Apple Configurator
Hacker ApprovedDevice configuration tool in Phones & tablets
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.
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.
18 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 13
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 72%
Recommended in 9 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 13 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 2.6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 9 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Free tool to lock down iPhones
“I recommend Apple's free Apple Configurator tool to lock down your phone to only the set of apps you whitelist”
Comment from 2 Sep 2026 in “Making the Internet Boring” “this is seriously great if you have an iPhone, I used to use it before I switched to GrapheneOS”
Comment from 2 Sep 2026 in “I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't” Blocks apps, Safari, and Siri
“I recommend Apple's free Apple Configurator tool to lock down your phone to only the set of apps you whitelist”
Comment from 2 Sep 2026 in “Making the Internet Boring” “It was easy enough when I was on iOS. I just used Apple Configurator to block Safari and the App Store”
Comment from 31 Oct 2026 in “Digital minimalism” “You can disable Siri (and Apple Intelligence) entirely via Apple Configurator”
Comment from 16 Jan 2026 in “Can You Disable Spotlight and Siri in macOS Tahoe?” - Comment from 10 Jul 2026 in “Study: "Mommy, do you love your phone more than me?"”
Creates profiles without MDM
“You can just use Apple Configurator to make a .mobileconfig file and apply that, no MDM required.”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: Is it impossible to disable Siri on macOS 27?” “create and load a profile with Apple Configurator on macOS”
Comment from 22 Aug 2026 in “MiniageOS: "Dumbphone" Version of LineageOS” “Create a profile using Apple configurator”
Comment from 22 Sep 2026 in “I said no and Apple said yes” Highly customizable setup
“It's great! I wish there was an easy way to publish my configuration so others could use it / adapt it”
Comment from 9 Jul 2026 in “Buried Apple Feature Turns an iPhone into the Perfect Kids' Dumb Phone” “I prefer the Apple Configurator setup a lot over any of these kinds of apps.”
Comment from 1 Jun 2026 in “I made my phone slow on purpose” “It's really customizable.”
Comment from 9 Jul 2026 in “Buried Apple Feature Turns an iPhone into the Perfect Kids' Dumb Phone”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Needs recent macOS to install
“"Nah. You need a Mac running 15.7 to install Apple Configurator." Chicken and egg.”
Comment from 27 Jan 2026 in “iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch” “Nope. You need Sequoia to install Configurator.”
Comment from 19 Feb 2026 in “27-year-old Apple iBooks can connect to Wi-Fi and download official updates”
What people said
21 of the 24 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It was easy enough when I was on iOS. I just used Apple Configurator to block Safari and the App Store”
“Create a profile using Apple configurator”
“You can just use Apple Configurator to make a .mobileconfig file and apply that, no MDM required.”
“DFU-flash (using apple configurator) reads NO state from the phone and overwrites ALL state.”
“I recommend Apple's free Apple Configurator tool to lock down your phone to only the set of apps you whitelist”
“this is seriously great if you have an iPhone, I used to use it before I switched to GrapheneOS”
“create and load a profile with Apple Configurator on macOS”
“strictly limit the things you can do with your phone”
“It's great! I wish there was an easy way to publish my configuration so others could use it / adapt it”
“It's really customizable.”
“most settings in Apple Configurator require you to have a managed device”
“is the only solution that worked for me”
“it decided to screw everything up and reset positions”
“I prefer the Apple Configurator setup a lot over any of these kinds of apps.”
“This made it so you would have to use your Mac to enable installing new apps, creating a large amount of friction.”
“It was a bit of a pain but not too bad.”
“Nope. You need Sequoia to install Configurator.”
“Apple's docs absolutely are incorrect/incomplete about Configurator, and DFU restores.”
“actually faster than using a USB disk to install macOS”
“"Nah. You need a Mac running 15.7 to install Apple Configurator." Chicken and egg.”
“You can disable Siri (and Apple Intelligence) entirely via Apple Configurator”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.