The Simplest Kiosk

Necessity is the Mother of all Invention.

Or so says the ancient proverb. And it seems to be pretty accurate even today.

More than once I've found myself searching for a simple iOS 'kiosk browser' app, something to be used in conjunction with Single App Mode to turn an iOS device (iPad or iPhone into a dedicated purpose device)

I've got many devices in the wild being used like this; at events I've ran or at the theatre for things like remote control of lighting, ticket scanners, our box office etc.

There's plenty Kiosk Browser apps on the App Store now, but most have far more options than I'll never need, and a ridiculous number of them have in-app purchases or even subscriptions for what is, essentially, a web browser.

One fundamental issue of the one I am currently using - if there is no internet connection when it launches, it fails to load the web page. However, when trapped in Single App Mode there's no way to reload it. This has caused no end of problems.

Why does no-one simply make a full-screen, UI-free, browser that 'just works™' ?

So, now I have, and it's my first foray into the App Store. Simplest Kiosk does exactly what the name suggests. It's a browser that can be configured with a launch URL and it will load that URL, any subsequent navigation works (so design your web app well enough to not need domain access control lists!)

Configuration? set the URL in the Settings app, that's it.

No internet connection when it loads? It just keeps retrying until it gets one.

Request fails to a page? Again, it'll just keep retrying until it works

It's a paid app (heh, I was willing to pay for it but couldn't find anything suitable, so I figure others might be) but it has no tracking, analytics, in-app purchases, subscription fees, advertising, trials etc... It just does what it says on the tin.

It's the Simplest Kiosk you'll find. And that's what I needed.