Guides, News, Tech

April 11, 2024

Boost your productivity: top 3 Apple device app blocking methods

In a business environment, it’s often necessary to restrict access to certain applications on our MacBook devices, whether for security, productivity, or control reasons. To achieve this, Mobile Device Management (MDM) platforms offer various configurations that can be remotely deployed and dynamically adapted to meet changing needs. In this article, we’ll explore different methods for blocking applications on Mac and how to implement them effectively.

1. Country-based Application Block

With Applivery’s App Distribution functionalities, users can upload their own or third-party applications, gaining version control and managing the publication of these versions. This allows for deployment of versions nominally or to specific user groups through a proprietary app store or via Device Management.

Through application upload, we can control how these applications will be published and distributed to users, offering a high level of customization. We can choose which version of the application to deploy, the security level (public or private), visibility, and even configure access control, enabling us to allow or block the application for specific countries.

2. Agent Application Block

Applivery offers an Agent that can be installed on all Apple ecosystem devices. This agent can control macOS applications that need to be blocked or even uninstall them if they are already installed on the device. Through policies, these configurations can be bulk applied to our corporate devices in moments, allowing us to control which applications run on them and which should not be installed.

This setup enables blocking any application that is not a default system application via the bundle ID.

3.Firewall App Block

Through policies, we can configure the Firewall, providing an additional layer of security and controlling incoming and outgoing network traffic, thereby allowing us to manage application communication.

The macOS Firewall offers an extra layer of security by enabling users to set access rules to govern incoming and outgoing network traffic. While typically associated with safeguarding against external threats, the Firewall can also be utilized to block specific applications on a Mac.

In addition to the mentioned methods for blocking applications, the use of scripts deployed at the device or user level within a device allows lots of configurations. Among these, temporary blocking of an application or temporary access to an app can be achieved. These scripts can be deployed to run once, on-demand, or in a loop with recurrence.

Blocking applications on Mac can be crucial for maintaining security and productivity in various environments. With a clear understanding of the available methods and how to implement them correctly thanks to the facilities offered by Applivery, companies can have greater control over the applications on their devices.