APNS Certificate change of Apple-ID

Question

Hi there, 
 we need to change the Apple-ID of our APNS certificte. Normally this means all devices have to be re-enrolled with the new APNS certificate - but Apple Support told me that they can transfer the APNS certificate from one Apple-ID to another and then there is no need to re-enrol the devices. 
 Is there anybody out there who had the same situation before and went though it? 
 If Apple transfers the APNS to a new Apple-ID how are the steps in Sophos Mobile (on prem) to import it? We do not want to lose the MDM capability - this is no option under no circumstances. 
 Thanks in advance! 
 Chris

Jasmin · Accepted Answer

Hi Christoph Pelzer 
 When you are replacing any existing certificate with the new certificate or with the same certificate but attached to different Apple ID, the Topic property of the certificate that you want to copy is identical to the Topic of the existing certificate. If you copy the wrong certificate, you might need to re-enroll all iOS and macOS devices. 
 You'll also see the below message in APNS wizard while replacing the existing certificate, third steps which related to our scenario. 
 
 If the "Topic" property remains the same even after transferring the certificate to the new Apple ID, you should be able to continue the scenario. However, I have never tested this scenario in the labs as well. I'd recommend you to perform the test first before going with the production devices.

SDU · Answer

Hi Christoph, 
 Jasmin brought this issue to my attention and requested assistance. 
 I wasn't aware that Apple is able to move the APNS certificate to a new Apple ID - learned something new :-) 
 In general the entered Apple ID is only for documentation purposes and memory aid. However, if you want to change it we have two possibilities: 
 
 You use the following procedure
 
 Within the APNS tab, use the &ldquo;download&rdquo; option to download the current APNS certificate. 
 As mentioned, take a note of the password 
 Run the APNS Certificate Wizard 
 Select the third option &ldquo;Upload an apns_cert.p12 certificate file you&rsquo;ve downloaded from another Sophos Mobile customer or installation&hellip;&rdquo; 
 Change the Apple ID (this value CAN be changed) 
 Upload the certificate downloaded before 
 Save the change

You change the Apple ID directly within the database using a SQL query which I can provide you. 
 
 Let me know what route you want to go. If you want the SQL query I can send it to you via direct message. 
 Best regards 
 Stefan

Jasmin · Answer

Hi Christoph Pelzer 
 We are glad that we were able to help you in this scenario.