Block Safari on iPhone or iPad without Screen Time

Alternative ways to block Safari on an iPhone or iPad without using Screen Time in a way that is harder for an adult to bypass.

Ben

Updated October 2, 2025

If you're trying to restrict yourself or another person from using Safari, you may have discovered that Screen Time is too easily bypassed and isn't an effective way to prevent Safari from being used. In this guide, we'll explore a more effective way to block Safari on iPhone or iPad without Screen Time.

Block Safari on an iPhone or iPad using Supervised Mode

One of the best ways to block Safari on an iPhone without using Screen Time is to use Supervised Mode . This is an alternative to Screen Time that most people don't know about that can reliably block Safari even on an adult's iPhone or iPad. This approach can't be bypassed like Screen Time, so it's an incredibly reliable way to turn off Safari.

This approach to blocking Safari without depending on Screen Time might not be what you expect: you'll add a config file to the iPhone or iPad that has the Safari restriction enforced.

Here's how to get started:

Configure the adult's device with Supervised Mode . You can follow our guide to set up this mode. Once supervised, you'll see the message "This iPhone is supervised..." at the top of the settings app.

Use an Apple Config Generator to customize your app restrictions. You can block Safari by adding it to your blocklist or by not including it in your app allowlist.

Install the config on to your iPhone or iPad

Enable Supervised Mode on iOS

Reliably enforce content blocking on an iPhone

Using screen monitoring to prevent use of Safari

If you aren't able to use Screen Time or Apple Family to block Safari from your child and the supervised device approach isn't a good fit for you, you could set up a screen monitoring app like LivingRoom for Families , which records all activity on the device.

When your child uses the device, they will see a recording overlay in the top corner, which ensures they won't use Safari without your permission.

If the child does use Safari, you'll be able to see what websites they visited so that you can catch any risky behavior.

Monitor a child's iPhone or iPad

Complete app and website monitoring with screen recording

Frequently Asked Questions

Can supervised config files be protected from being removed?

If you've installed a Supervised Config file to disable Safari on your iPhone, essentially turning into a dumb iPhone , you'll want to ensure that the config file isn't removed since this would allow Safari to be used again.

It's possible to do this with the Apple Config Generator - simply select the option to "protect config from removal" when customizing the config.