How do I setup restrictions in iPhone so they can't be removed?

[NeedHelpWithAndroid]

I'm wanting to setup restrictions on an iPhone that I am considering getting. This would be for protecting myself from accessing content that is not beneficial, which means I would have a trusted friend setup the restrictions and assign their own Apple ID and associated passcode to the iPhone. In the past mobile device management / kiosk / enterprise software had been recommended to me for Android to block recovery settings that let a user remove or disable content protection software, but I think it may be easier just to get an iPhone and setup restrictions.

I would be using the phone myself, but I am wanting to make sure that I cannot reset the passcode associated with the Apple ID my friend would assign to the device. Because if I did have the passcode and the Apple ID than I think I can factory reset the device to remove the restrictions.

Researching Apple it appears that the restrictions do not apply to opening the settings app, so I'm wondering what I can do about this issue? Should I have my friend setup two factor authentication so that if I would try to reset the passcode associated with the Apple ID it would not be possible without the verification code? It appears that if a user is merely logged into an iPhone with the phone's passcode, Apple does not require the Apple ID passcode to be entered to reset the Apple ID passcode.

 

[Droidriven]

I'm wanting to setup restrictions on an iPhone that I am considering getting. This would be for protecting myself from accessing content that is not beneficial, which means I would have a trusted friend setup the restrictions and assign their own Apple ID and associated passcode to the iPhone. In the past mobile device management / kiosk / enterprise software had been recommended to me for Android to block recovery settings that let a user remove or disable content protection software, but I think it may be easier just to get an iPhone and setup restrictions.

I would be using the phone myself, but I am wanting to make sure that I cannot reset the passcode associated with the Apple ID my friend would assign to the device. Because if I did have the passcode and the Apple ID than I think I can factory reset the device to remove the restrictions.

Researching Apple it appears that the restrictions do not apply to opening the settings app, so I'm wondering what I can do about this issue? Should I have my friend setup two factor authentication so that if I would try to reset the passcode associated with the Apple ID it would not be possible without the verification code? It appears that if a user is merely logged into an iPhone with the phone's passcode, Apple does not require the Apple ID passcode to be entered to reset the Apple ID passcode.

Probably by jailbreaking it, making your alterations then un-jailbreaking it.

 

[NeedHelpWithAndroid]

Thank you for your reply. Anyone else have any thoughts? If I have a friend assign an Apple ID to the iPhone and setup 2 step verification that would protect the Apple ID passcode from being reset, he would have to designate my phone as not a trusted device when he does this, is what my guess is. I'm finding this confusing.

 

[NeedHelpWithAndroid]

Probably by jailbreaking it, making your alterations then un-jailbreaking it.

Question for Droid driven. I am interested in your information about Jailbreaking and than un-jailbreaking the iPhone so that the restrictions I plan to set up are more secure. However if I read articles online about Jailbreaking iPhone, will that give me the ability to remove the restrictions I would have a friend setup on the iPhone?

 

[Droidriven]

Question for Droid driven. I am interested in your information about Jailbreaking and than un-jailbreaking the iPhone so that the restrictions I plan to set up are more secure. However if I read articles online about Jailbreaking iPhone, will that give me the ability to remove the restrictions I would have a friend setup on the iPhone?

In theory, jailbreaking iOS is comparable to rooting android, it allows you to modify things in the system that a user does not have the ability to change if it is not jailbroken. Therefore, you should be able to jailbreak the device, then remove or modify anything in the system, add/remove restrictions, install apps and mods that you normally would not be able to install, remove apps and bloatware that you normally would not be able to remove among other things. Then, after you've added/removed/modified whatever you want/need, reverse the jailbrake process to return the device to a state where the user cannot modify the things that you changed.

 

[KemikalElite]

Hi, I just did a quick google search and found this.

How to Create an iOS Configuration Profile and Alter Hidden Settings

Configuration profiles on an iPhone or iPad are sort of like Group Policy or the registry editor on Windows. They allow you to quickly distribute groups of settings and access powerful management features that aren’t normally available. Configuration profiles are really designed for...

www.howtogeek.com

How to Put an iPhone or iPad into “Supervised Mode” to Unlock Powerful Management Features

Supervised Mode is intended for organizations, but you can enable it on your own iPhone or iPad. Supervised Mode gets you a few extra features like hiding included apps, and always-on VPNs.

www.howtogeek.com

Apple uses "configuration profiles" for setting restrictions for managed devices. This is the equivalent to Mobile Device Management (MDM) on Android or Group Policy on Windows.

Be aware that you will need access to Mac OS to set this up.

The first link shows what you can do with Apple Configurator and goes into detail on how to setup configuration profiles for an iOS device.

The second link however, is exactly what you want. You want to make a profile that puts the phone into "supervised mode". In supervised mode you get access to extra options that allow you to restrict and lock down pretty much the whole phone as much as you want. Keep in mind it is required to use supervised mode if you want to restrict the user from removing the profile and keep them from getting rid of the restrictions.

Intro to mobile device management

MDM lets you securely and wirelessly configure devices, whether they’re owned by the user or your organization.

support.apple.com

According to what I've read (profile removal - above link) you can also require a password to remove the restrictions and well as block access to the reset menu.

This will be better and more reliable than using some sort of solution from a jailbreak as this is the official method provided by apple for exactly what you are trying to achieve.

As a footnote I'm very glad those two guides exist because there is very limited documentation on how to do this yourself. Most of Apple's official documentation on this leads to pages that basically imply either subscribe to Apple Business Essentials or use a software-as-a-service third party cloud product. Unlike Microsoft's documentation that clearly explains how to setup Group Policy on Windows Server, its much more difficult to find step by step instructions on configuring Device Management for Apple products on Apple's own website.