How to Set Up a Work or School iPhone

Set up a work or school iPhone: Managed Apple Account, Remote Management enrollment, work mail, VPN, certificates, and what your IT admin can see.

1. Ask which account you are getting. Before you touch the phone, ask IT whether you sign in with a Managed Apple Account issued by the organization or with your own personal Apple Account. A managed account is created and owned by your employer or school. They can reset its password and revoke it.
2. Watch for the Remote Management screen. If the organization bought the iPhone, Automated Device Enrollment shows a Remote Management screen during setup, shortly after the Wi-Fi step. Sign in with your work credentials there. The phone enrolls itself, installs the management profile, and may push apps before you reach the Home Screen.
3. Enroll your own iPhone through the portal. If the iPhone is yours, do not wipe it for Remote Management. Install the organization's portal app, often named Company Portal, sign in with your work account, and follow its prompts. Some organizations instead use Sign In to Work or School Account under Settings > General, in the device management row.
4. Add work mail and calendar. Enrollment often installs the mail account for you. If it does not, go to Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts > Add Account and choose Microsoft Exchange or Google. Calendar, Contacts, and Notes ride on the same account, so turn on only what you want syncing.
5. Check profiles, VPN, and certificates. Open Settings > General and tap the device management row, labelled VPN & Device Management, or VPN, DNS & Device Management when a DNS profile is installed. Everything the organization installed sits there: the management profile, VPN configurations, Wi-Fi settings, and certificates. Tap a profile to read the payloads it carries. Root certificates also show under Settings > General > About > Certificate Trust Settings.
6. Learn what your admin can actually see. An administrator can typically see device model, serial number, OS version, and managed apps, enforce a passcode policy, install or remove managed apps, and wipe managed data. On a personally owned enrolled iPhone they typically cannot read your personal messages, photos, or browsing history.