Can Apple Configurator on iPad use Blueprints for Hexnode enrollment?Solved

Apple Configurator on iPad can be used to add iPhone or iPad devices to Apple Business Manager, but it does not support Apple Configurator Blueprints. Blueprints are available only in Apple Configurator for Mac. The iPadOS version of Apple Configurator is a streamlined app mainly used to declare and register devices into Apple Business Manager.

For a Mac-free workflow, the recommended approach is:

1. Use Apple Configurator on iPad to add the new iPad to Apple Business Manager.
2. In Apple Business Manager, assign the device to the Hexnode MDM server.
3. In Hexnode, make sure the Automated Device Enrollment profile is assigned.
4. When the device is activated, it will enroll into Hexnode and receive policies, apps, restrictions, and configurations over the air.

If your current Blueprint is used for local USB-based preparation, offline app installation, or other Mac-only provisioning steps, you will still need Apple Configurator for Mac for that part of the workflow.

For the renewal warnings:

• VPP token renewal keeps Apps and Books connected so Hexnode can install and update apps.
• APNs certificate renewal keeps Hexnode connected to Apple devices. If the APNs certificate expires completely, managed Apple devices can lose communication with Hexnode and may need to be re-enrolled.

For APNs renewal, always use the same Apple ID that was originally used to create the APNs certificate.

For APNs, we tried using another Apple ID and Apple rejected it. In Hexnode, there’s an Apple ID shown under Admin > APNs. Is that definitely the one we need to use?

The Apple ID shown under Admin > APNs is a useful clue, but the important requirement is that the APNs certificate must be renewed using the exact Apple ID that originally created it in the Apple Push Certificates Portal.

If Apple says the Apple ID does not match, do not create a new APNs certificate unless you are prepared to re-enroll all existing Apple devices. A new APNs certificate is treated as a different certificate and will not maintain management communication with devices enrolled under the old one.

You can also check the Apple ID used for Automated Device Enrollment, as many organizations use the same Apple ID for both ADE and APNs:

1. Go to Hexnode > Admin.
2. Open Apple Business/School Manager.
3. Go to Automated Device Enrollment.
4. Open the relevant account entry.
5. Check the Apple ID associated with that account.

Depending on the portal layout, this section may appear as DEP Accounts or simply Accounts under Automated Device Enrollment.

What if nobody knows the original Apple ID anymore? We may have multiple Apple IDs from different admins, and I’m worried about breaking management for the existing iPads.

If the original Apple ID cannot be identified or accessed, the safest option is to contact Apple Support and request a transfer of the existing APNs certificate to a new Apple ID that your organization controls. Apple typically asks for certificate details such as:

• Unique Identifier (UID) 
• Common Name 
• Serial Number

These details can be found in Hexnode under Admin > APNs. When contacting Apple, explain that you are trying to renew an existing APNs certificate for MDM but no longer have access to the original Apple ID. Ask Apple to transfer the existing certificate to a new Apple ID. Avoid generating and uploading a brand-new APNs certificate unless there is no other option, because that requires re-enrolling previously managed Apple devices.

Got it. And the VPP token is separate from APNs, right? If the VPP token expires, does that also disconnect the devices from Hexnode?

Correct, the VPP token and APNs certificate are separate. If the VPP token expires, app deployment and app updates through Apple Business Manager Apps and Books can fail, but device management communication remains intact. To renew the VPP token:

1. Sign in to Apple Business Manager.
2. Go to Settings > Payments & Billing > Apps and Books.
3. Scroll to Content Tokens.
4. Download the required server token.
5. In Hexnode, go to Admin > Apple Business/School Manager > Apple VPP.
6. Open the matching VPP account.
7. Upload the downloaded token using the Renew VPP Token option.
8. Save the changes.

APNs should be treated as more critical because it maintains the management channel between Hexnode and Apple devices.