Devices Showing “Office 365 Mobile” Instead of Intune? Fix the MDM Authority

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This is one of those Intune issues that doesn’t make much sense when you first see it.

A customer recently had devices enrolling into Entra ID, but the MDM field showed Office 365 Mobile instead of Microsoft Intune. Everything suggested Intune was in use, licenses were assigned, and yet enrollment clearly wasn’t happening correctly.

The root cause turned out to be something you don’t normally check anymore.

The Real Issue

In this case, the problem wasn’t:

  • Licensing
  • MDM user scope
  • Autopilot or enrollment method

The issue was that MDM authority was not actually set to Intune, even though the tenant was actively using Intune.

What made this tricky is that:

  • The option to configure MDM authority was not visible in the portal
  • Everything else in Intune looked normal
  • There was no obvious warning or error

So devices defaulted to Office 365 Mobile as the MDM.

Why This Still Happens

This is mostly seen in tenants that:

  • Were created a long time ago
  • Had partial or legacy Intune setup
  • Never explicitly completed the MDM authority configuration

Even today, it’s possible to end up in a state where:

  • Intune is accessible
  • Policies exist
  • But the tenant is not fully activated as the MDM authority

The Fix That Actually Works

If the MDM authority option is missing in the Intune portal, the normal guidance doesn’t help much.

The working fix is to go directly to the hidden configuration blade.

Use this link: https://intune.microsoft.com/#view/Microsoft_Intune_Enrollment/ChooseMDMAuthorityBlade

From there:

  1. Select Intune MDM Authority
  2. Click Add
  3. Confirm the change

That’s it.

No PowerShell. No backend fix. Just a UI blade that isn’t exposed in normal navigation.

What Happens After the Change

Once the MDM authority is set correctly:

  • New enrollments will use Microsoft Intune
  • Devices will no longer show “Office 365 Mobile”
  • Enrollment behavior becomes consistent

However, existing devices will not automatically fix themselves.

Important: Existing Devices Still Need Attention

Devices already enrolled under “Office 365 Mobile” will stay that way.

To correct them, you need to:

  • Re-enroll the device
  • Or disconnect and reconnect the work account

There is no automatic migration from the legacy state.

How to Validate

After applying the fix:

  1. Enroll a test device
  2. Check the device in Entra ID
  3. Confirm MDM = Microsoft Intune

Also verify:

  • Device appears in Intune admin center
  • Policies are applying correctly

If that works, you’ve fixed the root issue.

What to Watch Out For

A few things to keep in mind:

  • This setting is tenant-wide and should only be done once
  • In most modern tenants, it’s already configured
  • If you don’t see the option, don’t assume it’s set correctly

This is one of those cases where the UI can be misleading.

Practical Takeaway

If you ever see devices showing Office 365 Mobile in Entra ID:

  • Don’t jump straight to enrollment troubleshooting
  • Check whether MDM authority is actually set
  • And if the option is missing, go directly to the hidden blade

It’s a simple fix once you know where to look, but not obvious if you don’t.

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