Microsoft announced via the Message Center message ID MC810406 a few days ago that support is ending for User Enrollment with Company Portal for iOS devices. This change is scheduled to take place shortly after the release of iOS 18 in its final version, which is expected to happen in September 2024.

The reason for this change is that in iOS 18 Apple is no longer supporting profile-based user enrollment, which effectively means the end of support just for user enrollment through the Company Portal app. And given that most of the commonly used iOS/iPadOS devices will get the update to iOS 18, it probably doesn’t make sense to continue support for user enrollment through the Company Portal app.

It is important to note that this change does not affect Device enrollment with Company Portal. Device enrollment with Company Portal will work even with iOS 18. Only User enrollment with Company Portal is affected by this change.

How does this change affect my existing iOS devices?

It is important to note that this change has no impact on existing devices. Therefore, if you currently have iOS devices enrolled through the user driven Company Portal app method, they will not be affected by this planned change and you do not need to do anything.

This change only affects devices that you will be newly enrolling in Microsoft Intune after the launch of iOS 18.

What do I need to do for new devices?

New devices added after the release of the final version of iOS 18 will need to be enrolled in Microsoft Intune in a different way. I described all available enrollment methods in my previous article Intune device enrollment options for Apple iOS devices.

Account driven user enrollment or web-based device enrollment are recommended as a replacement for enrollment using the Company Portal application. Microsoft specifically recommends choosing account driven user enrollment as a direct replacement for Company Portal user driven enrollment, as this method provides similar capabilities and a simpler process for the end user.

Switching from User enrollment with Company Portal to Account driven user enrollment

Switching from User enrollment with Company Portal to Account driven user enrollment is quick and easy. In the Microsoft Intune admin center, go to Devices – Enrollment and switch to the Apple tab at the top. Click on Enrollment types in the Enrollment options section.

Open the enrollment profile you are currently using and go to Properties. Under Settings, switch the Enrollment type to Account driven user enrollment.

End user steps for Account Driven User Enrollment

To initiate device enrollment on a personal device, the user must go to the Settings app and sign in with their work or school account. If they attempt to sign into an app with their work or school account, the app alerts them to the enrollment requirement and tells them how to proceed.

  1. Open the Settings app on your device.
  2. Select General.
  3. Select VPN & Device Management.
  4. Sign in with your work or school account, or with the Apple ID provided to you by your organization.
  5. Select Sign In to iCloud.
  6. Enter the password for the username that’s shown on screen. Then select Continue.
  7. Select Allow Remote Management.
  8. Wait a few minutes while your device is configured and the management profile is installed.