Problems when Preparing Apple TV via Apple Configurator 2

Model: Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) Wi-Fi & Ethernet 128GB

I am an Apple Systems Admin for a school district. A contractor working on new buildings/upgrades for us purchased Apple TVs outside of our Apple account.

When attempting to add these Apple TVs to Apple School Manager and enroll them into our MDM (via Apple Configurator 2 version 2.17), i'm running into a few problems.

When inputting the Pair Code: -Says “Pairing Failed (-402653161)”--this error code only takes me to Apple Forums that end up answerless -But device still shows up under Paired Devices and in Configurator

On Step 3 of 4 when “Preparing Apple TV—Activating TVOS” -An unexpected error has occurred with “Apple TV”. The device is not connected. [ConfigurationUtilityKit.error – 0x25B (603)]--this error code also only points me to Apple Forums for Configurator problems regarding iPads -only option is “Stop” -Appears that Configurator is still working in the background

Click Stop (as it is my only option), then Apple TV then disappears from Configurator.

Devices appear to be wiping OS/reinstalling OS and then going back to factory default settings. They are not being added to our ASM account.

Any ideas?

With the exception of not seeing any error on Step 3, I'm experiencing the same issues.

The pairing fails (sometimes) but the Apple TV still shows up. I select Prepare to add it to ASM, it appears to work, wipes/reloads the Apple TV but it doesn't add it to ASM. It disappears from Configurator but still shows up under Paired Devices as not connected. Then I have to remove it from Paired Devices, reboot the MacBook and pair it again in order to start over.

Also, I am ONLY trying to add it to ASM, not enroll it into MDM yet.

I am experiencing the exact same issue: when pairing my Apple TV 3rd Gen with Apple Configurator, it shows error -402653161 but still appears in the Configurator. I can restart it and push profiles without any problems. However, adding it to the Apple School Manager fails with the error code: [ConfigurationUtilityKit.error – 0x25B (603)].

Me and another coworker of mine are having the same issue when trying to add apple TVs into ABM.

Same issue here. Any solutions Apple?

Seeing the same issues here too. We have several Apple TV 4K (2017) devices, and even if Configurator doesn't respond with an error, they still doesn't show up in ABM.

Called Apple, they said they've known about it for a month and that it's "high priority".

I might just try to push the MDM profile and call it a day.

I found the solution that worked for me. I'm posting it here in case it can help anyone else.

Before you Begin:

Note: I use JAMF Pro as our MDM

Other Note: The only time you really do anything on the Apple TV is resetting it. Everything else is through Configurator and ABM

Other Other Note: If the Apple TV is not showing up in Paired Devices, turn off your Wi-Fi on your MacBook and then turn it on again. If it still doesn’t show up, you’ll have to Release the Apple TV from ABM (or reset the device) and start over

Steps to Enroll Apple TV:

Reset Apple TV & Update to Latest Version Go to Paired Devices, click “Pair” and put in the code displayed on the Apple TV.

The Pairing may “fail” but is successful as long as the record shows up in Configurator

Click Prepare.

Prepare with: Manual Configuration

Select:

Add to Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager
Activate and complete enrollment
Supervise devices
Allow devices to pair with other computers

Click Next and Select an MDM server (Can be any, it won’t apply in ABM correctly until you change it in ABM anyways)

Click Next and Select an Organization

Click Next and Select Setup Assistant Steps or show all steps. If you can configure skipping steps in your MDM PreStage Settings, you can leave it as “Show all steps”

Click Next and Add a Profile (.mobileconfig) file that ONLY contains a Wi-Fi configuration

Click Next and Provide Automated Enrollment Credentials if applicable. JAMF in particular does not need these credentials.

Make sure you’re logged into ABM in Apple Configurator before clicking Prepare

Click Prepare

The error: An unexpected error has occurred with “Apple TV” may appear. This is okay. Click Stop.

Unpair the Apple TV in Paired Devices.

Wait for the Apple TV to come back online.

Should be in ABM now

Change the MDM server to the correct one in ABM

Wait for the Apple TV to show up in PreStage enrollment in your MDM (If applicable)

Re-pair the Apple TV in Paired Devices

The Pairing may “fail” but is successful as long as the record shows up in Configurator

Click Prepare

Prepare with: Automated Enrollment

Click Next and Do not apply a Profile (.mobileconfig) this time

Make sure you’re logged into ABM in Apple Configurator before clicking Prepare

Click Next and Provide Automated Enrollment Credentials if applicable. JAMF in particular does not need these credentials.

Click Prepare

Wait for the Apple TV to load into the main app screen. If it takes longer than 15-20 minutes, you will need to issue either a “Restart Device” command from the MDM or unplug, and then plug in the Apple TV.

WARNING: Do so at your own risk as you risk device corruption if unplugging it.

The Apple TV should be managed at this point.

—The below step specifically worked for JAMF Pro (Resolving the Pending DeviceConfigured Command)—

Once in the main app screen, reset the device again and then let it re-apply the config profile by itself.

Note: In JAMF Pro, In PreStage Enrollment, I had the options: Install configuration profiles before Setup Assistant and Automatically advance through Setup Assistant (tvOS only), selected.

I could not get the command to complete or enrollment to finish without it

These were my steps for JAMF and Apple Business Manager. Your mileage may vary.

I tested this flow on an Apple TV 4th Gen (Model: MR912LL) and an Apple TV 4K (Model: MQD22LL).

Both TV's had tvOS 17.6

Problems when Preparing Apple TV via Apple Configurator 2
 
 
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