Google Authentication on iPhones is Not Possible

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Hi all – I am being told that Google authentication via iPhones is not possible for enrollment. Did anyone else know this? It works fine on our iPads but not iPhones If this is not possible, what do customers with iPhones and DEP do to enroll phones and assign them to users? Thanks

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  • Hi Bobby,

    Hope you are doing well,

    For your iPhone devices, the option for Google authentication is currently not available due to the restrictions set by Google auth. Google regards the web view that is being used to be insecure for iPhone devices, however for the iPad and Mac devices, Google would consider this secure. The necessity for web view is due to the enrolment being done during the set-up process of the device (either out of the box or after a factory reset) and at such a stage, the device would be unable to launch a browser.

    Unfortunately, this is something that we cannot control from our end and this shortcoming is due to the standards that have been set by Google for IOS devices. Our team is looking into various possibilities of getting this done and should we find a method to overcome this obstacle, we would look to have this implemented at the earliest.

    As a workaround, you could have the users assigned to the corresponding devices after the enrolment is completed from Manage > click on the device name > Actions > Change owner. Alternatively, you could make use of a CSV file to have the devices added to the portal as pre-approved devices with the required users added for each of the device entries. After setting the enrolment settings of the device to be open enrolment, you may proceed to enrol the devices without authentication and they shall be mapped to the pre-approved device entries.

    Here is a detailed help doc to guide you through the pre-approved enrolment of devices https://www.hexnode.com/mobile-device-management/help/pre-enrollment-of-devices-hexnode-mdm/

    We sincerely hope you and your loved ones take care and stay safe. Have a great day.

    Cheers!
    Jeff Black
    Hexnode MDM.