Customer HubWeb Content Filter
The Web Content Filter configuration regulates access to websites on iOS devices. The Built In filter type provides the parental control filter integrated in iOS, which can be enabled or disabled. The Plugin filter type integrates the content filter of a third-party filter app. In macOS policies, only the Plugin filter type is available, see Web Content Filter on macOS →.
Prerequisites
- The device is supervised (label Supervised in the portal), see Supervised Mode / Supervision →.
- With the Plugin filter type, the provider’s filter app is installed on the device.
Configuration
Under Devices → Policies, the Web Content Filter configuration is added to an iOS policy via Add. The Filter Type selection determines whether the built-in filter (Built In, default) or the filter of a third-party app (Plugin) is used. Depending on the selection, the portal shows the corresponding fields.
Filter type Built In
The automatic filter is active when the Enable Auto-Filter toggle is switched on (off by default). It evaluates each web page as it is loaded and blocks content that is not suitable for children.
Under certain circumstances, the filter does not always achieve the desired result, since URLs that do not contain content harmful to minors are sometimes filtered. Notes on search results that the filter does not restrict and on third-party filter apps are provided in Web Content Filter (Built In) →.
In addition to the automatic filter, websites can be added to the Blocked URLs or Permitted URLs list:
- Blocked URLs: A URL that is not blocked by the automatic filter is added to this list to block it. The list should not contain more than 500 entries.
- Permitted URLs: A filtered URL is unblocked by adding it to this list. The list can only be edited and is only sent to the devices while Enable Auto-Filter is switched on.
Both lists only accept http and https URLs.
Special attention should be paid to the Allowed Bookmarks list. If it contains entries, only these URLs are allowed, regardless of the content of the Permitted URLs list. In addition, the entries of the Allowed Bookmarks list are created as bookmarks in Safari. An entry is added via Add in the Add new allowed bookmark dialog:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| URL | Required. Address of the bookmark (http or https) |
| Bookmark Path | Optional. Folder in which the bookmark is created in Safari |
| Title | Required. Name of the bookmark |
Filter type Plugin
The Plugin filter type integrates the content filter of a third-party filter app; the filtering itself is performed by this app. Bookmarks are not allowed with this filter type.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| User Defined Name | Required. Name of the filter |
| Plugin Bundle ID | Required. Bundle ID of the app that contains the filter provider |
| Service Address | Optional. Address of the filter service, e.g. host name or URL |
| Username | Optional. User name for signing in to the filter service |
| Password | Optional. Password for signing in to the filter service; only allowed together with a Username |
| Payload Certificate | Optional. Certificate (PKCS#1 or PKCS#12) from certificate management for signing in to the filter service |
| Traffic Filter Type | Socket (default) filters network traffic at socket level, WebKit filters traffic from WebKit browsers; exactly one option is active |
Enforce Safari history retention
The Enforce Safari history retention toggle is available for both filter types, applies to iOS 26 and later and is enabled by default. When enabled, the Safari history cannot be cleared on the device and Private Browsing is disabled. When disabled, the history can still be cleared on devices with iOS 26 or later. Whether an active filter prevents clearing the history on older iOS versions is determined by Apple.