WWDC 2025: New Tools for IT in Education

By: Benjamin Cole - Industry Solutions Architect, EDU

At WWDC25, we introduced a wide range of updates aimed squarely at helping teams manage Apple devices more efficiently, securely, and with greater flexibility. For education, this means that busy IT managers will have some great new capabilities, especially when it comes to account restrictions, single sign-on, and device lifecycle management. Here’s a summary of what’s new and why it matters for schools.

Restrict Sign-In to Managed Apple Accounts

One of the most requested features from education IT teams is finally here: the ability to restrict sign-in on organization-owned devices to only Managed Apple Accounts. Later this year, Apple School Manager will offer a setting that lets you enforce this at the system level, whether a student is signing in for the first time using Setup Assistant or later in the device lifecycle. This is a big step forward in helping schools maintain control over who is using their devices and how.

Combined with previous access controls, like restricting Managed Apple Accounts to managed devices, this update gives districts a complete toolkit for enforcing secure, accountable access while preserving a great user experience.

Platform Single Sign-On Gets Even Better

Platform SSO continues to evolve, and this year’s updates take it to the next level for schools and shared device environments. IT teams can now enforce Platform SSO right from Setup Assistant, giving users a seamless sign-in with their school credentials. No more juggling multiple logins! After authenticating with your identity provider (IdP), Platform SSO can silently sign the user into their Managed Apple Account, too.

Even better, macOS now supports Tap to Login: a new passwordless authentication method that uses an NFC-backed credential from Apple Wallet on an iPhone or Apple Watch. Just tap and go. For shared Macs in classrooms, labs, or front-office use, this is going to be a game changer.

And with the new Authenticated Guest Mode, students and staff can log into shared Macs using school credentials, automatically gain access to apps and services, and have their session securely wiped when they log out, making it ready for the next user.

Simplified Device Migration

Need to move from one MDM to another without wiping devices? We’ve got you covered. This year’s updates let you migrate devices to a new MDM service, including setting deadlines, alerting users to take action, and even enforcing migration if needed. Devices can retain apps and data during the transition, and the new MDM can assume management of Activation Lock settings.

This is especially useful for school districts consolidating systems, moving from on-prem to cloud-based solutions, or managing device rollouts across multiple campuses.

Declarative App Management on Every Platform

Managing apps across iPad, Mac, and now Apple Vision Pro just got smarter. Declarative management now gives you precise control over app deployment and updates, including pinning specific versions, pushing updates automatically, and getting real-time install status reports. On macOS, you can even deploy .pkg installers declaratively.

And for those custom apps built in-house or by vendors, new features allow IT to securely deliver secrets, certificates, and pre-configured settings—streamlining authentication and improving security with minimal effort.

Return to Service, Now Even Faster

Return to Service now supports preserving app binaries on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro. That means after wiping a shared device, it can reboot and be ready for the next student even faster, without needing to redownload apps. It's a great enhancement for schools using shared devices in labs, carts, or classrooms with fast turnover.

And There’s More…

• Apple Intelligence Controls: Easily manage access to new AI features like Writing Tools, Image Playground, and ChatGPT integration to meet your school's data privacy and compliance needs.
• AirPods Management: Temporarily pair student AirPods without syncing to iCloud, with automatic cleanup at the end of the day.
• Shortcuts + Apple Configurator: Automate device setup workflows even further with new Shortcut actions.
• Safari Management: Customize Safari bookmarks, homepage settings, and security behaviors like private browsing and fraud warnings.
• Software Update Management: Declarative updates are now the standard, including support for Apple TV and Vision Pro.

Get Involved with AppleSeed for IT

For schools that want early access to upcoming releases and a direct way to share feedback, AppleSeed for IT continues to be the best way to engage. Schools using Apple School Manager can designate participants to join the program and start testing pre-release software today.Visit AppleSeed for IT to get started.

WWDC 2025 reflects our ongoing commitment to giving schools the tools they need to manage Apple devices at scale; securely, efficiently, and in ways that empower both IT and students. We can’t wait to see how you put these features to work in your classrooms.