program (DEP) is highly recommended for the effective remote management of enterprise-owned Apple devices.
Which Devices Are Eligible for Apple DEP?
As mentioned above, devices having iOS versions 7 or later and purchased directly from Apple or participating Authorized Resellers and carriers are eligible for DEP. The devices must be added to your Apple Device Enrollment Program (DEP) account at the time of the purchase.
Alternatively, you can manually enroll Apple devices with iOS 11 and above using Apple Configurator 2.5 and later. Devices purchased before the 1st of March 2011 cannot be added to DEP.
How Does Apple DEP Work?
The Apple Device Enrollment Program (Apple DEP) starts when your organization purchases iOS devices directly from Apple or through an authorized reseller. To begin, you need to log into your Apple DEP Portal or create an account by following the steps in the Device Enrollment Program Guide.
Once logged in, you’ll need to register your Mobile Device Management (MDM) system with the Apple DEP Portal. After this, secure communication is established between your MDM server and the DEP Portal, allowing them to sync information about the devices you’ve purchased through the program.
When the devices appear in the DEP Portal, you can assign them to specific users. The next time the devices are activated, all the restrictions, settings, and configurations from your MDM will be applied automatically Over The Air (OTA).
By setting up Apple DEP, you ensure that every device purchased through the program is automatically managed by your MDM as soon as it is turned on for the first time. This makes the deployment process easier and more efficient for IT teams.
What Are the Benefits of Apple DEP?
Apple Device Enrollment Program (DEP) is packed with benefits that can create a reliable device management experience without complicating the enrollment process.
The benefits of the Apple Device Enrollment Program (DEP) are listed below:
- Devices are mandatorily enrolled into an MDM – When devices are added to DEP, they must be compulsorily enrolled into an MDM platform. This ensures that the company-specific policies are pre-applied on the device before it reaches the user.
- Devices are wirelessly supervised – The devices added to DEP are wirelessly supervised during the setup process. Supervision provides granular control to the IT teams on managed devices.
- Devices are configured over the air – Using Apple Device Enrollment Program (DEP), IT teams can execute large-scale deployments of iOS and macOS devices over the air, immediately after on-device activation. This nullifies the need to physically access the device or use staging services to apply policies on the device.
- Setup Assistance is streamlined – The device setup of iPads, iPhones, Mac computers, and Apple TVs into MDM is simplified by the built-in setup assistant. It can be further streamlined by specifying the screens that can be skipped during the setup process.
Where is Apple Device Enrollment Program Available?
Apple Device Enrollment Program is available in the following countries/regions:
Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Taiwan, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Canada, and the United States.
Security Vulnerabilities of Apple’s Device Enrollment Program (Apple DEP)
Automated Device Enrollment removes the manual configuration step when Apple devices are deployed across enterprises and educational institutions. However, it’s not without its security flaws.
Vulnerabilities
- Serial Number Exploitation: Apple DEP relies on device serial numbers for enrollment. Malicious actors can exploit this by either stealing or spoofing serial numbers to gain unauthorized access to a corporate network.
- Lack of Rate-Limiting: The DEP API does not rate-limit queries, making it susceptible to brute-force attacks aimed at guessing serial numbers.
- Optional User Authentication: Some organizations configure their Mobile Device Management (MDM) servers to not require additional authentication beyond the serial number, which is a security risk.
- Predictable Serial Numbers: Serial numbers are constructed using a well-known schema, making them predictable and easier for attackers to guess.
- Information Leakage: Once a serial number is known, it can be used to query the DEP API for additional information about the organization, aiding in further attacks.
Mitigation Strategies
- User Authentication: Require users to authenticate during the MDM enrollment process, not just rely on the device serial number.
- Network Restrictions: Limit MDM enrollment to devices on the corporate network.
- Multi-Factor Authentication: Use additional layers of security like multi-factor authentication.
- Secure Serial Number Data: Protect the list of device serial numbers to prevent unauthorized access.
- Regular Security Audits: Conduct regular security checks to ensure that the DEP and associated MDM solutions are configured securely.
Pair Automated Device Enrollment with an MDM that enforces those controls, set the security policies to match, and keep watching for enrollment activity that does not fit.
Also read: What happened to Apple Business Essentials
How to Use Apple DEP With MDM?
Step 1: Sign in to Apple Business
Go to business.apple.com and sign in with a Managed Apple Account that holds Administrator privileges. Organizations still holding a legacy Apple Deployment Programs account can sign in with that account’s Agent credentials, which is the upgrade path Apple published when the old portal closed.
Rather than repeat the setup here, the current walkthrough is in Apple Business: What’s Free, What’s Not, and What the Built-In MDM Can’t Do, which also covers where Apple’s built-in device management stops.
Step 2: Link your MDM and assign devices
Add your MDM as a device management service in Apple Business, then assign devices to it by order number or serial number and apply your policies from the MDM. After that, every device you assign enrolls itself and pulls its configuration the first time it is switched on.
Apple Business tracks the inventory for you: assignment date, device type, which device management service each device is attached to, and the total under the account.
Automated Device Enrollment removes two jobs from the IT team: enrolling each device by hand, and applying policy to it afterwards. IT admins can enjoy micro-control over company-owned devices with the help of the Apple Device Enrollment Program (DEP) and an intuitive MDM solution.
Coupling Apple DEP with Scalefusion Apple Device Management puts enrollment and ongoing device management in one console. The supplementary features of Scalefusion MDM can further result in a beneficial management solution for schools and businesses alike.
FAQs
1. What is the difference between Apple DEP and Apple ADE?
Apple DEP (Device Enrollment Program) has been rebranded as Apple ADE (Automated Device Enrollment) under Apple Business. Both offer the same functionality, allowing organizations to automate device setup and configuration during deployment, but ADE is the updated term.
2. Is Apple DEP the same as Apple Business?
Apple DEP is now part of Apple Business, the platform that replaced Apple Business Manager in April 2026. It covers device enrollment (ADE) and app and content distribution (Apps and Books, formerly VPP) in one place, alongside Managed Apple Accounts.
3. Is the Apple Device Enrollment Program free?
Yes, Apple’s Device Enrollment Program is free to use. However, organizations must purchase devices through Apple or authorized resellers to be eligible for enrollment in the program. It requires Apple Business or Apple School Manager for setup.
4. Can I use Apple DEP with my existing MDM solution?
Yes, Apple’s Device Enrollment Program can be integrated with most MDM solutions. As long as the MDM provider supports Apple ADE, you can configure devices to enroll automatically into your existing MDM.
5. How do I configure devices through Apple DEP?
To configure devices, sign in to Apple Business, assign devices to your device management service, and set up automatic enrollment. When users activate the devices, they are automatically configured with your specified settings, apps, and restrictions.
