Mosyle app blocklist for schools and businesses
Mosyle manages Apple devices only, so app blocking in Mosyle follows Apple's rules: lists of bundle IDs on supervised devices. This guide covers both products, the settings that matter, and how to fill them from a category list.
For schools and districts, with targeting by classes and grade levels.
For companies and organizations, with device groups and business features.
Bundles device management with security and identity tools for businesses.
What is Mosyle Manager, and what is Mosyle Business?
Both manage iPads, iPhones, Macs and Apple TVs from the cloud. They differ in who they are built for and how you group devices, while the app controls underneath are Apple's.
| Question | Mosyle Manager | Mosyle Business |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | K-12 schools and districts | Companies and other organizations |
| Sign in | The school sign-in page on Mosyle's site | A separate business sign-in page |
| Grouping | Classes, grade levels and device groups | Device groups and users |
| Shared devices | Shared iPad and cart tools | Apple's Shared iPad and single app options |
| App sources | Apps and Books licences from Apple School Manager | Apps and Books licences from Apple Business, plus a Mac app catalog |
| App blocking | Apple's restrictions on supervised devices, delivered as profiles | |
Mosyle manager log in vs business sign in: the two products use different sign-in pages. If your password is refused, check that you are on the right one for your account before resetting it.
How app blocking works on Apple devices in Mosyle
Mosyle delivers Apple's controls to the device; it does not run its own app blocker on iPads. Knowing which Apple control you are using tells you what will and will not work.
Bundle ID lists
Apple's restrictions can block listed apps or allow only listed apps. Blocked apps are hidden and cannot open. Unsupervised devices ignore these lists.
App Settings
From iOS and iPadOS 27 Apple moved app lists to a declarative App Settings configuration with Allowed apps and Denied apps. It needs supervision and Automated Device Enrollment.
App Store removal
Hiding the App Store stops new downloads, while apps you assign from Mosyle still install and update.
On Macs, Mosyle lists a zero trust feature on its business site that builds a list of trusted programs and blocks everything else. AppBlockList files cover iPad, iPhone and Android apps.
How to block apps in Mosyle Manager
The steps below follow the usual flow for an iOS restrictions profile. Menu labels differ slightly between Mosyle Manager and Mosyle Business and change with releases, so check the current console where a name does not match.
Open profiles
Go to the management area for iOS and open the profiles list.
Restrictions
Create a new Restrictions profile, or edit the one that should own your app list.
Pick a mode
In the app section choose to block the listed apps, or to allow only the listed apps.
Add apps
Add apps by name or bundle ID. Paste IDs from your list in one go if the console allows it.
Assign
Assign to a test group, then to classes, grades or device groups, and save.
Example entries for TikTok, Snapchat, Roblox, Discord and Tinder. Find any other ID with the bundle ID lookup.
Mosyle block apps on iPhone: the same profile works on supervised iPhones. School phones and business phones follow the same Apple rules as iPads.
Starter profiles: what to block on which devices
One list rarely fits every device in a school or company. These starting points cover the groups most Mosyle admins manage; adjust the categories to your own policy.
An allowlist of a few learning apps, Camera and Photos. Everything else stays hidden, so there is nothing to block one by one.
A blocklist of AI / LLM Tools, VPN / Proxy / Anonymizers, Social Networking, Email and Messaging, Gaming, Gambling, Dating and Adult, plus the App Store hidden.
A short list: VPN apps, Gambling and Adult. Teachers often need video, messaging and AI tools for lessons, so decide those by policy.
VPN / Proxy / Anonymizers, Gambling, Gaming, Shopping and Marketplaces, plus Remote Access Tools except the one your help desk uses.
Lock the device to one app with Apple's single app mode instead of a list. Nothing else can open.
Some governments and districts ban named apps on their devices. The banned apps list tracks the common ones.
Mosyle manager white list: allow only listed apps
An allowlist hides everything you do not name, built-in apps included. It suits test iPads, early years and kiosks. For older students and staff a blocklist is usually easier; our allowlist vs blocklist guide compares them.
- Every app you deploy through Apps and Books
- Mosyle's own apps that you rely on, such as Self-Service
- Camera com.apple.camera if students record work
- Photos com.apple.mobileslideshow for hand-ins
- com.apple.webapp so web clips keep opening
- Learning apps, for example Seesaw me.see-saw.classroom
- Your one approved browser
- A day of testing on a single class before the whole school
Building a district approved list from scratch? See how to build an approved apps list.
Block the App Store and keep Mosyle installs working
Removing the App Store stops new downloads at the source. Mosyle can still deliver apps from your Apps and Books licences, either automatically or on demand through its Self-Service app.
With the App Store hidden
- Students and staff cannot download or update apps themselves
- Apps you scope from Mosyle install and update as normal
- Self-Service becomes the approved store
- Category blocklists handle apps already on the device
Apps and Books licences
- Scope App Store apps to users or devices
- Revoke and reassign licences when devices change hands
- Content comes from Apple School Manager or Apple Business
- Our App Store blocking guide covers Apple's side
Mosyle restrict apps by country and by age rating
Country affects two different things: which apps you can get licences for, and which rating system applies on the device. Neither is a Mosyle setting on its own; both come from Apple.
Your Apple School Manager or Apple Business account has an App Store country set by the organization's address. You can only get apps offered in that storefront.
Apple's age rating restriction uses a region's rating system. Pick the region your devices use, then the highest rating allowed.
From iOS 26 the App Store uses 4+, 9+, 13+, 16+ and 18+. Devices on older versions still show the previous tiers.
Many unsuitable apps carry low ratings. Use the rating cap as a floor and category lists for chat, VPN and AI apps.
Betting apps are legal in some places and not others. A category file blocks them everywhere; see the gambling apps list.
Some apps exist only in certain storefronts. A bundle ID is the same in every country, so one list entry matches the app wherever it was downloaded.
Exclude devices in Mosyle
Not every device should get the same list. Exclusions keep staff, IT and special-needs devices out of a student blocklist without a second copy of the profile.
Keep teacher and office iPads in their own group and leave them out of the student profile.
A few devices that get every change first, and can be pulled out of a profile quickly.
Students who need a communication or reading app that sits in a blocked category get a smaller exception list.
For one-off cases, exclude a device by serial number or put it in a named exception group.
Shared devices often need a stricter list. See shared iPads and single app mode.
Keep a short note of every exclusion and the reason, so the next admin knows why a device is different.
How to remove a device from Mosyle
Removing a device has two halves: Mosyle, and Apple School Manager or Apple Business. Which half you touch depends on whether the device stays with your organization.
Decide where the device goes
Staying in your organization and moving to another MDM, being repaired, or leaving for good each need different steps.
Remove it in Mosyle
Unenroll or remove the device record in the Mosyle console. Managed apps and profiles come off the device.
Change the assignment in Apple's portal
In Apple Business, go to Devices, Inventory, and choose Assign Device Management to move it or Unassign Device Management to clear it.
Release only when it leaves for good
Release from Organization is permanent. Do not release devices sent to Apple for repair, and turn off Activation Lock first.
Erase before reuse
Erase the device so the next user starts clean and the right management service picks it up at setup.
Full steps are in our Apple Business Manager apps guide and, for schools, the Apple School Manager app guide.
Mosyle app blocklist not working: a troubleshooting guide
When a blocked app still opens, start with the device in your hand. These are the causes we see most often, in the order to check them.
The device is not supervised. Check the device details in Mosyle; only Automated Device Enrollment or Apple Configurator supervision makes app lists work.
The profile is not assigned to the device, or an exclusion removes it. Check the class, grade or group assignment.
The bundle ID has a typo, or it is an Android package by mistake. Compare it with the lookup result.
Apple advises against managing the same restriction in more than one profile. Keep one profile that owns the app list.
An allowlist is active without com.apple.webapp. Add it if bookmarks on the home screen must work.
Blocking an app does not block its website. Pair the app list with your web filter; see how students get around restrictions.
A hand-typed list goes stale within weeks. A category list adds new apps in each monthly update.
An erased device gets its profiles back only after it enrolls again during setup. Check that it is still assigned to Mosyle in Apple's portal before handing it out.
A category you block also holds an app a class uses, such as a messaging app for a language exchange. Remove that line from the list or move those devices to an exception group.
Apple deprecated the old bundle ID keys there. Check how your Mosyle version delivers App Settings for those devices.
Mosyle support and where to look for help
Searches for a Mosyle support phone number or a user manual are common. Phone numbers and manuals change, so we point you to the places that stay current instead.
| Need | Where to go | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Account or console problem | The support options inside your Mosyle account | Paid plans include tickets, calls and video guidance according to Mosyle |
| Service outage | Mosyle's public status page | Check it before you troubleshoot a sudden fleet-wide failure |
| Apple-side issue | Apple School Manager or Apple Business | Tokens, licences and device assignment live there, not in Mosyle |
| Which apps to block | Our guides and category lists | Start with apps to block on school iPads |
Load an AppBlockList category file into Mosyle
Typing apps one by one is how lists fall behind. New VPN apps, AI chat apps and games arrive every week; a category list picks them up in the next monthly file without a store search.
Choose categories
Schools often take AI / LLM Tools, VPN / Proxy / Anonymizers, Social Networking, Email and Messaging, Gaming, Gambling, Dating and Adult. Businesses add Shopping and Marketplaces on work phones.
Download the files
You get an iOS bundle ID list, a CSV with names and all columns, and a .mobileconfig with a restrictions payload.
Paste or upload
Paste the bundle IDs into your restrictions profile, or upload the .mobileconfig if your console offers a custom profile option. Our .mobileconfig guide explains the file.
Test on one class or team
Remove any app your school or team needs that sits in a blocked category, then widen the assignment.
Replace monthly
Swap in the new file each month in the same profile. New apps are added and removed apps dropped.
Districts and IT providers can get separate files per school or client through the MDM app blocklist feed.
Test before the whole school gets it
Run through this on two supervised iPads from different groups before rollout.
- Device shows as supervised in Mosyle
- Profile appears on the device under VPN and Device Management
- Blocked apps are hidden from the home screen and search
- Apps deployed from Mosyle still open
- The App Store matches your choice
- Web clips behave as planned
- Excluded staff devices are untouched
- Shared iPads keep the list for every student who signs in
Mosyle app blocking FAQ
What is Mosyle Manager?
Mosyle Manager is Mosyle's Apple device management product for schools and districts. It manages iPads, iPhones, Macs and Apple TVs, and lets admins target settings by classes and grade levels as well as by device groups.
What is Mosyle Business?
Mosyle Business is the version for companies and other organizations. It manages the same Apple devices with business features, and Mosyle Fuse bundles it with security and identity tools.
Can Mosyle block apps on unsupervised iPads?
No. Apple only applies app block lists and allowlists to supervised iPhones and iPads. Enroll devices through Apple School Manager or Apple Business with Automated Device Enrollment so they arrive supervised.
Does Mosyle manage Android or Chromebooks?
No. Mosyle is built for Apple devices only. Schools with Chromebooks or Android tablets manage those in another console, and can use the Android package list from the same AppBlockList categories there.
What is the Mosyle support phone number?
We do not list vendor phone numbers because they change. Use the support options inside your Mosyle account; paid plans include tickets, calls and video guidance according to Mosyle.
How often do AppBlockList files for Mosyle change?
Every month. Each update adds new apps in your chosen categories and drops apps removed from the store. Replace the list in the same Mosyle profile so every scoped device gets it.
Give Mosyle a list that keeps up
Pick categories, paste one file into your profile and replace it each month. Plans for one school or business, and for districts and IT providers with many sites.
Mosyle, Mosyle Manager, Mosyle Business and Mosyle Fuse are trademarks of Mosyle Corporation. Apple, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and App Store are trademarks of Apple Inc. Android is a trademark of Google LLC.
TikTok is a trademark of ByteDance Ltd. Snapchat is a trademark of Snap Inc. Roblox is a trademark of Roblox Corporation. Discord is a trademark of Discord Inc. Tinder is a trademark of Match Group, LLC. Seesaw is a trademark of Seesaw Learning, Inc.
Names are used only to identify the products discussed. AppBlockList is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by these companies.