Choosing a sharing model for iPad
Shared iPad lets several people use one iPad, each in a separate session. It runs only on supported, supervised iPads. Whether you choose named or temporary sessions depends on the apps your staff use and the data they need to keep.
In short
- Before you plan anything else, check that your iPads are supported and supervised, and set up for the session type you chose.
- Test every app in that session type, and check that the next person can't see the last person's files or app data.
- Anyone who picks up an iPad with an open temporary session can use it without a password, so treat it like an unlocked device.
Check the requirements first
Shared iPad needs a supported iPad model with at least 32 GB of storage. The iPad has to be supervised, and your device management service has to support Shared iPad. People who use named sessions sign in with Managed Apple Accounts, so you need those too. Check Apple's current list of supported models and iPadOS versions before you buy iPads or reuse the ones you have.
Passing the same iPad from one person to the next doesn't turn on Shared iPad. The iPad has to be enrolled in Shared iPad mode through your device management service. Set up that enrolment and try it on one real iPad before you roll it out to the rest.
Named and temporary sessions
A named session belongs to one person. The iPad can keep their data on the device, and supported data syncs with iCloud, so they can pick up where they left off. All of that takes space, so plan storage for the apps, for every person the iPad keeps cached and for the files they work on. Then sign in as someone who has used the iPad before, and as someone whose local data was removed from it. Check what comes back in each case.
A temporary session starts without a Managed Apple Account. Everything it stored on the iPad is deleted when the person signs out. While the session is open, anyone who picks up the iPad can unlock it without a password. That's why the sign-in inside each app still matters, and someone has to know where the iPads are. Apps that need iCloud may not work, because a temporary session has no account to connect to iCloud.
Test every business app
Install the apps through your device management service, then check that each one supports the session type you chose. An app that works on a personal iPad may still fail on a shared one. Go through the first sign-in, licensing, where the app saves files, camera use and anything it does in the background.
Then test a handover. Sign out, start a second session and check that the next person can't see the previous person's files or app data. Also check that any work meant to be kept reached the business system it belongs in before the first person signed out. Anything that stays only on the iPad is lost when a temporary session ends or when a named user's local data is removed.
Plan the daily routine
Decide where the iPads charge, how people hand them back, how they're cleaned and how many spares you keep. Count spares for the busiest moment, when one group still has their iPads and the next group already needs them.
The iPad has to reach the network from the Shared iPad login screen, before anyone is signed in. Use a Wi-Fi configuration that Shared iPad supports, and test sign-in on the network the iPads will use every day.
Schedule updates for times when nobody is signed in, so an update doesn't cut into someone's session. Keep an eye on free storage and on failed app installs. Also decide in advance what staff should do when someone forgets their password, an iPad gets damaged or a sign-out doesn't finish.
When Shared iPad doesn't fit your apps
If your apps don't work with Shared iPad, look at two other approaches. Either the apps handle sign-in and sign-out themselves, or the iPad is erased and set up again between users. Whichever you choose, test the whole handover from one person to the next, including the cleanup of their data.
Our shared iPhone guide covers both approaches. It's written for iPhone, so note where iPad behaves differently before you follow it step by step.
Sources
Shared iPad is best tested with your own apps. We can help you set up that test around the apps your staff need and the way the iPads are shared today.
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