Can a federated/Managed Apple Account be used as a Custom Store (eCommerce) login? Trying not to break it after I federate.
I work for a small company, and was tasked with figuring out how to purchase and MDM a fleet of Macs + iPhones (~24 devices).
Ive setup ABM and gotten our Org verified. I want to enable Domain Federation (with Google Workspace) in ABM so all uses have "Managed Apple Accounts". (My work email and a break-glass admin mailing list set as org admins, have an Org #). From my understanding, I need a "Customer ID" in order for purchases to flow into ABM properly.
So far:
- I thought setting up an account on https://www.apple.com/us-smb/store would give us a Customer Number. Based on my research/understanding a "Managed Apple Account" cannot be used for any store, and so I signed up using one of our alternative domains. Got account verified, added EIN etc.
- I called the Apple Business support phone number (1-866-902-7144) once the account was setup and was told I cannot get a "Customer Number" for that account and must go into the Apple Store in-person.
- Went to the Apple Store, gave them Org #, etc. They emailed me to setup the "Custom Store" account so I can get a "Customer Number"
Here is where my problem is: they want me to give them an email to create the login for the "Custom Store"; I gave the Rep the rundown and their response was basically "just use your primary domain and I will try it" without addressing any of my concerns, so I hope one of y'all can help me figure out the proper path.
Ideally, it would be one of our primary domain emails; but those will become "Managed Apple Account"s once I federate the domain, and I don't want to break the "Custom Store" after I federate, or to lock up the domain into federation if this will cause problems.
Alternatively, I would like to use the secondary-domain email I setup and went through the flow on the us-smb store; but I think that might be unusable now since the "Custom Store" FAQ states that you cant reuse a "Personal Apple account" or the "ABM admin account". If that one's burned, I can provision another secondary-domain account (least ideal, but I'll do it if that's correct).
What the rep won't answer and the FAQ doesn't address:
- Can the store login be a federated/Managed account on our captured domain, or does the store require a non-managed account?
- If it has to be non-managed: what do people actually use? An email on a separate domain you don't federate? A subdomain? Something else?
- Is what I did on the SMB flow a personal account?
- Has anyone's store login broken after federating (works as a normal account, then dies once it becomes Managed)?
Basically: what kind of email survives as a working eCommerce/Custom Store login once the domain is federated? I want to pick the right one before I trip the one-way domain capture, not after. If you've actually set up a Custom Store on a federated domain, I'd love to know what email you used.
If this is the wrong sub, please let me know, and thanks in advance!