Supervise your iPhone yourself, for free
The do-it-yourself way to a feed-free iPhone. Apple Configurator on a Mac supervises the phone, then a profile blocks the apps and sites you choose.
Based on Stepan Parunashvili's post iPhone dumbphone.
What you need
- A Mac, and a cable for your iPhone.
- Your iPhone passcode and your Apple Account password.
Back up your iPhone
- To iCloud: on the iPhone, Settings > your name > iCloud > iCloud Backup > Back Up Now.
- To your Mac: plug the iPhone in, open Finder, select the iPhone, then General > Back Up Now.
Keep this backup. It is your way back if you change your mind.
Screenshot coming Erase the iPhone
Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings. It asks for your passcode and your Apple Account password, which also turns off Find My.
When the iPhone restarts, leave it on the Hello screen.
Screenshot coming Install Apple Configurator
Get Apple Configurator from the Mac App Store. It is free and made by Apple. Open it and click Get Started.
Screenshot coming Supervise the iPhone
- Plug the iPhone into the Mac. When it shows up in Configurator, right-click it and choose Prepare.
- Choose “Manual Configuration” and tick “Supervise devices”. Leave “Add to Apple School Manager or Apple Business” unticked.
- If it asks about device management, choose “Do not enroll in Device Management”. If it asks you to sign in to Apple School Manager or Apple Business, click Skip.
- For the organization, enter your own name. You are an organization of one.
- For Setup Assistant, choose “Don't show any of these steps”, then click Prepare.
Screenshot coming Screenshot coming Configurator erases the iPhone once more and brings it back supervised.
Set it up as a new iPhone
Do not restore the backup from step 1. A backup from before supervision takes supervision off again.
In Settings, set a passcode and Face ID, and sign in with your Apple Account. What you keep in iCloud comes back on its own, like photos, contacts, messages and passwords.
Then install the apps you need from the App Store.
The top of Settings now says the iPhone is supervised.
Screenshot coming Build your profile
Open the profile builder, pick the apps and sites to block, and download the profile. It is free.
Configurator can also build a profile by hand, under File > New Profile, if you would rather set every option yourself.
Screenshot coming Install the profile
Drag the profile onto the iPhone in Configurator, or right-click the iPhone and choose Add > Profiles. A supervised iPhone takes it without asking.
The apps you blocked disappear, and their sites stop loading.
Forgot something? Build another profile and add it the same way. It adds to the one already there.
Screenshot coming
To undo it
Erase the iPhone from Settings: General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings. That takes supervision and every profile off. Then restore the backup from step 1.
Last updated 30 September 2026.