How To Block Apps On Any Device [2025 Guide] – Source: securityboulevard.com

In school environments, blocking apps is necessary. Not only to keep students productive and engaged in the classroom, but also to ensure safety. Certain apps simply take a student’s focus; others expose them to inappropriate content and security risks.

Fortunately, it’s easy for school IT administrators to not only block apps but to gain full visibility across their entire device fleet.

In this article, we’ll let you know how you can block apps across Apple, Android, and desktop devices — step by step. We’ll also detail additional steps you can take to safeguard your students online. 

Why schools might want to block apps

App blocking serves three main purposes in educational settings: maintaining focus, ensuring safety, and protecting resources. Students naturally gravitate toward entertainment and social apps during class time, which disrupts learning and reduces academic engagement. Schools need tools to redirect attention back to the classroom. 

Safety concerns, in particular, drive many blocking decisions. Apps can expose students to inappropriate content, facilitate harmful interactions, or create opportunities for cyberbullying. Schools have a responsibility to create secure digital environments where learning can occur without these risks.

Resource protection matters, too. Many apps consume substantial bandwidth, slowing network performance for educational applications. Others introduce security vulnerabilities that could compromise school systems or student data privacy.

The most effective approach involves strategic rather than blanket blocking. Schools typically allow educational apps while restricting entertainment, social media, and potentially harmful applications. This balance maintains the benefits of technology in learning while eliminating the primary sources of distraction and risk.

Modern app-blocking solutions give administrators granular control over what students can access, when they can access it, and from which devices. This flexibility allows schools to adapt their policies to different grade levels, classroom contexts, and educational objectives.

How to block apps on iPhone or iPad

Blocking unwanted apps on iOS takes two paths: quick controls for a single device and fleet‑wide controls through mobile device management (MDM). Follow the track that fits your environment.

For a single student device

1. Open Settings › Screen Time, tap Turn On Screen Time, and choose This is My Child’s iPhone/iPad.
2. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and switch it on.
3. Select Allowed Apps & Features, and toggle off each built-in app you want hidden — icons remain hidden until re-enabled.
4. Still in Content & Privacy Restrictions, open iTunes & App Store Purchases › Installing Apps, and choose Don’t Allow to block new downloads.
5. Go back to App Limits › Add Limit, pick individual apps or categories, set the daily time to 1 minute, and turn on “Block at End of Limit” to stop use.
6. Enable Settings › Accessibility › Guided Access, then triple-click the Side or Home button inside any lesson app to lock the device there during exams.

But note, for all personal devices (Apple or otherwise), always get a parent or guardian’s written consent before activating restrictions. Keep that approval on file so families understand the controls and administrators have clear documentation.

For school‑managed iPads

1. Add every device to Apple School Manager, assign Managed Apple IDs, and mark them as Supervised during enrollment.
2. In your MDM, create a Restrictions profile: disable the App Store, block specific bundle IDs, or flag curriculum apps as non-removable.
3. Push that profile wirelessly so the policy applies the moment a student signs in.
4. Deploy Apple Classroom so teachers can view the active app on each iPad, lock everyone into one app, or hide all open apps with a tap.
5. Fine-tune overrides in the MDM console — Apple School Manager’s Access Management pane only controls who may install or remove those profiles.
6. Review usage analytics in your MDM dashboard each week. Tighten blacklists or whitelist new educational tools as curricula evolve.

How to block apps on Android

Android lets you lock down apps in two ways: quick, on‑device controls for a single student handset or tablet, and fleet‑wide policies pushed through an Android Enterprise MDM platform.

For a single student device

1. Open Google Play Store › Settings › Family › Parental controls. Turn the controls on and set a PIN that the student cannot guess.
2. Still in Parental controls, tap Apps & Games and choose the highest age rating you will allow — the Play Store hides anything above that level.
3. On a parent or admin phone, open Google Family Link › Screen time › App limits (or Controls › Manage apps), select each unwanted app, and tap Block.
4. In Family Link › App limits, select any distracting app and set its daily time to 1 minute — or leave it blocked.
5. On the student device, open Settings › Digital Wellbeing › Focus mode, tick the same off-task apps, and tap Turn on now to pause them during class.
6. Enable Settings › Security › App pinning. Open the required lesson app, enter Overview, tap the app icon, and choose Pin to lock the screen for tests.

For school‑managed Android devices

1. Enrol every phone or tablet in Android Enterprise during setup (zero-touch, QR code, or managed Google account).
2. In Google Admin console › Devices › Mobile & endpoints › Settings › Android › Apps and data sharing, set Available apps to Only allowed apps, then approve required classroom apps under Devices › Apps & web apps. Any package not on that list remains blocked and hidden from managed Google Play.
3. For an allow-only model, set playStoreMode = WHITELIST in the Android Management API — or the equivalent MDM setting — so only approved apps appear in the Play Store.

How to block apps on desktop

Each desktop platform has native controls for blocking software — use them locally or push them through your management console.

Windows 10/11

1. Press Windows + R, type ‘gpedit.msc’, and open the Local Group Policy Editor.
2. Navigate to Computer Configuration › Windows Settings › Security Settings › Application Control Policies › AppLocker.
3. Create a Deny rule for the executable, installer, or packaged app you want to block, then apply the rule.
4. Run gpupdate/force in an elevated PowerShell window to activate the block on that PC.
5. For all student PCs, add the same AppLocker rule to a Group Policy Object linked to their organizational unit, or create a Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) policy in Intune’s App Control for Business profile.

macOS (Ventura 13 or later)

1. On each Mac, open System Settings › Screen Time, select the student account, and switch on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
2. Under App & Feature Restrictions, turn off any built-in Apple application or category you need to block.
3. For fleets, push a configuration profile from your MDM — using Restricted Software or a similar feature — to blacklist third-party bundle IDs and disable new App Store installs.

ChromeOS (Chromebooks)

1. In the Google Admin console, go to Devices › Chrome › Apps & extensions › Users & browsers and select the student organizational unit.
2. Set Allow/block mode to Block all apps; admin manages allowlist.
3. Search for each unwanted Chrome extension or Android app, change its Installation policy to Block, and save.
4. If you need to remove the public Play Store entirely, remain in Devices › Chrome › Apps & extensions › Users & browsers, and under Allow/block mode set Play Store to Block all apps.

How schools filter app activity

Sometimes, it’s necessary to block apps outright. Other times, schools find that automatically filtering applications is sufficient in keeping students safe and on task. Purpose-built content filtering solutions make this easy, particularly with help from artificial intelligence (AI). 

These solutions offer: 

• Browser-level URL filtering: Blocks or allows websites in real time using category lists and custom URL entries. 
• AI keyword inspection: Scans page content for self-harm, violence, or bullying phrases and flags violations instantly.
• Google Admin console deployment: Forces the filtering extension onto Chromebooks through existing organizational units. 
• Custom policy engine: Lets admins create regex or keyword rules that trigger automatic actions. 
• Live activity logging: Records user visits and search terms, updating dashboards without delay. 

Collectively, these features create a comprehensive filtering ecosystem. They let schools maintain oversight without disrupting the learning environment. 

Content filtering for K-12 schools

ManagedMethods provides a suite of solutions that help K-12 school administrators protect their students online.

Content Filter lets K-12 schools deploy customizable web filtering that secures data, safeguards students, and maintains compliance — with minimal effort. It’s easy to adopt and use, and ensures that students can only access the content that serves their education. 

Learn more about Content Filter today. 

The post How To Block Apps On Any Device [2025 Guide] appeared first on ManagedMethods Cybersecurity, Safety & Compliance for K-12.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from ManagedMethods Cybersecurity, Safety & Compliance for K-12 authored by Alexa Sander. Read the original post at: https://managedmethods.com/blog/how-to-block-apps/