According to a rep. with the Global Service Center, the issue we experienced with creating user accounts on new Chromebooks is related to both roles/callings and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
As far as roles/callings go, only certain callings are permitted to create user accounts on the Chromebooks. This seems to match with what is listed at
https://tech.churchofjesuschrist.org/wi ... mebook_FAQ. It it strange to me that counselors in bishoprics are not included in the callings that can add accounts. One bishopric counselor wondered if we could pass that along as feedback for improvement in the system.
Apparently, the other issue is that MFA (also known as two-step verification on the Church account setup page) is enforced. But it only seems to be enforced for certain callings. I haven’t experimented with this yet. But it appears to match the data set we have so far. Non-bishops that have been successful in adding user accounts to Chromebooks so far have all had MFA enabled on their accounts.
Hopefully, this will be helpful to others. And if anyone else can help verify this information, that would be appreciated.
I feel like this is a potential downside to adoption of Chromebooks in local units. Personally, I’m still in favor of the Chromebooks. If I’m not mistaken, I believe they are both less expensive to purchase and easier to maintain and manage centrally when compared to traditional desktop PCs. I also think the portability of the devices is a potential plus in some cases. So I’m hoping that issues like these can be overcome or improved so that we don’t unnecessarily slow down the adoption of new technologies that I think will help add value to the Church’s approach to technology.