Install a configuration profile on Apple TV

On an iPhone or iPad you install a .mobileconfig configuration profile by tapping it in an email or a web link. Apple TV doesn't work that way. tvOS has no web browser and no Mail app, so there's nothing to open a profile from. Instead, profiles reach an Apple TV in one of two ways: Apple Configurator on a Mac (manual, one device at a time), or an MDM (the scalable way).

Tip: A profile is for device-level settings — network, restrictions, Single App Mode and the like. Billboard itself is not configured with a profile. See Do I even need a profile for Billboard? below.

With Apple Configurator

Use this for one Apple TV, or a handful. You'll pair the TV to a Mac and apply the profile during the Prepare step.

1. Put the Apple TV and the Mac on the same Ethernet network. If they're on different subnets, make sure Bonjour can reach across them.
2. Get the Apple TV to its initial setup screen — the "Pair Your Remote" screen.
3. In Apple Configurator on the Mac, open Paired Devices, select your Apple TV, click Pair, and enter the six-digit PIN shown on the TV.
4. Select the Apple TV, click Prepare, and follow the prompts. Configuration profiles are applied during Prepare.

Tip: Don't interrupt Prepare once it's started — let it run to the end.

Apple's own reference is Prepare Apple TV in Apple Configurator. For a full walkthrough that also installs Billboard and locks the screen, see Apple Configurator 2.

With an MDM

For more than a couple of screens, an MDM is the right tool. It installs profiles — along with apps and configuration — over the air, with no Mac and no cables per device. See Deploy with Jamf Pro and the other MDM guides, plus Apple Business Manager & School Manager for getting your devices and apps in place first.

Viewing installed profiles

To check what's already on an Apple TV, look under Settings → General on the TV. Profiles installed by Apple Configurator or an MDM are listed there.

Do I even need a profile for Billboard?

Usually not. Billboard is configured through Managed App Configuration — the dataURL key your MDM pushes to the app — not through a device profile. That's what points each screen at the right gallery. See Apple Business Manager & School Manager and Deploy with Jamf Pro.

You'd only add a configuration profile when you want device-level control alongside Billboard — for example a specific Wi-Fi network, restrictions, or Single App Mode to lock the screen.

Still stuck? Email us at support@getbillboard.app.