# MDM Migration: Which Devices Move Without a Wipe

> Switching MDM: which iPhones, iPads and Macs on OS 26 or later can move without erasing, what to rebuild first, and what Windows and Android need.

**Canonical HTML page:** https://www.protechnology.ae/mdm-migration-without-wiping-devices
**Source:** PRO TECHnology Co. L.L.C., Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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Enterprise IT · MDM migration

# Switching MDM Platforms: Which Apple, Windows and Android Devices Can Move Without a Wipe

Published 8 October 2026 · PRO TECHnology Enterprise IT

Only Apple offers a migration feature that moves company-owned devices to a new MDM without erasing them: iPhones, iPads and Macs on iOS 26, iPadOS 26 or macOS 26 or later, enrolled through Automated Device Enrollment, are reassigned in Apple Business or Apple School Manager and re-enrol by a deadline you set. Shared iPads and devices enrolled through Automated Device Enrollment on Apple Business’s built-in management cannot use Apple’s migration and are normally erased and re-enrolled, company-owned Android devices need a factory reset, and Windows PCs have no documented in-place path into FileWave. Settings and assignments do not carry over, so rebuild them in FileWave first. PRO TECHnology, FileWave’s distributor and partner for the Middle East, sets up FileWave as the destination service, enrols a pilot group and trains your administrators.

- **No-wipe path** iPhones, iPads and Macs on version 26 or later, enrolled with Automated Device Enrollment

- **Deadline window** Over 1 day and under 90; 30 at most with volume-purchased apps

- **What carries over** User data, and managed apps under Apple’s conditions; settings, assignments and licences are rebuilt

- **Windows and Android** Company-owned Android: factory reset. Windows: no documented path, test in a pilot

Apple’s no-wipe path in four steps, simplified from Apple’s Platform Deployment guide; step 1 works the same way in Apple School Manager. Only eligible devices take it, as the table below shows.

## Key takeaways

- Apple’s no-wipe migration is limited to company-owned iPhones, iPads and Macs on version 26 or later that were enrolled through Automated Device Enrollment.
- The move is a reassignment in Apple Business or Apple School Manager with a deadline more than one day and less than 90 days away, or 30 days at most when volume-purchased apps are involved.
- User data stays and managed apps can stay under Apple’s conditions, but profiles, certificates, Wi-Fi, VPN, restrictions, app assignments and volume-purchased (VPP) app licences must be rebuilt in FileWave before devices move.
- Shared iPads, Return to Service with app preservation and devices enrolled through Automated Device Enrollment on Apple Business’s built-in management are normally erased and re-enrolled, and company-owned Android devices need a factory reset.
- A Windows PC should be in one MDM at a time, Autopilot only runs at the out-of-box experience, and moving an already-enrolled PC without a reset has to be proven in a pilot.
- Test one or two devices of each type, move in batches of eligible devices only, and keep the old MDM running until the last device and the VPP token have moved.

## Which devices can change MDM without being erased

Changing MDM platform used to mean erasing most company-owned devices and enrolling them again. Since iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS 26, Apple offers a way round that for devices your organisation owns, explained step by step in the next section. No other platform documents an equivalent path for company-owned devices, and several Apple device types are excluded from it, as the table shows.

This guide assumes you already run an MDM and are weighing a move to FileWave; for the basics, see [what MDM and unified endpoint management mean](https://www.protechnology.ae/filewave-unified-endpoint-management-mdm-uae).

| Device and how it is enrolled | Moves without erasing? | What the move involves |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone and iPad on iOS 26 or iPadOS 26 or later, enrolled with Automated Device Enrollment | Yes | Reassign in Apple Business or Apple School Manager and set a deadline. User data stays. |
| Mac on macOS 26 or later, enrolled with Automated Device Enrollment | Yes | The same flow. |
| Devices added to Apple Business or Apple School Manager with Apple Configurator | Only after the 30-day provisional period | Inside that period the deadline option is not offered. |
| Apple devices on a version earlier than 26 | No | Update to version 26 first where the hardware allows; otherwise erase iPhones and iPads. A Mac on macOS 14 or later that is registered in Apple Business or Apple School Manager can enrol through Automated Device Enrollment after setup, so test moving one without an erase in your pilot. |
| Shared iPad, and devices set up for Return to Service with app preservation (an Apple option that erases a device but keeps it enrolled and its apps installed) | No | Apple excludes both. Plan an erase and re-enrolment. |
| Company-owned devices on Apple Business’s built-in device management, enrolled through Automated Device Enrollment | No | Apple does not support migrating to or from the built-in service, so plan an erase and re-enrolment for iPhones and iPads. Apple Business can unenrol a device from the built-in service without erasing it, and a registered Mac on macOS 14 or later can then enrol through Automated Device Enrollment, so test one Mac in your pilot before planning Mac erases. Personally owned devices enrolled there follow the next row. |
| Personally owned iPhones and iPads enrolled with User Enrollment | The device is not erased | Apple’s path needs organisation-owned devices enrolled with Automated Device Enrollment. Removing the old enrolment removes the organisation’s settings and, Apple says, always removes its managed apps and their data; personal apps and settings remain, and the user then enrols in FileWave. |
| Apple TV | Not documented | Apple’s requirements name iOS, iPadOS and macOS only, so plan to re-enrol Apple TV. |
| Windows PCs | No documented path | One MDM per PC. Moving an already-managed PC without a reset is undocumented, so prove it on pilot PCs. |
| Company-owned Android, fully managed or with a work profile | No | Google’s migration API cannot move a device between EMMs (enterprise mobility management services, Google’s term for an MDM). Factory reset and enrol in FileWave; for zero-touch devices, point the configuration at FileWave before the reset. |
| Personal Android phone with a work profile | The phone is not reset | The old work profile is deleted with its work apps and data, and a new FileWave work profile is created. Personal apps and data stay. |
| Chromebooks | Not applicable | Enrolment stays in the Google Admin console, which FileWave does not replace. |

Last reviewed 8 October 2026, against Apple’s Platform Deployment guide of 17 September 2026 (the edition for iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27), which keeps the requirement at iOS 26, iPadOS 26 or macOS 26 or later. Apple can change this behaviour, so check again after each major OS release.

All Apple rows assume the devices are registered in Apple Business or Apple School Manager. For sourcing new Macs, iPads and iPhones, see our notes on [Apple devices for business](https://www.protechnology.ae/enterprise-and-corporate-it-solutions#apple).

## How Apple’s assign-and-deadline migration runs

Apple treats the move as a change of assignment: select the devices in Apple Business or Apple School Manager, choose Assign Device Management, pick the new service and add a deadline. The device unenrols from the old service and enrols in the new one, prompting the user along the way. The rules, from Apple’s guides of 14 April and 17 September 2026:

- **Who can set it.** Apple School Manager’s Administrator, Site Manager and Device Enrollment Manager roles, or, in Apple Business, a role with permission to assign devices to device management services and manage default platform assignment.
- **The deadline.** More than one day and less than 90 days away. If volume-purchased apps are part of the deployment, Apple says not to set a deadline longer than 30 days.
- **Whose clock.** FileWave’s migration guide says the date and time are local to the device, so the same deadline reaches Dubai an hour before Riyadh.
- **Notifications.** Daily at first, hourly in the final 24 hours, then at 60, 30, 10 and 1 minute before the deadline.
- **Enforcement.** If the user has not acted, the organisation can enforce the move: a restart on iPhone and iPad, and a full-screen prompt on a Mac that cannot be dismissed.
- **Connectivity.** A device left without internet after unenrolling shows the Wi-Fi picker so the user can connect.
- **Second thoughts.** A migration can be cancelled before it starts, returning the device to the original service and stopping the prompts. Deadlines can be changed or removed.
- **Batches.** In Apple Business you can paste up to 1,024 serial numbers, separated by commas, to find the devices to move. The Apple School Manager and Apple Business APIs can assign devices, set or update deadlines and cancel migrations in bulk.

A device that does not meet the requirements never shows the deadline option, and a bulk action including it fails and appears in the activity log. FileWave adds that mixing eligible and ineligible devices can cause failures, so batch eligible devices only.

**Started on Apple Business’s built-in management?** Apple states that migrating to and from the built-in device management service isn’t supported, so the table’s erase and unenrol rules apply. The separate question of [whether Apple Business’s built-in management is enough](https://www.protechnology.ae/filewave-unified-endpoint-management-mdm-uae) is covered under “Apple Business and a separate MDM” in our MDM guide.

## What survives the move and what you rebuild first

What Apple keeps in place is narrow: the user’s data stays on the device, and managed apps can stay under the conditions below. Settings and assignments are another matter. Apple’s planning guide tells you to recreate the enrolment profile and all configuration profiles and payloads in the new service, and FileWave’s migration article spells out what that covers: profiles, restrictions, certificates, Wi-Fi, VPN, apps, VPP (volume purchase) assignments, FileVault and Activation Lock handling.

| Item | What happens in the move | What to prepare |
|---|---|---|
| User data | Stays on the device | Nothing to rebuild, though a current backup before the first batch is sensible. |
| Configuration profiles, restrictions, certificates, Wi-Fi and VPN | Not carried over | Recreate and assign them in FileWave before any device moves. Apple asks for configurations matching the old service, and for managed apps, Wi-Fi, FileVault and Activation Lock to be applied while the device is held in setup (the await configuration state). |
| Managed apps on iPhone and iPad | Kept with their data only under Apple’s conditions | The old service must be set not to send remove-app commands during unenrolment, and the new service must deliver the apps before it sends the DeviceConfigured command, which releases the device from setup. Declarative managed apps are always kept. |
| Volume-purchased app licences | Stay with the old service until the token moves | Remove the content token from the old service and upload a new one to FileWave. |
| In-house apps | No licence to move | Apple says apps your organisation builds can be downloaded again once the device enrols. |
| Activation Lock | Existing lock removed, bypass codes invalidated | On iPhone and iPad, the new service can apply an organisation-linked Activation Lock, and Apple Business says the new service creates new bypass codes after re-enrolment. Record the new codes. |
| FileVault on Mac | New key escrow depends on the new service | The new service can install a FileVault escrow configuration that rotates the Personal Recovery Key using a bootstrap token, if it supports that. |
| Managed user on Mac | Decided during the move | Every user on the Mac sees the prompt. Depending on the new service, whoever completes it becomes the managed user, or the Mac ends up with no managed user. |

App preservation and FileVault key rotation depend on how the destination service handles them, so confirm both in your pilot on the FileWave version you will run.

Plan for failure too. If a migration fails, Apple removes the earlier Activation Lock and its bypass codes, then turns Activation Lock on, and only an Apple School Manager Administrator or an Apple Business user with the “Organization Administrator” role can remove it. Keep someone with that role reachable on every batch day, and on shared or lab Macs decide which account completes the prompt.

## Setting up FileWave to receive migrated devices

FileWave’s knowledge base documents FileWave as a destination for Apple’s migration. Its first instruction is plain: “Do not start with a production-wide move.” The sequence it describes, in summary:

1. In Apple Business or Apple School Manager, add FileWave as a device management service if it is not there already, and complete the server token exchange.
2. In FileWave Central, confirm that Automated Device Enrollment is configured and syncing, and create the enrolment profile for migrated devices.
3. Assign the profiles, apps, certificates, restrictions and other settings that should apply after the move. For the application side, see our guide to [packaging and piloting applications in FileWave](https://www.protechnology.ae/remote-software-deployment-uae-gcc).
4. Reassign the pilot devices in Apple Business or Apple School Manager, choosing the FileWave service linked to the right token, and set the deadline.
5. In FileWave Central, open Assistants, then ADE Association Management, and click Synchronize. If a device does not appear, hold Option so the button becomes Full Sync. Assign the FileWave enrolment profile if it is missing, then synchronise again so Apple has it.
6. Check that each pilot device appears in FileWave, checks in and receives its profiles, apps and certificates, and that VPP apps, FileVault and Activation Lock behave as planned. Only then move the next small batch.

Confirm migration support for the FileWave version you will run when the destination server or cloud instance is set up.

FileWave’s knowledge base says that, by default, FileWave releases a device from the Await Configuration state as soon as possible. Since FileWave 15.5, an Automated Device Enrollment profile option, “Do not allow devices to complete Setup Assistant without FileWave approval”, holds devices until FileWave releases them. Both are described for first enrolment, so test in your pilot whether holding migrating iPhones and iPads lets their apps arrive first, which is Apple’s condition for keeping them.

## Windows PCs: one MDM at a time

Windows has nothing like Apple’s assign-and-deadline flow. Check feasibility first: automatic MDM enrolment needs Microsoft Entra ID P1 or P2, or a bundle that includes it, and Windows Home editions cannot join through this workflow. FileWave’s Windows MDM documentation then sets the ground rules that matter for a switch:

- **One MDM per PC.** FileWave says a Windows device should be enrolled in one MDM service at a time.
- **No overlapping user scope.** Windows automatic MDM enrolment follows the MDM user scope in Microsoft Entra ID. Do not scope the same users to FileWave and to another MDM service, or PCs can enrol in the wrong one.
- **Autopilot acts only at setup.** Windows Autopilot is applied during the out-of-box experience (OOBE). FileWave notes that assigning a profile to a PC already at the desktop “will not replay OOBE”, so an existing PC must be reset or reinstalled to use Autopilot.
- **Another tenant’s registration.** A PC registered with another organisation’s Autopilot service must be deregistered from that tenant first. FileWave notes that managing Autopilot records in a Microsoft portal does not make Microsoft’s MDM the one that manages the PC.
- **Leftover records.** A PC that is only Microsoft Entra registered, or enrolled MDM-only, needs that record removed before Autopilot registration.

For a pilot, FileWave’s route is a manual Microsoft Entra join (Settings, Accounts, Access work or school), which triggers automatic MDM enrolment into FileWave for a user in scope. If the FileWave Client is already installed on a PC, FileWave adds the MDM enrolment to that PC’s existing record instead of creating a second one.

The case most switchers face, a PC already Entra-joined and enrolled in another MDM, has no documented no-reset route, so treat it as unproven, test it on a few PCs of each build, and budget for a reset or reinstall if the test fails.

## Android: which devices need a factory reset to change MDM

Google’s Android Management API does include a migration without a reset, but it moves a device from an EMM’s own custom policy app to Google’s Android Device Policy. Google states that it “cannot be used to migrate a device from one EMM to another or from one enterprise to another”. For a change of EMM, that leaves these realities:

- **Company-owned devices.** Fully managed devices, and work profiles on company-owned devices, are erased and set up again. FileWave’s Android enrolment guide says fully managed enrolment needs a device that is new or factory-reset and still at initial setup.
- **Zero-touch devices.** Change the device’s configuration in the zero-touch portal to point at FileWave before the reset. Google says a device provisions itself with its configuration on first boot or at the next factory reset, so the order matters.
- **Personal phones with a work profile.** No factory reset is needed. The employee deletes the old work profile, which removes all apps and data inside it, then creates a new one from FileWave; personal apps and data are left alone. FileWave’s guide says any other organisation’s work profile or management must be resolved before enrolling, and in a switch that is your own old one.
- **Large fleets.** FileWave’s knowledge base (last reviewed 23 July 2026) says Google still documents a 500-device quota for standard Android Management API projects and that FileWave has an established support path for customers who reach it, so raise it with your FileWave support contact before a large re-enrolment.

## A cut-over plan from audit to final batch

Apple’s planning guide has six stages: document the current environment, plan, set up the new service, recreate the profiles, test, then migrate. For a mixed fleet moving to FileWave, that becomes:

1. **Sort every device by migration path.** Export the lists from the old MDM and from Apple Business or Apple School Manager, recording OS version, enrolment type, ownership and any Shared iPad or Return to Service set-up, then [reconcile your device inventory](https://www.protechnology.ae/it-asset-inventory-device-software-uae-gcc) so the list matches what is really in use.
2. **Bring Apple devices up to version 26.** Devices that reach iOS 26, iPadOS 26 or macOS 26 before migration day, and meet Apple’s other requirements, can move without erasing.
3. **Document what the old MDM connects to:** identity provider, certificate authority, Wi-Fi, firewall, app pipeline and Apple services. The new service needs its own Apple Push Notification service (APNs) certificate and link to Apple Business or Apple School Manager.
4. **Rebuild in FileWave,** including the VPP content token move.
5. **Test one or two devices of each type** with real users, networks and apps, including a Mac with FileVault, a Windows PC still in the old MDM and an Android phone of each ownership type.
6. **Move Apple devices in deadline batches,** selected by pasted serial lists or through the API, with only eligible devices in each batch. Stagger the deadlines so the service desk is not handling every prompt on the same morning.
7. **Tell users first.** Explain what the prompt looks like, when the deadline falls in their local time, and that an iPhone or iPad may restart at the deadline if they wait and the move is enforced.
8. **Keep the old MDM running** until the last device and the VPP token have moved. Devices that have not moved are still managed by it, and you need access to it to remove the content token and keep remove-app commands switched off.

**Hypothetical example.** A company in Dubai runs 300 iPads on iPadOS 26 and 40 Macs on macOS 26, all enrolled through Automated Device Enrollment from Apple Business, plus 15 Shared iPads in a training room, 120 Windows laptops and 60 company-owned Android phones, all in another MDM.

The 340 iPads and Macs move by reassignment in a few deadline batches after the pilot. Because the iPads use volume-purchased apps, each batch deadline is set at 30 days or less. The Shared iPads and Android phones are erased and re-enrolled into FileWave on agreed dates. The laptops wait for the pilot result: if an enrolled laptop cannot move cleanly, they are reset and set up again through Autopilot in groups.

## Devices that will need erasing anyway

Devices marked No in the eligibility table, other than Apple devices that can still be updated to version 26 and Macs that re-enrol in FileWave without an erase during the pilot, have to be erased and enrolled again. Plan the same for Apple TV, which Apple’s requirements do not cover, and for Windows PCs if the pilot fails.

- An erase removes user data, so [back up user data first](https://www.protechnology.ae/data-backup-disaster-recovery-uae-business-continuity).
- Point each device at FileWave before erasing it, by assigning Apple devices to FileWave in Apple Business or Apple School Manager and changing the zero-touch configuration for Android, so it enrols in FileWave when set up again.
- Schedule erases for quiet periods, such as school holidays for classroom devices.
- Hardware that is not worth moving can be retired instead; for the laptop and desktop drives in it, see our guide to [wiping drives before disposal](https://www.protechnology.ae/secure-data-erasure-drive-decommissioning-uae).

## Moving to FileWave with PRO TECHnology

PRO TECHnology is FileWave’s distributor and partner for the Middle East, as set out in our [FileWave partnership announcement](https://www.protechnology.ae/filewave-partners-with-pro-technology-distributor-middle-east). For a switch, we set up FileWave as the destination service, enrol a pilot group and train your administrators, so your team can check the result on a small group of its own devices before any batch is scheduled.

You can [book a FileWave demonstration](https://www.protechnology.ae/book-a-demo) at our Business Bay showroom or at your offices, or request licences and a quotation through our [FileWave page](https://www.protechnology.ae/filewave). In Saudi Arabia, enquiries go through PRONEXT in Riyadh; see [Enterprise IT in Saudi Arabia](https://www.protechnology.ae/enterprise-it-solutions-saudi-arabia).

## Sources

We checked Apple’s Platform Deployment guide (pages published 11 December 2024, 24 March 2026 and 17 September 2026), the Apple Business User Guide (pages published 14 April and 28 May 2026), FileWave’s knowledge base and Google’s Android Enterprise documentation on 8 October 2026; the article was last reviewed that day. Hypothetical examples are illustrations only, not customer cases.

- [Apple Platform Deployment: Migrate managed devices to another device management service (17 September 2026)](https://support.apple.com/guide/deployment/migrate-managed-devices-dep4acb2aa44/web)
- [Apple Platform Deployment: Plan your device management migration (17 September 2026)](https://support.apple.com/guide/deployment/plan-your-device-management-migration-depa5bf97586/web)
- [Apple Business User Guide: Migrate devices to a new management service in Apple Business (14 April 2026)](https://support.apple.com/guide/business/axm3a49a769d/web)
- [Apple Business User Guide: Unenroll devices and sign out users in Apple Business (28 May 2026)](https://support.apple.com/guide/business/axm1bd0cc49b/web)
- [Apple Platform Deployment: Managed Migration Assistant for macOS (24 March 2026)](https://support.apple.com/guide/deployment/dep4f861792f/web)
- [Apple Platform Deployment: Account-driven enrollment methods with Apple devices (11 December 2024)](https://support.apple.com/guide/deployment/dep4d9e9cd26/web)
- [FileWave KB: Migrating Apple Devices to FileWave from Another MDM Using ASM/ABM](https://kb.filewave.com/books/apple-school-business-manager/page/migrating-apple-devices-to-filewave-from-another-mdm-using-asmabm)
- [FileWave KB: Control Await Configuration state (ADE enrolled devices)](https://kb.filewave.com/books/apple-school-business-manager/page/control-await-configuration-state-ade-enrolled-devices)
- [FileWave KB: Pre-Requisites of Windows MDM Setup](https://kb.filewave.com/books/microsoft-windows-mdm/page/pre-requisites-of-windows-mdm-setup)
- [FileWave KB: Integrating with Windows Autopilot](https://kb.filewave.com/books/microsoft-windows-mdm/page/integrating-with-windows-autopilot)
- [FileWave KB: manually enrolling a Windows device in FileWave MDM](https://kb.filewave.com/books/microsoft-windows-mdm/page/manually-enroll-a-windows-device-in-filewave-mdm)
- [Google for Developers: Migrate existing devices to AMAPI](https://developers.google.com/android/management/dpc-migration)
- [Android Enterprise Help: Zero-touch enrollment for IT admins](https://support.google.com/work/android/answer/7514005)
- [Android Enterprise Help: What is an Android Work Profile?](https://support.google.com/work/android/answer/6191949)
- [FileWave KB: Android Enrollment (Evaluation Guide)](https://kb.filewave.com/books/evaluation-guide/page/android-enrollment)
- [FileWave KB: Android Enterprise 500-Device Enrollment Quota](https://kb.filewave.com/books/android/page/android-enterprise-500-device-enrollment-quota)

## Frequently asked questions

**Can we change MDM without erasing our iPhones, iPads and Macs?**

Yes, if they meet Apple’s requirements. The devices must run iOS 26, iPadOS 26 or macOS 26 or later, belong to your organisation and be enrolled through Automated Device Enrollment; devices added with Apple Configurator qualify only once their 30-day provisional period has ended. You reassign them to the new service in Apple Business or Apple School Manager and set a deadline, and each device re-enrols with its user data in place. Shared iPads and Return to Service with app preservation are excluded and normally need an erase, as do devices enrolled through Automated Device Enrollment on Apple Business’s built-in management.

**What happens if a user ignores the migration prompts until the deadline?**

Apple lets the organisation enforce the move at the deadline: an iPhone or iPad restarts, and a Mac shows a full-screen prompt that cannot be dismissed. Before that, users see notifications daily, then hourly in the last 24 hours, then at 60, 30, 10 and 1 minute before the deadline. If the device has no internet connection after unenrolling, it shows the Wi-Fi picker so the user can connect and finish.

**Is the migration deadline based on UAE time or the device’s local time?**

The device’s local time. FileWave’s migration guide states that the deadline’s date and time are local to the device. If your fleet spans the UAE and Saudi Arabia, a 9:00 deadline arrives at 9:00 in Dubai and at 9:00 in Riyadh, which is an hour later in absolute terms, because the UAE is one hour ahead. Plan service desk cover around each country’s working day.

**Do configuration profiles, certificates and app licences move across from the old MDM?**

No. User data stays, and managed apps can stay under Apple’s conditions, but settings and assignments do not move. Apple’s planning guide says to recreate the enrolment profile and all configuration profiles and payloads in the new service, and FileWave says the previous MDM’s assignments do not become FileWave assignments automatically. Rebuild Wi-Fi, VPN, certificates, restrictions and app assignments in FileWave first. For volume-purchased apps, remove the content token from the old service, upload a new one to FileWave and keep the deadline at 30 days or less.

**Will users keep their managed apps and app data on iPhone and iPad after the switch?**

They can, under Apple’s conditions. The old service must be configured not to send remove-app commands during unenrolment, and the new service must deliver the apps before it sends the DeviceConfigured command. Declarative managed apps are always kept. Check how apps behave on pilot devices moved into FileWave before moving larger batches.

**What happens to volume-purchased apps if we can no longer reach the old MDM?**

Apple Business says that without access to the old service you cannot unassign its volume-purchased apps, so they stay assigned and users can keep using them for up to 30 days or until the developer performs a receipt check, or until the new service unassigns them. The old service eventually loses access to your Apple Business organisational unit when its content token expires, but the assignments remain. While you still have access, remove the content token from the old service before the first batch and upload a new one to FileWave.

**What happens to Activation Lock and its bypass codes during an MDM migration?**

Apple removes the existing Activation Lock and invalidates its bypass codes as part of the migration. The new service can apply an organisation-linked Activation Lock to iPhones and iPads, and Apple Business says it creates new bypass codes after re-enrolment. If a migration fails, Apple still removes the old lock and codes but then turns Activation Lock on, and only an Apple School Manager Administrator, or an Apple Business user with the “Organization Administrator” role, can remove it. Make sure that role is on hand during each batch.

**Do Windows PCs have to be reset to use Windows Autopilot with a new MDM?**

Yes, for Autopilot itself. Autopilot is applied during the out-of-box experience, and FileWave notes that assigning a profile to a PC already at the desktop will not replay it, so an existing PC must be reset or reinstalled. A PC registered to another organisation’s Autopilot tenant must be deregistered first. Moving an already-enrolled PC into FileWave without a reset, through a manual Microsoft Entra join, is not documented, so test it on pilot PCs.

**Do company-owned Android phones need a factory reset to change MDM?**

Yes. Google’s migration without a reset only moves a device from an EMM’s custom policy app to Android Device Policy, and Google states it cannot move a device from one EMM to another. For zero-touch devices, point the configuration at the new EMM before the factory reset, because the configuration applies at first boot or the next reset; other devices are enrolled after the reset with a QR code or afw#setup. Personal phones with a work profile are not reset: the old work profile, with its work apps and data, is deleted and a new one created.

**Is Managed Migration Assistant the same thing as MDM migration?**

No. Managed Migration Assistant is Apple’s tool for moving a user’s data from an old Mac to a new one during Setup Assistant, with the organisation deciding which folders and settings transfer. Apple requires macOS 15 or later on the old Mac and macOS 26.4 or later on the new one. MDM migration keeps the same device and moves it from one management service to another, with the user’s data staying where it is.

## تغيير منصة إدارة الأجهزة (MDM): أي أجهزة Apple وWindows وAndroid يمكن نقلها دون مسح

منذ إصدارات iOS 26 وiPadOS 26 وmacOS 26 تتيح Apple نقل أجهزة iPhone وiPad وMac المملوكة للمؤسسة والمسجّلة عبر التسجيل التلقائي للأجهزة (Automated Device Enrollment) من خدمة إدارة إلى أخرى دون مسح بيانات المستخدم. تُسنَد الأجهزة إلى الخدمة الجديدة في Apple Business أو Apple School Manager مع موعد نهائي يزيد على يوم واحد ويقل عن 90 يومًا، ولا يتجاوز 30 يومًا عند وجود تطبيقات مشتراة بالجملة، ويُحتسب الموعد بالتوقيت المحلي للجهاز بحسب دليل FileWave. ويمكن الإبقاء على التطبيقات المُدارة في iPhone وiPad وفق شروط Apple، لكن الإعدادات والتعيينات لا تنتقل من المنصة القديمة، لذا يجب إعادة إنشاء ملفات التهيئة والشهادات وإعدادات Wi-Fi وVPN وتعيينات التطبيقات والتراخيص في FileWave قبل نقل أي جهاز.

لا يشمل هذا المسار أجهزة Shared iPad، ولا الأجهزة المهيّأة لخاصية Return to Service مع الإبقاء على التطبيقات، ولا أجهزة الشركة المسجّلة عبر التسجيل التلقائي في الإدارة المدمجة في Apple Business، فهذه تحتاج عادةً إلى مسح ثم تسجيل جديد. وكذلك تحتاج أجهزة Android المملوكة للشركة إلى إعادة ضبط المصنع ثم التسجيل في FileWave، مع توجيه إعداد التسجيل دون تدخّل يدوي (zero-touch) إلى المنصة الجديدة قبل إعادة الضبط في الأجهزة المسجّلة به. أما ملف العمل على هواتف Android الشخصية فيُحذف مع تطبيقاته وبياناته ثم يُنشأ من جديد دون إعادة ضبط الهاتف، وتبقى البيانات الشخصية كما هي. وفي Windows يُسجَّل الجهاز في منصة إدارة واحدة فقط في كل مرة، ولا يعمل Windows Autopilot إلا عند الإعداد الأولي، ولا توجد طريقة موثّقة لنقل الأجهزة المسجّلة سابقًا دون إعادة ضبط، لذلك يجب اختبار نقلها في مرحلة تجريبية قبل اعتماده.

ننصح باختبار جهاز أو جهازين من كل نوع أولًا، ثم نقل الأجهزة المؤهلة فقط على دفعات بمواعيد نهائية متتابعة، مع إبقاء المنصة القديمة عاملة حتى ينتقل آخر جهاز ورمز محتوى التطبيقات المشتراة بالجملة. بروتكنولوجي (PRO TECHnology) هي الموزّع والشريك لـ FileWave في الشرق الأوسط. نُعِدّ FileWave خدمةً تستقبل الأجهزة المنقولة، ونسجّل مجموعة تجريبية، وندرّب مسؤولي الأنظمة لديكم. وتُوجَّه الاستفسارات الواردة من المملكة العربية السعودية إلى PRONEXT في الرياض.

## Plan your move to FileWave

Tell us how many devices you run on each platform, how they are enrolled today and which OS versions they run. We will demonstrate FileWave at our Business Bay showroom or at your offices and send a quotation for your fleet.

[Talk to our team](https://www.protechnology.ae/contact-us)[Book a FileWave demo](https://www.protechnology.ae/book-a-demo)[FileWave licences and quotes](https://www.protechnology.ae/filewave)[Packaging apps in FileWave](https://www.protechnology.ae/remote-software-deployment-uae-gcc)