APNs certificate expired and original Apple ID is unavailableSolved

Hi @ruthg_ ,

For APNs renewal, the certificate must be renewed using the same Apple Account that was used to create the existing APNs certificate.

If the APNs certificate is renewed with the original Apple Account, existing iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices can continue communicating with Hexnode UEM without needing re-enrollment.

If a new APNs certificate is created with a different Apple Account, it will be treated as a different certificate. This breaks the MDM communication channel for already enrolled Apple devices. Those devices will stop responding to MDM commands and must be re-enrolled.

Since Apple says the email address is not an Apple Account, the most likely possibilities are:

1. A different email address was used to create the APNs certificate.
2. The certificate was created by another technician or admin account.
3. The original Apple Account needs to be recovered through Apple Support.

The recommended next step is to contact Apple Support and ask them to help identify or recover the Apple Account associated with the APNs certificate. Keep the certificate details available, such as the Certificate Topic/UID and your organization details, as Apple may use these to verify the certificate ownership.

Avoid creating a new APNs certificate unless you are prepared to re-enroll all affected Apple devices.

Regards,
Isabel Lora
Hexnode UEM

So there is no way to just upload a new certificate from a new Apple ID and keep the same devices connected? We have a lot of devices enrolled already, so re-enrolling everything would be painful.

Yes @ruthg_ . Uploading a certificate created with a different Apple Account will not renew the existing APNs identity. It creates a new APNs relationship, and the currently enrolled Apple devices will no longer trust that MDM communication channel.

For already enrolled devices, the only non-disruptive path is to renew the existing APNs certificate using the original Apple Account. If the email you are trying is not recognized by Apple, check with previous admins or internal documentation to identify the correct Apple Account, then work with Apple Support for recovery.

Regards,
Isabel Lora
Hexnode UEM