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These are legacy instructions to manually install the Roaming Client on iOS devices (iPhone; iPad) that run on version 14 and older.
Due to Apple Configurator 2 limitations, the iOS agent can't be manually installed on iOS 15 and newer; it must be distributed through an MDM—follow our updated instructions for newer devices.
Install iOS Roaming Client
Video Tutorial
This video was produced in 2019 and is technically accurate to the installation process on iOS 14 and older devices.
Step one: Supervise the device in Apple Configurator
Devices must be Supervised in order to deploy the agent. Skip to Step two: Download and edit the .mobileconfig file if the device is already Supervised.
- Follow Apple's documentation if the device is not already Supervised
- On the Enroll in MDM Server screen, select Do not enroll in MDM. Follow our MDM installation guide if performing a mass deployment
- Select an existing organization (if one exists) or create a new organization
✍️ If creating a new organization, generate or choose a supervision identity. Unless the organization already has a certificate-based identity, choose to allow Apple Configurator 2 to automatically generate this for you. This information can be found on the device under Settings > General > About and cannot be changed later.
The device is now Supervised so the DNSFilter agent can be managed.
Step two: Edit the .mobileconfig file
This file configures the iOS device to associate with a specific DNSFilter Site.
- Download the .mobileconfig file and open it using a text editor
- Copy the Site Secret Key (SSK) for the Site that will host the agent's Filtering Policy
- Edit the .mobileconfig file
KEYHERE
text with the SSK and save the file
✍️ If utilizing Local Domains, add another section to the file under the closing to list the domains, e.g.<dict>
<key>dhcp_dns_search_domains</key>
<string>example.local</string>
</dict>
Once all applicable local domains are added the mobileconfig file is ready to upload to the device via Apple Configurator.
Step three: Add the .mobileconfig file to Apple Configurator
- Navigate to Apple Configurator and connect the device
- Select Trust when prompted
- Select the device in Apple Configurator
- From the Apple Configurator dashboard, navigate to Add and select Profiles
- Add the .mobileconfig file
The iOS device now has the pre-configured iOS Configuration Profile for the DNSFilter app.
Step four: Install the DNSFilter iOS app
After the app is installed and launched for the first time, it will automatically associate with the DNSFilter Site defined within the dnsfilter.mobileconfig
file.
- Install the DNSFilter Roaming Client from the App Store
- Once launched, select Register This Device
- Enter the SSK associated with the iOS Configuration Profile (.mobileconfig file)
- Enter a Hostname to identify the device in the DNSFilter dashboard
- Select Register Device
The device will register within the DNSFilter dashboard and will immediately begin applying Filtering Policies defined on the Site which the iOS device has registered to.
iOS device DNS caching
If domains were previously queried before the DNSFilter Roaming Client was installed and activated, it’s possible that these DNS queries may be cached locally on the device. Best practice is to clear the device’s DNS cache by momentarily turning on Airplane Mode and ensuring Wi-Fi is also turned off during this period.
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