# Apple Configurator

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/apple-configurator/

12 people recommended Apple Configurator in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and 5 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 12 months, in 13 threads. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Free Mac app for locking iPhones down to a whitelist of apps, blocking features like Safari or Siri, and creating profiles. Critics note it needs a recent macOS version to install.

Summary written by Claude from 21 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Creates profiles without MDM (3 comments in the sample): "You can just use Apple Configurator to make a .mobileconfig file and apply that, no MDM required." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49788919)) "create and load a profile with Apple Configurator on macOS" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49404722)) "Create a profile using Apple configurator" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49800950))
- Highly customizable setup (3 comments in the sample): "It's great! I wish there was an easy way to publish my configuration so others could use it / adapt it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48851246)) "I prefer the Apple Configurator setup a lot over any of these kinds of apps." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48358879)) "It's really customizable." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48850107))
- Free tool to lock down iPhones (2 comments in the sample): "I recommend Apple's free Apple Configurator tool to lock down your phone to only the set of apps you whitelist" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49540910)) "this is seriously great if you have an iPhone, I used to use it before I switched to GrapheneOS" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49539991))
- Blocks apps, Safari, and Siri (2 comments in the sample): "You can disable Siri (and Apple Intelligence) entirely via Apple Configurator" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46650057)) "strictly limit the things you can do with your phone" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48858756))

## What people warn about

- Needs recent macOS to install (1 comment in the sample): "Nope. You need Sequoia to install Configurator." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47070174))

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Apple Configurator", https://hackerapproved.com/p/apple-configurator/ (12 recommend, 1 mixed, 5 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.