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I have supervised iPads managed with Hexnode, not in kiosk mode. In Safari, the Private Browsing option is missing from the tab menu, so users can’t open a page in private mode. The devices have a Web Content Filtering policy applied with a block-all setup and only specific websites whitelisted. Is Hexnode removing this Safari feature, or is there a way to enable Private Browsing while keeping the URL whitelist active? Also, would installing Chrome bypass the whitelist?
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Marked SolutionPending Review
Hexnode Expert
2 hours ago
Aug 31, 2026
Marked SolutionPending Review
On supervised iOS/iPadOS devices, Hexnode does not have a policy setting that can directly force-enable Safari Private Browsing.
When a Web Content Filtering payload is active on the device, iOS hides the Private Browsing option in Safari. This behavior is controlled by Apple as part of how Safari works with web content filtering. Hexnode cannot override it through the standard iOS MDM restrictions.
To confirm the cause, the usual test is to remove the Web Content Filtering policy from a test device and check Safari again. If the policy is removed, the Private Browsing option should reappear.
If the filtering policy is required, the practical limitation is:
– Web Content Filtering enabled: Safari Private Browsing is hidden.
– Web Content Filtering removed: Safari Private Browsing becomes available again.
Third-party browsers such as Chrome will not bypass the whitelist if the Web Content Filtering policy is applied device-wide. Non-whitelisted sites remain blocked across browsers.
Regards,
Mary Romero
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