Managing Web Clips on iOS / iPadOS

Description

Web Clips can be managed alongside apps in supervised iOS and iPadOS deployments. This article explains how to create a Web Clip, place it with a Home Screen Layout payload, and account for it in app restrictions.

Ingredients

iOS 11.3+
Supervised devices enrolled in FileWave MDM
Web Clip(s)

Directions

Creating a Web Clip

Create an Apple Profile Fileset using the profile creation and deployment workflow, then add a Web Clip payload:

Naming the Profile
Label the Web Clip (name displayed on the device)
Add the URL
Add an icon. An icon is not a requirement, but will make it easier for users of devices to identify the Web Clip.

URL scheme

Enter the complete destination URL, including its scheme, such as https:// or http://.

If Safari is both hidden and restricted on the target devices, enable Full Screen for the Web Clip. Apple requires full-screen mode in that case; allowing Web Clips in the app restrictions alone does not address the Safari restriction. The Web Clip screenshot above leaves Full Screen unchecked, so do not copy that setting when Safari is restricted.

Creating a Home Screen Layout

Home Screen Layout payload can also be found in the FileWave Profile Editor.

Home Screen Layout normally identifies apps by bundle ID, but every Web Clip uses the same bundle ID. To place a specific Web Clip, copy its complete URL into the Home Screen Layout payload exactly as entered in the Web Clip payload, including the scheme.

For environments that still use the legacy App Portal Web Clip, see Moving the App Portal Web Clip using the Home Screen Layout Payload.

App Restrictions

When Application Restrictions are applied, allow Web Clips where required by referencing the bundle ID com.apple.webapp.

Bundle ID
Because every Web Clip uses the same bundle ID, an app restriction allows or denies Web Clips as a group. Use separate profile scope and Deployments when different device groups need different Web Clip access.

User-created Web Clips
If app restrictions disable Allow Removing Apps, users can still create Web Clips but cannot remove them afterward.

Save the profile and deploy it to a pilot device using the profile deployment workflow linked above. Check that the profile installs, that the Web Clip appears in the intended Home Screen location, and that tapping it opens the intended site with the device's actual restrictions in place before expanding the Deployment.