Web Clips

Use web clips to create quick links to your frequently used functions, such as linking to important contact information or PDFs. Web clips allow you to add quick-access icons to the home screen of an iPad or iPhone, or the dock on a Mac that links directly to specified web pages. In combination with restricting Safari, you can improve your security by allowing users to access only a select few web pages.

Web Clip Requirements and User Experience

Web Clip TypeNotesUser Experience
PDFPrior to deploying a PDF web clip, ensure the PDF or document is accessible via an externally facing URL.
Email addressApplies to iPad and iPhone only. Before deploying an email address web clip, ensure the Mail app has an existing mail account configured manually or with Jamf Now. For more information on setting up email with Jamf Now, see Setting Up Email and Manually Assigning Email to a Device.
Note:

If Safari is restricted on devices in this Blueprint, then the web clip must be deployed in full screen mode.

The URL for the web clip should read "mailto:emailaddress". For example, "mailto:email@exchange.com".

  1. Tap the web clip.

    A Safari window will open, before redirecting to the Mail app with an email pre-addressed to the target recipient.

  2. Compose and send the email.

    Note:

    If the web clip was not set to full screen mode, then Safari will generate an additional prompt.

Contact

Applies to iPad and iPhone only.

  • For a contact phone call, the URL for the web clip should read "tel://contactnumber". For example, "tel://5551239876".
  • For a contact text message, the URL for the web clip should read "sms://contactnumber". For example, "sms://5551239876".
Note:

If Safari is restricted on devices in this Blueprint, then the web clip must be deployed in full screen mode.

For web clips intended for calling a contact:

  1. Tap the web clip.

    A Safari window will open, and a prompt will appear to call the associated number.

  2. Tap Call to open the Phone app and initiate contact.

For web clips intended for texting a contact:

  1. Tap the web clip.

    A Safari window will open before redirecting to the Messages app with a text pre-addressed to the target recipient.

  2. Compose and send the text.

LocationThe URL for the web clip should begin with "http://maps.apple.com/?" and use supported Apple Maps parameters for the remainder of the URL. For more information, see Map Links from the Apple Developer website.
  • To share a search for a type of location, such as nearby gas stations, enter the search criteria after the following URL: "http://maps.apple.com/?q=". For example:
    http://maps.apple.com/?q=Gas+Station
  • To share a specific location, specify an address. For example:
    http://maps.apple.com/?address=215,Riverfront+Terrace,Eau+Claire,Wisconsin
Web page to open in iOS Chrome appApplies to iPad and iPhone only. Before deploying a web clip for Chrome, ensure the desired browser is present on the device.
Note:

Full screen mode will not apply, as Chrome does not support full screen mode settings.

For Chrome, prefix the URL googlechrome:// or googlechromes:// for https.

Deploying Web Clips With Jamf Now

If you already have a web clip deployed, pushing a new web clip will reset the location of any existing clips to their original location on the home screen or dock. This will not affect their functionality but users will notice their location change if they moved the clips from their default install location.

  1. Log in to Jamf Now.
  2. Click Blueprints.
  3. Click Web Clips.
  4. Click Add Web Clip.
  5. In the pop-up window, enter a name, URL, and optional custom icon for the web clip.
    Note:

    Apple recommends using a square image that is no larger than 400 x 400 pixels and less than 1 MB when uncompressed. Image files are scaled and cropped to fit when necessary.

  6. (Optional) Select the Full screen mode checkbox to view the web clip in full screen.
  7. (Optional) Select the Removable by the user checkbox to allow users to remove the web clip.
  8. Click Save Settings.
Your web clip will automatically deploy to eligible devices in the Blueprint. The name of the web clip will display under the icon on the device.