A small, but important detail buried in Apple’s developer documentation for its upcoming iOS 9.3 release details a new feature that lets employers lock apps to your homescreen so they can’t ever be moved.
The feature means that an employer-issued iPhone could require Slack and your company’s email app be locked to the dock of your iPhone — or anywhere else on the home screen — with no way for you to re-arrange the layout.
To lock icons the owner needs a OS X Server, along with Profile Manager and supervision configured on the phone. From there, you’re able to configure the layout of apps, as well as if any Web bookmarks are included on the homescreen.
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A similar feature as part of iOS 9.3 also allows employers to hide apps, including system ones, from appearing at all. Another feature allows an employer to block users from downloading specific apps from the App Store onto company devices.
That’s a big change, and one that hasn’t been available in iOS in the past. Once iOS 9.3 is out, your employer-issued iPhone could be a little bit more restricted.
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