What I want is to be able to lock down certain apps so I can hand my device to my 4-year-old and know that he's not going to get into anything except the few games I have for him. Is that not possible?
An imperfect system for your use case, for sure. An example where multi-user iPad would be great.
The whole iOS ecosystem is design with one user per device in mind. Apple ID, single user, etc.
There's a tremendous disconnect between how it should work and how it does work. If I want to put my device in "four-year-old mode", I shouldn't have to uninstall everything to get there.
However, they have started some work mainly focused on accessibility that might be good for this use. iPad only at the moment: http://www.gottabemobile.com/2012/10/01/how-to-lock-the-ipad...
That said: I dislike the single user nature of the devices as well. I understand WHY they do it, but dislike it personally.
Also: iPodTouch costs about $200, which is the same as a handheld gaming handset from the likes of nintendo, etc, especially when looking at the different costs of games.
The password is not good enough, because multiple iTunes accounts can be on one device, and the kid could add a gift card to buy whatever.
I'm aware that the Touch is less expensive, but my argument is that "Just buy a separate device for your 4-year-old" is an insane line of reasoning, whether it's a $200 iPod or a $600 iPhone.
They reappear after you up the rating again (and annoying lose folder position, which is why I didn't just turn it back on).
If Restrictions are less powerful than MDM, then you can STILL delete the apps on a child's device.
Chrome disappears and reappears when I toggle down to 12+
Twitter is (mis)labeled at 4+
I don't have flipboard on my iPhone.
It did take a second for them to disappear. I'm pretty sure a turning off and on will make them disappear. They reappear instantly.