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Swif enrollment methods for all OSs

Updated over 2 weeks ago

Swif Enrollment Owned vs BYOD Matrix

OS

Company Owned (Account-Driven Device Enrollment)

BYOD

macOS

  1. Application Installer

  2. Silent Installer

  3. Platform SSO

  4. ADE (Automated Device Enrollment)

  1. Application Installer

  2. Platform SSO

Windows

  1. Application Installer

  2. Silent Installer

  3. Azure Autopilot

  1. Application Installer

Linux

  1. Application Installer

  2. Command Line Installer

  3. Package Manager (Coming Soon)

  1. Application Installer

  2. Command Line Installer

iOS/iPadOS

  1. QR Code: iOS/iPadOS

  2. Platform SSO

  3. ADE (Automated Device Enrollment)

  1. QR Code: iOS/iPadOS 15 and below

  2. Platform SSO

Android

  1. QR (Coming Soon)

  2. Zero Touch (Coming Soon)

  1. QR (Coming Soon)

Chrome Book

Coming Soon

Coming Soon

Swif Enrollment & Authentication Matrix

Platform / Feature

Primary purpose

Recommended method(s)

Admin rights needed?

Learn more

macOS (Desktop / Laptop)

Individual installs, pilots

Application installer (.dmg)

Yes

Mass roll-out / MDM migrations

Silent PKG (Jamf / Kandji)

Yes

Zero-touch on new Macs

Apple Automated Device Enrolment (ABM/ASM)

No

Individual installs

Platform SSO (Managed Apple ID)

Windows

Individual installs, pilots

Application installer (.msix)

Yes

Mass roll-out / MDM migrations

Silent MSI via Intune

Yes

Zero-touch on new Windows

Automated Device Enrolment

Yes

Linux

Individual installs, pilots

Application installer

Yes

Dev-stations, servers, CI

Command Line

Yes

iOS / iPadOS

Corporate or shared iPads/iPhones

ABM-based Automated Device Enrolment or User-initiated MDM profile

No (ADE) / Yes (manual)

Individual installs

QR Code, Platform SSO (Managed Apple ID)

Android

BYOD & Company Owned (coming soon)

QR Code, Zero Touch

Planned – follow progress on the roadmap

Chromebook

ChromeOS fleet (coming soon)

Google Workspace Enterprise enrolment

Planned – follow progress on the roadmap

* Admin-rights column refers to whether the end-user must supply admin/root credentials during the installation flow.

What happens if a standard (non-admin) user runs each installer?

Platform

Installer type

Prompt(s) shown to a non-admin user

Result if user can’t supply admin credentials

macOS

Application installer

Native macOS dialog asking for Admin username + password (needed to add the Swif Admin account & Secure Token)

• Installer aborts → Device not enrolled • No Secure Token granted

Silent PKG (macOS-Silent-….pkg run via sudo installer …)

1. Terminal asks for sudo (elevation)
2. In 1-10 minutes, the Swif Desktop App requests admin credentials to grant the Secure Token

• If the first prompt is cancelled, nothing is installed; the device never appears in Swif

• If the Swif Desktop App prompt is cancelled, Swif agent installs without Secure Token → no FileVault / password-reset control

Windows

Application installer

Application installer requiring an admin password to execute

Unlike macOS and Linux, the installer does not ask for a password on Windows. If the user is not an admin, a Windows prompt will pop up and ask for an admin username/password. If this information is correct, Windows will then run the app as Run As Admin.

Silent MSI (msiexec /i … /quiet)

No prompt—command runs in user context

Nothing is installed; the device never appears in Swif

Linux

Application installer

When entering the password, report that the current user doesn’t have admin permission at the password input step.

Exit code ≠ 0; no service installed

Command Line

Terminal asks for sudo (elevation)

Nothing is installed; the device never appears in Swif

Key takeaway: Every Swif installer needs elevated privileges somewhere in the flow—either via an admin password (macOS dialog or Windows UAC) or by being executed in a root / SYSTEM context. If that elevation is missing or refused, the device will not enroll (Windows/Linux) or will enroll without a Secure Token (macOS), which blocks FileVault and password-reset features.


Quick tips

  • Mixed fleet?
    Start with silent installers for macOS & Windows, then move new Macs and iPhones to Automated Device Enrolment for true zero-touch.

  • Want a single sign-in experience on Macs?
    Configure Platform SSO once; users unlock, change passwords, and access iCloud with their corporate-managed Apple account.


Still deciding?
Use the tables above as a cheat sheet: pick the row that matches your OS and deployment style, then follow the “Learn more” link for step-by-step instructions.

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