School IT deployment guide

1. Choose a deployment path

• Start with a small pilot using dummy profiles. Confirm the edition and bundle identifier. The free app offers optional Pro purchases; Pro Edition is a separate paid-upfront app with Pro included and no annual renewal. Confirm its availability before planning purchases. A configuration file does not grant a licence.
• Your MDM manages installation, inventory, app and OS updates, device restrictions, assignment and removal. SpeakPad manages boards and local profiles; it has no separate school fleet console.
• Free communication supports iOS/iPadOS 17 or later; check current App Store compatibility. Annual volume licensing needs separate purchasing, OS and MDM verification. The announced launch date does not confirm SpeakPad availability.

2. Apply and inspect the configuration

• Import the schema for the selected bundle if your MDM supports AppConfig forms; otherwise enter the keys manually. Apply the example dictionary as managed app configuration, not as an iOS enrollment profile.
• Use a four-digit PIN string and allowBiometricUnlock=false for PIN-only caregiver access. Missing or invalid keys fall back to local/default settings. Verify the effective policy on the device and rotate the PIN through MDM.
• language and vocabularySet set defaults for newly created profiles; they do not change existing pupils’ boards. The examples cover all nine supported starting languages.

Configuration downloads

These .plist files are app dictionaries, not enrollment profiles. They neither install the app nor activate Pro.

• SpeakPad
  Bundle identifier: com.speakpad.app
  AppConfig schema · SpeakPad
• SpeakPad Pro Edition
  Bundle identifier: com.speakpad.proedition
  AppConfig schema · SpeakPad Pro Edition

Both editions use the same dictionary. Choose the matching app in your MDM. Examples disable iCloud, usage logging and biometric shortcuts. Replace the demonstration PIN 0428 and Example School before deployment.

Eight app configuration keys

• gatePIN: four-digit caregiver PIN, sent as a string
• gateType: math or mathHard, used when no PIN is set
• allowBiometricUnlock: false turns off Face ID and Touch ID past the gate
• allowICloud: false turns off iCloud backup, sync and team sharing; export to file still works
• language: starting language, for example en-US or es-ES
• vocabularySet: starting vocabulary set ID
• recordUsage: forces recording of taps and sentences on or off
• organizationName: your school's name, shown next to locked settings

3. Decide staff access and account policy

• SpeakPad profiles are separate from Apple Shared iPad login accounts. A caregiver switches between app profiles. A shared PIN is not a named staff account, an edit audit log or separate teacher/admin roles.
• Device-assigned apps can work without individual Apple Accounts. Cloud features separately need an approved iCloud account and permitted services. For Managed Apple Accounts, check iCloud Drive, CloudKit and external collaboration with your administrator.
• The eight keys do not separately lock file export, reset or deletion. Agree staff procedures and use MDM sharing restrictions where appropriate. Verify those restrictions with the actual file destinations staff will use.

4. Choose a file or cloud workflow

• With iCloud disabled, distribute approved .speakpad files through a permitted managed location and import behind the caregiver gate. File sharing and import are free; a Pro licence does not travel with the file.
• Team sharing requires permitted iCloud access. Starting a share and publishing edits need Pro; receiving and applying updates are free. Recipients choose when to apply a snapshot, which replaces boards and saved phrases and reconciles shared goals, sessions and notes. This is not simultaneous editing.
• Each device keeps its own raw usage history, voice, accessibility and gate settings. On the installed 3.0.1 build, verify that allowICloud=false blocks backup, restore, invitations, checks and publishing, including after a policy change while the app is open.

5. Protect data before replacement or handover

• Assign a backup owner, approved storage and an export/check schedule. With iCloud off, staff must export each profile; there is no fleet backup scheduler. recordUsage=false stops new tap/sentence logging, not old history or staff goals, sessions and notes.
• Before removing the app, unenrolling or wiping an iPad, export the intended .speakpad profile and verify its restoration on another device. Check boards, photos, recordings and required records. MDM removal deletes local app data; licence lapse while the app stays installed is different.
• Use the school-approved route for a pupil’s handover. Separately stop team shares and remove cloud backups through an authorized account if required. Turning cloud access off does not delete existing cloud data or copies already received by others.

6. Record a real-device pilot before rollout

• Record edition/version/build, device/OS, MDM/version, enrollment and assignment type, account type, policy, expected and actual results, date and tester. Code and simulator tests do not prove a school deployment.
• Test installation/update, configuration change/removal, PIN and biometric rules, offline communication, cloud blocking, managed file sharing and the chosen profile/Shared iPad workflow. Restore an export to a replacement device before testing app removal.
• When school purchasing is available, test assignment before and after launch, revocation/reassignment, expiry/renewal and reinstall on fresh installations. Early-adopter or existing purchase access can mask failures. These institutional acceptance checks remain pending until observed on real devices.

Apple deployment references

• App distribution and accounts
• Managed app backups and restoration
• Subscription purchase options

Send your country, iPad/OS, MDM, intended edition and assignment model to [email protected]. Do not include pupil data.

[email protected]