iOS Managed Browser App

Introduction 

Education Pro for iOS is a mobile application offered by Impero as an additional client platform for Education Pro. The mobile application can be installed on any iPad (iOS version 12 or greater).

The application is a managed web browser that connects with the Impero Server. All web activity is collected and logged on the Server and can be viewed from the Impero Console in the same way other device clients show web activity.

When the app is open a live view of what the user can see in the web browser is sent to the Impero Console and can be viewed in the thumbnail or single device view.

The application supports advanced policies and will block web pages if block policies are configured. In addition it supports screen captures and will take full screenshots and send them to the Impero Server based on enabled managed policies or manually created ones.

If your Impero Server is connected to Active Directory then login with AD credentials can be enabled on the Server. This will force users to sign into the app using their Active Directory username and password in order to gain access to the Internet. Once signed in with you AD credentials any logging of activity or triggered screen captures will automatically be logged against the signed in user so we can determine who did what.

Click here to find the Education Pro for iOS on the Apple app store.

Device Requirements

• Minimum iPadOS 12.0 or later

• Works with all iPad’s that meet or surpass the minimum iOS version. 

• Access to Wi-Fi. 

• Network permissions (might be requested on install or first device start-up (depending on the iOS version).

Impero Server Requirements 

• Impero Education Pro version 8.5.92

• Inside Impero server settings there’s an option to Enable or Disable Log in iOS devices. This setting will either require the user to log in (using AD Credentials) if checked. If not checked it will allow the user to access the browser without logging in.

Feature list 

• User tracking (who is using the device with time stamps – if AD exists for your organisation)
• Grouping
• Monitoring
  • Live screen view
  • Captures
• Consuming policies
  • Managed policies
  • Applied policies
• Page Blocking
• Disable Internet
• Tab Control
  • Close tab
  • Focus tab
• Run Website
• Send Message

How to install Education Pro on iOS devices 

1. On the iOS device, navigate to the app store (*Include screen capture*). 

2. Search for Education Pro.

3. Click install. 

4. Once installed, run the application. You may be prompted to accept the permissions (the application will NOT work without accepting the permissions – if asked). 

5. On first install it is highly likely you will be shown the server address page (shown below). This is due to no server address being picked up inside the device settings. Click on the button requesting you to update the server address. That will then take you to the native iOS settings > Education Pro. Please continue to the next step.

6. Please enter the desired server address into the entry as shown below (1). Once entered please hit the return key on the keypad, this will ensure the server address is saved. Return to the Education Pro application by clicking on the “Education Pro” in the top left of the screen (2).

7. Please Click on the button stating “Close App” if you are sure you entered the correct server address. Then re-run the application. 

8. The splash screen will remain until a connection has been made.

9. You will then land on the Log-In screen or the main page (this is dependant on the server settings established at the start of this section). 

10.The device is now set up and ready to be used by an end-user.

Pushing Server address via MDM

When deploying managed configurations via an MDM (Mobile Device Management) Solution you will need to provide a managed config key and a value. To set the Impero Server address for the iOS device to connect too, you can enter the below key/value pairs inside the property list editor settings section of an MDM. 

    • The key value pairs are case sensitive. 

    • KEY = imperoServerAddressKey 

    • Value (Text) =  ie (11.22.33.44)

This will enable you to mass deploy the app across your organisation. You can also set the Homepage to your organisations domain. The default if not specified is google. 

    • The key value pairs are case sensitive. 

    • KEY = homePage 

    • Value (Text) =  ie (https:// www.google.co.uk)

For 3rd party MDMs please use the following PLIST

<dict>
<key>bundle-identifier</key>
<string>com.imperosoftware.EducationPro</string>
<key>bundle-version</key>
<string>22</string>
<key>kind</key>
<string>software</string>
<key>title</key>
<string>Impero Edu Pro</string>
<key>imperoServerAddressKey</key>
<string>SERVERIP</string>
<key>homePage</key>
<string>https://schoolwebsite.com</string>
</dict>

Please copy the above into a text document and save it as a .PLIST file if required.

Troubleshooting

• Can’t connect to the Impero server. 

        o Make sure that the server IP address is entered correctly without spaces between the points “.” 

        o Ensure that return/enter is pressed after entering the server address 

        o Try restarting the app after changing the server IP address in the native settings 

        o Ensure that the Impero Server is running. 

•  Getting logs. There are three ways of getting logs inside the Education Pro IOS app: 

        o On the Log-In screen (Location: Bottom of the screen). 

        o Inside the Main menu page (location: Bottom right of screen). 

        o Inside the browser page. Type “about/logs” in the url entry bar and save them to the device or share accordingly.