iOS website kiosk shows “Forbidden: administrator has blocked access” after adding URLSolved

Hello,
Thanks for reaching out to Hexnode Connect.

This behavior usually occurs for two reasons: a formatting error preventing the policy from validating, or missing background URLs that the website needs in order to fully load.

First, regarding the “validation failed” message: this is often caused by an incorrectly formatted or conflicting entry in the iOS web content filtering (allowlist/blocklist) configuration within the same policy. Policy validation only confirms that the configuration can be successfully saved. If there is a bad entry there, remove it, and the policy should save properly.

Second, regarding the “Forbidden” error: even if the primary URL is allowed, most modern websites rely on external resources. If the website redirects to other domains, uses a separate login authentication page, CDNs, or embedded subdomains, those additional URLs will be blocked by the kiosk browser unless explicitly allowed.

Here is how to resolve the issue:

1. Open the policy associated with the device and verify there are no conflicting entries in the general iOS blocklist/allowlist configuration.
2. Navigate to Kiosk Lockdown > Website Kiosk Settings.
3. Under Allowlist Websites, add all required URL patterns for the site. Be sure to include:
   • The root domain
   • The www version if the site uses it
   • Any login or authentication URLs
   • Redirect URLs
   • Required subdomains or CDNs used by the web app
4. Save the policy.
5. Go to Manage > Devices, select the affected iPad, and click Actions > Scan Device.

You can confirm the policy update completed successfully by checking the Action History tab. Once the device receives the updated policy, relaunch the kiosk website or refresh the page, and it should load without the forbidden error.

I hope this helps or resolves your issue. Feel free to reach out if you have any more doubts or need further assistance.

Best regards,
George,
Hexnode UEM