# What Tinyphone can and cannot do

Tinyphone uses real supervision, the Apple mechanism that makes restrictions un-removable, the same one schools use.

Tinyphone uses real supervision, the Apple mechanism that makes restrictions un-removable, the same one schools use. That makes it stronger than every app-level blocker, and it still has hard limits. Both halves below, plainly.

## What it can do

- Remove apps so they are gone, not hidden: no App Store, no browser, nothing to reinstall from on the phone
- Lock the home screen layout, wallpaper and settings so they stay put
- Remove the browser entirely: no Safari, and no store to get another (category web filtering is in the works, not shipped yet)
- Turn each app's notifications on or off: keep people, silence feeds
- Switch modes on a schedule, such as a school mode from 8:00 to 15:00 on weekdays (with Cloud)
- With Cloud: switch modes from your iPhone or the web, see the battery and last seen of family phones, lock a lost phone and see where it is in Lost Mode

## What it cannot do: Apple's walls, for every vendor

- Setup always needs a Mac, a USB cable and one full erase of the phone. There is no remote way to set up real supervision; anyone claiming otherwise is not using it
- Tinyphone cannot read messages, see what is typed, or watch the screen. Not built, and Apple blocks it anyway
- Exact per-app screen time never leaves the phone; Apple sandboxes it. Numbers shown remotely are approximations
- A determined person with a computer can factory-reset their way out. That holds fine for kids and grandparents; it is not a jail for a motivated adult or teenager with tools
- Who can call or text (contact allowlists) cannot be set by software; Apple keeps those settings manual on the phone
- Airplane mode cannot be forced, and phone plans, numbers and carrier billing are outside any vendor's reach
- The phone needs iOS 18 or newer, and the Mac needs a macOS that Apple Configurator still installs on (macOS 15.7 or newer in practice)
- Apple changes the mechanism between iOS releases. iOS 27 replaces the way app lists are enforced; we test every major iOS on real hardware before recommending the update, and say so here when it is done

## The Mac app and Cloud

The Mac app (free and plus) is complete on its own: it sets the phone up and changes it, over the cable. Cloud adds the over-the-air layer on top. It needs the Mac app first, and it is the only part with an account or a subscription.

| What you can do | Mac app (free & plus) | + Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Set up: erase once, lock, pick the apps | ✓ at your Mac | needs the Mac app first |
| Apps gone, store blocked, layout and wallpaper locked | ✓ | ✓ |
| Per-app notifications: silence feeds, keep people | ✓ | ✓ |
| Single-app kiosk (music player, photo frame) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Change what's allowed | at the Mac, over the cable, in seconds | from anywhere, no cable |
| Schedules, such as school mode 8:00 to 15:00 | ✗ | ✓ the account switches the phone at the hour |
| Answer a request for more time from your phone | ✗ | ✓ |
| Battery and last-seen for family phones | ✗ | ✓ |
| Lost phone: lock it, see where it is | ✗ | ✓ |
| Account required | none; nothing leaves your Mac | yes |

## The honest summary

Tinyphone is the strongest tier that exists on an iPhone: restrictions that cannot be undone from the phone itself. It is not surveillance and it is not unbreakable. If a product in this category promises either, it is overselling.

Source: https://tinyphone.app/limits