Error message: remote management configuration could not be downloaded

[Jane123]

Have eight new iPadWIFI devices (iOS11) They are registered in DEP and DEP enrollment has been pushed.  When attempting a restore through iTunes to the iPad, select WiFi connection, English, Country and the Remote Management screen appears.  Select next and error message: Remote Management The configuration for your iPad could not be downloaded from ......... cancelled.  

Have tried to update and restore device several times, in DEP removed setting and reassigned with known working Profile.  Early on was able to establish three of the iPads in Meraki but how are unable to get the next two past the aforementioned error message. Anyone else experience this.  Older iPads that do not support iOS11 continue to be managed in Meraki without issue.

[jared_f]

We have had DEP trouble last week, but during DEP setup we received the error "Invalid Profile". Restoring the device and re-assigning the pre-stage enrollment settings worked for us. 

[Jane123]

Thanks for your response.  Let me know if you come across anyone else with a similar experience.  At this point I am still unable to get past this point so the iPads have been rendered useless.  Conversations with three different levels of techs at Apple were to no avail either.  Thanks again.

[jared_f]

@Jane123 Perhaps, are you using authentication during enrollment? Have you tried renewing your DEP certificate in Meraki? 

[EMV-PHF]

Hi Jane,

I just resolved the same issue.  My apple push certificate had been invalid and unenrolled all my devices (250!) and I uploaded the correct certificate and all is good there. 

However, the 8 ipads I had reset while they were out of compliance were giving me the error you mentioned. Check to see if you are out of compliance - look in the MDM screen of your organization, check the date on your Apple Push Cert.  It will show you if you have devices out of compliance.  I'm not sure if the below info will help if you do not, because that was my issue.

What I did was:

Pull those ipads up in my DEP screen

Remove Profile from them.

Assign profile setting to them.

Reset the ipads again

Then I am good.  I hope you have the same luck!

I've redone 4 of them so far so I think I am good to share.  Best wishes!

[dotyj]

I hope someone finds this useful.  This is something that's been making us (well, me) crazy for several years.

We sometimes have an iPad with this same issue, it can't retrieve the configuration from Meraki and we're stuck.  Our licenses are up to date and most of our iPads work fine.  Here's what I had to do to solve this issue on the iPad I've been working on much of this week. 

I wrote an internal wiki for our department and thought I should share it.

IPAD WILL NOT CONNECT TO MERAKI TO LOAD CONFIGURATION

Sometimes during re-imaging of Meraki MDM managed iPads the iPad will not be able to progress past the point of retrieving its device management policy and the following message will appear on the iPad screen:

The configuration for your iPad could not be downloaded.  The configuration is not available.

Re-imaging the iPad and starting over will always display this message.

To proceed past this error message the iPad has to be unenrolled from Apple DEP and from Meraki DEP, in that order.

Log on to the Apple DEP page.  I omitted the link since it could change int he future.

• Click on Get Started to the right of Device Enrollment Program
• Select Manage Devices from the Menu on the left
• Be sure the Serial Number radio button is selected and enter the serial number of the iPad.
• Under Choose an Action select Unassign Devices.
• Click the OK button.

Log on to the Meraki MDM management page:

• Highlight System Manager on the left and select DEP from the center column of the pop up menu.
• Click on the Full sync button on the upper right corner.
• Wait at least an hour, this could take time.

After at least an hour, it could be less but the time required seems pretty random, go back to the DEP menu in Meraki, and search for the iPad by name, if it’s still there, hit Full sync again and wait some more.  The device will eventually disappear from Meraki DEP.

Once this is done, plug the iPad in to a computer with iTunes installed, then hold the power and home buttons in until the datalink icon appears on the iPad’s screen.

Run iTunes and do a restore/update on the device and follow the instructions.

Once the iPad has completed the restore unplug it from the computer and set the device up as a new device.

I now have the iPad working again.

Now I need to re-enroll the iPad I've been working on.  I hope it works.