Texas A&M Exchange – Personal Device Management

Does Texas A&M manage personal devices? 

When connecting to your Texas A&M Microsoft 365 account, you may see various messages that you are giving your Exchange administrators the ability to manage your device. 

Texas A&M does NOT manage personal devices, including applying software policies or wiping data from a personal device. 

How am I granting access to my device? 

When you use a mail client like iOS Mail or Android Mail to read your Texas A&M Exchange email on your mobile device, you are using Exchange ActiveSync. Exchange ActiveSync lets mobile phone users access their email, calendar, contacts, and tasks, and lets them continue to access this information when they are working offline.  

However, this technology also gives your organization the ability to remotely wipe your device.  

When you connect your Windows device to Microsoft 365, you may be prompted to Allow my organization to manage this device. If you check this box, your Windows device can be managed by your organization. 

How can I avoid granting access to a personal device? 

Even though Texas A&M does NOT manage personal devices, you may not be comfortable granting access to your personal device.

To avoid granting access to your mobile device: 

Use another mobile app to access your Mail/Calendar/Contacts, such as Outlook Mobile. You can also use a web browser to access Outlook for the Web, which is mobile friendly. 

To avoid granting access to your Windows device: 

Simply uncheck the “Allow my organization to manage my device” box before you click “OK.” 

How do I change the setting if I have already granted access to my personal device? 

If you used a mail client like iOS Mail or Android Mail to read your Texas A&M Exchange email on your mobile device, it is possible to manage your own devices using Exchange ActiveSync.  

To manage settings on a mobile device: 

1. Log into Outlook for the Web.
2. Click on the Gear icon in the top right.
3. Click View All Outlook Settings.
4. Click General.
5. Click Mobile Devices.

To manage settings on a Windows device: 

If you’ve selected Allow my organization to manage this device on a Windows device, you will need to email helpdesk@tamu.edu with your NetID and the device name to get it removed. To find your device name: 

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click System.
4. Click About.