Alternate Browser Configuration on iOS/iPadOS

What

WantIt can be desirable to use browsers, other than Safari.  Apple now provide two such methods for i(Pad)OS.

• Web Clip URLs sent to devices to open Webparticular Clippages
URL links with Google Chrome instead of Safari with iOS/iPadOS devices? Now you can!

Unfortunately, Apple does not have a Profile payload to remotely change

• Changing the default web browser oni(Pad)OS iOS/iPadOS18+
devices. However, you may configure the Web Clip payload to open links with Google Chrome.

When/Why

FileWaveInternal administratorspolicy may createsuggest anda configuredifferent browser is used for compatibility.  Perhaps though, it is better to allow users to choose their preferred browser, but delivery of certain Web Clips contain pages better suited to a different browser.

Where an alternate browser is targeted, that browser must already be installed on the Profile payload Web Clip with URL links to open with Google Chrome. It is easy as entering a prefix before your URL link.device.

How

Web Clip URL

PleasePage notemay that Google Chrome web browser needsneed to be installeda successfullynon-secure onor thesecure iOS/iPadOS devices for the Web Clip payload to re-direct the URL links.

Which URL link is preferred,link, http or https ?respectively.  Be sure to test the URL link before mass deployment.

EnteringConfiguring a Web Clip Payload to use either http or https, will cause the URLWeb linkClip to open in the users chosen default browser.  This will be Safari, if not changed.

For example, on an non-configured device, meaning Safari is default, either of the following should open withusing Safari:

• http://ww.filewave.com --- This will result to http:// with Safari web browser

• https://www.filewave.com --- This will result to https:// with Safari web browser

AddingEach browser has an identifier which may be set to force the prefixWeb below will redirect the URL linkClip to open within that browser, including:

Browser	Browser URL Prefix	Browser URL Secure Prefix
Google Chrome	googlechrome://	googlechromes://
Firefox	firefox://open-url?url=http://	firefox://open-url?url=https://
Microsoft Edge	microsoft-edge-http://	microsoft-edge-https://

Example

Imagine the Google Chrome web browser is the chosen target application for the Web Clip, either of the following should open using the Google Chrome browser:

• googlechrome://www.filewave.com --- This will result to http:// with Google Chrome web browser
• googlechromes://www.filewave.com --- This will result to https:// with Google Chrome web browser

BelowUsing the latter example, this is anhow examplethis screenshotshould look in the URL of a Web Clip payload to open with the GoogleProfile Chrome web browser.Payload:

Force Default Browser

As of FileWave 16, it is now possible to leverage the newly added Apple feature to force a different default browser on i(Pad)OS 18.2+.

This is a command sent to devices:

In this instance, it should be the Bundle ID of the Application, e.g.

Browser	Bundle ID
Safari	com.apple.mobilesafari
Firefox	org.mozilla.ios.Firefox
Opera	com.opera.OperaTouch
Microsoft Edge	com.microsoft.msedge
Google Chrome	com.google.chrome.ios
Brave	com.brave.ios.browser

As a Command, it does allow users to overrule the chosen Browser, but as with other commands, the policies are re-pushed every 24hours.  However, it is possible to prevent users from altering the default browser with a restrictions profile:

As per Apple's documentation, this restriction does not prevent the MDM command from setting an alternate browser:

Related Content

• Managing Web Clips on iOS / iPadOS