Device Owner Provisioning using Android Debug Bridge(ADB)

Introduction

This method is recommended for Device Owner provisioning only when the device cannot be provsioned using Near-Field Communication(NFC). It can also be used for enrolling devices without Google Services as Device Owner. As the name suggests this method uses Android Debug Bridge(or ADB) to provision devices as Device Owner and is applicable for devices running 5.0 or later versions.

Steps for provisioning

• Factory reset the device to be managed, if it is already in use or boot up if it is a new device.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to configure basic settings and ensure you do not add any Google account or syncing any data.
• Enable USB debugging, by navigating to Settings and selecting About Phone. Now navigate to Build Number and click on it 7 times, on which a message You are now a developer is shown.
• Now, navigate back to Settings and select Developer Options and select the option Enable USB debugging.
• Again navigate back to Settings and select Security. Enable Install from unknown sources.
• Download the Device Owner provisioning tool from this link and unzip its contents.
• Now, open Command Prompt on the expanded folder and execute the command makedeviceowner.bat. Once the ME MDM app is installed, open the app and select Scan QR.
• Scan the QR available on the server, by navigating to Enrollment -> EMM Token Enrollment(present under Android), on the left pane. Once scanned, the device is listed under the EMM token enrollment view.
• You can then assign users to the enrolled devices either individually or in bulk using a CSV file, to complete enrollment.

Troubleshooting tips

• While trying to enroll a Xiaomi device, the command makedeviceowner.bat does not get executed and displays an error.

A few Xiaomi devices cannot be enrolled using ADB enrollment method if MIUI optimization is turned on. To enroll these devices, turn off MIUI optimization by navigating to Settings ->Build number. Tap on the build number 6 to 8 times to enable Developer options and disable MIUI optimization. Perform the above mentioned steps again to successfully enroll these devices.