iOS kiosk apps briefly appear during updates before Single App Mode startsSolved

Participant
Discussion
4 weeks ago Oct 02, 2026

Some of our supervised iOS devices are set up with Hexnode kiosk policies. We use a main device management policy and a separate Single App Mode kiosk policy for the kiosk app.

After updating a few devices to newer iOS 26.x versions, apps briefly show up on the device before it locks back into kiosk mode. The apps do not seem usable, but it looks confusing because the device is supposed to show only the kiosk app. In Hexnode, the device app list also shows thousands of apps even though most of them are not visible on the device.

We were using allow/block app restrictions along with kiosk, and there may have been more than one kiosk-related policy applied to the same device. What is the recommended setup to prevent unwanted apps from showing during kiosk mode?

Replies (2)

Marked SolutionPending Review
Hexnode Expert
4 weeks ago Oct 02, 2026
Marked SolutionPending Review

Hello @pepijn ,

This behavior can occur on newer iOS versions during the transition after an OS update or when the device moves back into kiosk enforcement. It is an iOS-level UI transition, not an indication that the apps are accessible outside kiosk.

Recommended setup:

  1. Keep Single App Kiosk configured in the dedicated Kiosk policy.
  2. Use a separate Blocklist policy to hide unwanted apps from the device interface.
  3. Avoid applying multiple kiosk policies to the same device, as overlapping kiosk configurations can cause inconsistent behavior.
  4. Replace older or duplicate general policies with a clean test policy once the configuration is verified.

If you use a Blocklist approach, make sure all unwanted system and background apps are explicitly blocked, while the intended kiosk app remains available for Single App Mode. The large number of apps shown in the Hexnode app inventory can include hidden system/background apps. These may still be present on the device internally even if they are not visible to the user.

Regards,
Simon Scott
Hexnode UEM

Marked SolutionPending Review
Participant
4 weeks ago Oct 02, 2026
Marked SolutionPending Review

Okay got it. After switching to a blocklist-style test policy plus the separate kiosk policy, only the expected apps were visible.

Save