Supervised devices and App restrictions in iOS

Question

My question regards a possible remote Parental Control system for iOS devices.

I understand how to apply web filtering options that would allow parents to whitelist and/or blacklist specific URLs and domains remotely on their children's devices via managed profiles and MDM server but is it possible to whitelist/blacklist certain apps from the iTunes store - i.e if the parents want to remotely block the installation of say Snapchat and Viber for example? It appears that filtering right now is only possible based on the iTunes "appropriate age" tag - i.e 4+

Thanks!

Answer 1

No, that level of control is unavailable in iOS. The closest you can get today is to either set the appropriate app age or to use the app installation restriction to block the entire App Store (keeping in mind that on iOS 8, this restriction will also prevent app installation by MDM as well).

Answer 2

You can always blacklist apps using an Mobile Device Management software. When an app which is blacklisted is installed on the user's device, the device will show as not compliant. You can also find which all blacklisted apps are installed on the device. Then the admin can prompt the user to uninstall the app. If they are not complying the admin can lock the device until they agree to comply.By using an MDM you can enforce additional restrictions like block camera etc. For a more strict management you can put the Apple device on supervisory mode, which have more options for device restriction. iOS 9.3 goes a bit further in this area by preventing the blacklisted apps from being shown or installed.