Remote wipe

How it works

The admin triggers the command in the console. The MDM server sends a push through APNs or FCM; the device connects, receives the erase instruction and executes it. On iOS, the OS discards the encryption key that protects user data, which makes the erase near-instant regardless of storage size. Android does a factory reset. Windows offers both a reset and a "remove enrollment" option.

The device has to be reachable. A phone that's off or in a Faraday bag won't get the command until it comes back online, but the command is queued and fires on the next check-in.

Selective wipe is different in scope. It deletes the work profile on Android or the managed apps and accounts on iOS User Enrollment. Personal photos and contacts stay. That's the only legally comfortable option on a BYOD device.

Why it matters for a fleet

A lost device is a data breach until proven otherwise. GDPR Article 32 requires measures "appropriate to the risk", and regulators consistently treat the ability to wipe a lost, encrypted device as the baseline. Without it, you may have to notify the authority and the affected people within 72 hours.

Wipe also closes the offboarding loop. Access revoked in the identity provider stops future logins; it doesn't remove the cached emails and files already on the phone.

Two things trip teams up. Wiping a supervised Apple device without clearing Activation Lock first leaves you with a brick tied to the previous user's Apple ID. And wiping a device that isn't backed up destroys unsaved field data, so check with the user first when there's time.

How Appaloosa handles it

From the Appaloosa MDM console, an admin can trigger a full remote wipe or remove only the corporate space on a device, on iOS, iPadOS, Android, Windows and macOS. The device's compliance state and last check-in time are visible before you act, and the command is queued if the device is offline. The same console applies the passcode and encryption policies that make a wipe effective in the first place.