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This guide applies to iOS and iPadOS devices

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About Lost Mode

Lost Mode in Iru Endpoint gives you a centralized way to locate and secure lost or misplaced devices, even if they have Location Services disabled.

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How It Works

The requirements for Lost Mode in Iru Endpoint are:
  • Supervised iPhone or iPad running a supported version of iOS or iPadOS
  • Device enrolled to Iru Endpoint
  • Device accessible over the Internet
The simplest way to achieve device supervision is to leverage Automated Device Enrollment with Apple Business Manager. If Apple Business Manager isn’t available in your location, supervision can be enabled manually with Apple Configurator (but without the benefit of mandatory, non-removable MDM profiles).
Mac computers don’t support Apple’s Managed Lost Mode, which is the underlying technology for Lost Mode in Iru Endpoint.

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Enable Lost Mode

Enabling Lost Mode in Iru Endpoint is simple. The Device Action menu for compatible devices will show the Enable Lost Mode option. Selecting this option will open the Enable Lost Mode window, where you can enter messaging and contact information to display on the Lost Mode Lock Screen:
You must enter at least a message or phone number. If you don’t provide a message or footnote, the device will display a generic one.
Here’s what the lock screen looks like on a device in Lost Mode: Once you select Enable Lost Mode, Iru Endpoint will send an MDM command to the device to start the Lost Mode session. Once the device receives it, it’s immediately secured with the Lost Mode lock screen. The device isn’t usable by anyone, and its content is secured until the Lost Mode session is terminated in Iru Endpoint.
Even if the device doesn’t have a passcode, it’s secured by the Lost Mode lock screen.
Once the device acknowledges the MDM command, two things happen:
  • Iru Endpoint sends an MDM command to the device to obtain its location (and will do so automatically every 15 minutes until Lost Mode is disabled)
  • The Device Details view adds an orange icon and “LOST” label to the device image at the top. A Lost Mode tab appears in the Device details view:
Once Lost Mode is enabled, you can see the following information:
  • The name of the Iru Endpoint user who enabled Lost Mode, with date and time of the event
  • A note about location update behavior with a link to this support document
  • An interactive map displaying the device’s location based on longitude and latitude received by Iru Endpoint
  • A street address obtained from those coordinates, with a “copy-to-clipboard” link for easy sharing
  • A link to Apple Maps (which opens the Apple Maps website on non-Apple devices)
  • A copy of the information you entered when enabling Lost Mode
This view also contains two actions you can take on a device while it’s in Lost Mode. First, you can force a location update with the Update Location button, which will automatically refresh the map, address, and coordinates once the device responds with new location data.
In addition to initially querying location information after Lost Mode is enabled, and subsequently every 15 minutes, Iru Endpoint automatically monitors for significant location changes of 50 or more meters (about 160 feet) since the last position update and will alert you if it detects one.
Second, if the situation calls for it (someone is close to the device), you can trigger the Lost Mode sound with the Play Sound button.
The Lost Mode sound will play for 2 minutes, even if the device is in silent mode. Anyone finding the device can silence it by pressing any of its side buttons.

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Device Activity

The device activity stream will display the commands in use during the Lost Mode session:

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Alerts

As always, we display full timestamps and Iru Endpoint usernames next to the commands. For privacy, we don’t display any location data next to the location update command alerts. The contents of alerts will be the same and won’t contain any location information. Location data will only be visible in the Device Details Lost Mode tab.

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Disable Lost Mode

Once the device is located, you can disable Lost Mode in the device’s Action menu or in the Lost Mode tab. Once the device receives this command, it will return to its previous state and display a notification that Iru Endpoint gathered its location and at what time. The Lost Mode tab is also removed from the Device Details view, and all location information is deleted from Iru Endpoint.
Don’t attempt to restart a passcode-protected, Wi-Fi only device while it’s in Lost Mode. The device needs a local passcode entry after a restart to access the Wi-Fi credentials, and the Lost Mode Lock Screen prevents the passcode from being entered. If the device is restarted, you’ll need to erase the device to get it back online.

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Device View Status

The Lost Mode Status information can be enabled for a Device View.
1

Navigate to Devices

From the lefthand navigation, select Devices.
2

Select Views Tab

Ensure the Views tab is selected.
3

Edit Columns

In the upper righthand corner, click Edit columns.
4

Search for Lost Mode Status

When the Edit Columns drawer opens, search for Lost Mode Status.
5

Enable Lost Mode Status

Check the Lost Mode Status checkbox.
6

Save View

Click Save View near the top left of the drawer.

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Iru Endpoint API

The Iru Endpoint API will display Lost Mode information on the Get Device Details and Get Lost Mode Details query endpoints, and supports these device actions:
  • Enable Lost Mode
  • Disable Lost Mode
  • Play Lost Mode Sound
  • Update Lost Mode Location
  • Cancel Lost Mode
As in the admin interface, updated location information will be available on the aforementioned query endpoints.