How to Block Websites on a Supervised iPhone

Using supervised mode for iPhone, you can block websites and URLs in a more permanent way that is hard to bypass.

Tech Lockdown Team

Updated June 22, 2024

When an iPhone is set up in supervised mode, it enables a more robust enforcement of website and URL restrictions. Unlike Apple's standard screen time feature, supervised mode provides a URL filtering approach that is challenging to circumvent.

iOS devices have a built-in content filter similar to the one available through Screen Time. The content filter can be enforced on a supervised device.

Prerequisites

In order to get access to the supervised mode content filter for iOS, you need to meet the following requirements:

The iPhone has supervised mode enabled. Learn how to configure supervised mode .

You have either a Mac computer or Windows computer that you can connect the iPhone to with a charging cable.

If you've already gone through the process of supervising an iPhone, then you should be able to follow this guide and start configuring the content filter.

Configured Supervised Mode on iOS

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Configuring the Supervised Mode Content Filter

Here are the basic steps you can follow to enable the supervised content filter and specify URLs you'd like to add to a blocklist.

There are two approaches to blocking websites using device supervision for iOS:

Limit Adult Content / Blocklist
Allow-only mode

To get started, connect your supervised iOS device to your Mac or Windows computer and open the profile editor

Go to the Content Filter section of the profile editor

Selecting the Built-in: Limit Adult Content filter type will enable a basic adult content filter while also allowing you to add your own list of URLs that should be blocked.

On the other hand, you can select Built-in: Specific Websites Only to block all websites other than the ones you add to this list.

Use with Caution

This default-deny approach is quite limiting and should be implemented with caution. If you're using calendar or email apps on that device, you'll frequently get error pop-up messages unless you add all of the associated URLs to your whitelist.

After you customize this list, sync the profile with the connected iOS device

Compatibility Issues and Additional Considerations

If you're using Safari on your iPhone, this URL filtering approach tends to work pretty well. However, you might notice inconsistent results in other web browsers or you might find that it's difficult to use a default-deny approach effectively without conflicting with the iOS apps you want to whitelist.

To account for this, consider combining supervised website blocking with a DNS Content Policy , which is a more comprehensive and easier to manage approach to website blocking.

You can block entire websites categories without having to specify every URL that should be blocked.

You can even block websites based on keywords to target website domains that use certain words:

This blocking approach works on all kinds of other devices as well and you can manage these block rules in a single unified dashboard.

Another advantage to this approach is that you can schedule app usage on all kinds of devices to disable the internet connection for the app store or web version of apps that you specify depending on the schedule you specify.

This approach works great alongside supervised app blocklists. It saves you the time of determining each URL that you need to add to the supervised Content Filter Unallowed URL section.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I enable Supervised mode on an iPhone or iPad?

In general, you will reset the iPhone and use device supervision software on a connected Mac or Windows device to prepare the iPhone.

For the exact steps and process, check out our guides .