I am developing a parental control app using Apple’s Screen Time API and FamilyControls Framework. My goal is to allow parents to remotely block apps on their child’s device from their own phone. Anyone have any idea how can i do that?

I have noticed that when I select the app token of the youtube app to be blocked via a ManagedSettingsStore, the youtube website is blocked as well (which is a good and intended behavior IMO). But how do I know in the ShieldConfigurationDataSource’s override func configuration(shielding webDomain: WebDomain, in category: ActivityCategory) -> ShieldConfiguration to which ManagedSettingsStore the WebDomain’s token is related? We use different ManagedSettingsStores for different block purposes, which differentiate in their ShieldConfiguration. Thanks a lot and have a great day!

Sometimes, when I close the lid using the MacOs version Sequoia 15.2, with the configuration to require a password for 5 seconds, the system does not ask for the password as expected. This happens sometimes even though nothing preventing the system from sleeping when you close and open the lid, but it still seems like a security concern. Is there some known issue related to this problem or a way to avoid it? Result of command pmset -g: Configuration:

I'm creating an app which gamifies Screen Time reduction. I'm running into an issue with apples Screen Time setting where the user can disable my apps "Screen Time access" and get around losing the game. Is there a way to detect when this setting is disabled for my app? I've tried using AuthorizationCenter.shared.authorizationStatus but this didn't do the trick. Does anyone have an ideas?

Hello Apple development team, I have developed an App for screen time management, which mainly uses ScreenTimeAPI. Users can set certain Apps to be disabled during a certain period of time. After the App is released, users often report that the settings do not take effect as expected. I have seen many developers on the forum reporting that the DeviceActivityMonitor extension sometimes does not trigger callbacks. Based on this background, I have the following questions: Is it a known problem that the DeviceActivityMonitor extension sometimes does not trigger callbacks? If so, are there any means to avoid or reduce the probability of occurrence? In addition to being killed by the system when the running memory exceeds (I just called some ScreenTimeAPI and accessed UserDefaults in the extension, which should not exceed the running memory), under what other circumstances will the DeviceActivityMonitor extension be killed by the system? Will it automatically recover after being killed? Will some callbacks be called when killing? Does ManagedSettingsStore have a life cycle? How do you avoid conflicts when configuring the underlying operating mechanism of multiple stores? This is a random problem. I have never encountered it during development and debugging, but users often report it. thanks

So what's the point of being able to block unto 50 apps per ManagedSettingStore via store.application.blockedApplications (which works fine) until removing the blocked apps or clearing the store. Where the following occurs if you have a social networking group with more than 9 apps only 9 apps will go back into the group and all the others will go onto the springboard all jumbled if you end up with an empty group then tap into the group, it is removed then during the reset all apps are placed back on to the springboard

I am encountering an issue after transferring an app that uses the FamilyControls framework to a different app account. After releasing a new version of the app post-transfer, the following problems arose: ApplicationTokens obtained in the pre-transfer version no longer function when used with ManagedSettingsGroup.ShieldSettings in the post-transfer version. Using the same ApplicationTokens with Label(_ applicationToken: ApplicationToken) does not display the app name or icon. These issues did not occur in the pre-transfer version and everything worked as expected. We suspect that ApplicationTokens obtained prior to the transfer are no longer valid in the updated app released under the new app account. We are seeking guidance on the following: Is this expected behavior after transferring an app to another app account? What steps should we take to ensure that ApplicationTokens obtained before the transfer remain functional in the post-transfer environment? If these tokens are invalidated due to the transfer, what are the recommended procedures for regenerating or updating ApplicationTokens for existing app users? Maintaining a seamless user experience after transferring the app is critical. We would greatly appreciate any insights or guidance. Please let us know if additional information or logs would assist in investigating this issue. Thank you!

Hi there, I am flagging for extra attention that it feels to me that something feels extra off about Screen Time tracking in iOS 18.3 Beta. There's been many days now where I can't reconcile the time spent (it's much higher than expected - by multiple hours). Feedback is here with an image: FB16270245. Not sure if happens on Beta 2 - just upgraded.

Managed iOS/iPad devices are struck with no network under below conditions Enrolling a Supervised iOS device Send InstallProfile command with AppLock payload (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/devicemanagement/applock) Now when the above managed device loses network connection with MDM server due to unknown network issues - the device is out of contact with MDM server and device is locked. Since such AppLock payload installed devices are placed in remote locations, it becomes difficult for Admins to recover such devices with no network connectivity. The devices have to be brought in from remote location and recover them. Under such conditions, it would be better to allow the end user to change the Network configuration manually to reconnect the device with MDM server. This option can also be allowed only when the device can’t ping MDM server.

I'm using ShieldActionExtention to make a HTTP request to a server when a user selects one of the buttons on their app shield. The apps are shielded, but nothing happens when I press one of the shield buttons. There is no message on the server signaling an HTTP request and nothing is printed to the XCode console while in debug mode. Here is my code for my Shield Action Extention // ShieldActionExtension.swift // ShieldAction // // import Foundation import UIKit import SwiftUI import ManagedSettings // Override the functions below to customize the shield actions used in various situations. // The system provides a default response for any functions that your subclass doesn't override. // Make sure that your class name matches the NSExtensionPrincipalClass in your Info.plist. class ShieldActionExtension: ShieldActionDelegate { override func handle(action: ShieldAction, for application: ApplicationToken, completionHandler: @escaping (ShieldActionResponse) -> Void) { print(action) let deviceID = UserDefaults.standard.string(forKey: UserDefaultKeys.userID.rawValue)! Task{ do{ print("sending to server") try await PlayerLosesGame(playerID: deviceID) completionHandler(.close) } catch { print("error occured on the shield") completionHandler(.none) } } } override func handle(action: ShieldAction, for webDomain: WebDomainToken, completionHandler: @escaping (ShieldActionResponse) -> Void) { print(action) let deviceID = UserDefaults.standard.string(forKey: UserDefaultKeys.userID.rawValue)! Task{ do{ print("sending to server") try await PlayerLosesGame(playerID: deviceID) completionHandler(.close) } catch { print("error occured on the shield") completionHandler(.none) } } } override func handle(action: ShieldAction, for category: ActivityCategoryToken, completionHandler: @escaping (ShieldActionResponse) -> Void) { print(action) let deviceID = UserDefaults.standard.string(forKey: UserDefaultKeys.userID.rawValue)! Task{ do{ print("sending to server") try await PlayerLosesGame(playerID: deviceID) completionHandler(.close) } catch { print("error occured on the shield") completionHandler(.none) } } //completionHandler(.close) } func PlayerLosesGame(playerID: String) async throws{ let url = URL(string: ServerConnection.GetWebsite() + "game/find?playerID="+playerID)! var request = URLRequest(url: url) request.httpMethod = "GET" print("trying this out") let (data, _) = try await URLSession.shared.data(for: request) } } I believe all my targets are set up correctly and should be working. Why is nothing happening?

After setting up all permissions, family members not showing up on the device list

I recently encountered an issue with Xcode 16.2 while attempting to integrate Settings.bundle into a new app. I added Settings.bundle as a new file (using the provided template), but when I ran the app (the standard simple "Hello World" project), the expected three default controls (Name, Enabled, Slider) did not appear in the app's settings. To troubleshoot, I downgraded my system to macOS Sonoma 14.7.2 and Xcode 15.4 (on a 2023 Mac Mini, M2). After this downgrade, everything worked as expected. With a new project, adding Settings.bundle, and running the app, the settings entry for the app appeared, including the three default fields. This behavior suggests a potential issue or incompatibility with Xcode 16.2.

We provide a MDM product. In our product, payloads and properties which require supervision display those requirements. Two properties forcePreserveESIMOnErase and allowWebDistributionAppInstallation of the restriction payload don’t require a supervised device according to the descriptions in Apple Developer Documentation. However, in our observation, those properties seem to require it. Are those OS bugs or documentation errors? (In which category should I submit a feedback?) Steps to reproduce Prepare a supervised device (I used an iPhone 12 mini with iOS 18.1) and a configuration profile contains the following restrictions: <!-- Does not require a supervised device --> <key>allowDiagnosticSubmission</key> <false/> <!-- Requires a supervised device --> <key>allowESIMModification</key> <false/> <!-- Does not require a supervised device according to its description --> <key>allowWebDistributionAppInstallation</key> <false/> <!-- Does not require a supervised device according to its description --> <key>forcePreserveESIMOnErase</key> <true/> Then, Install the profile with Apple Configurator. Confirm 4 restrictions are shown in Settings > General > VPN & Device Management > PayloadDisplayName > Restrictions. Punch Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings, to unsupervise. Install the profile with Apple Configurator. It cannot be installed automatically because the device was not supervised. Manually install the downloaded profile. Check Settings > General > VPN & Device Management > PayloadDisplayName > Restrictions. Expected results 3 restrictions—allowDiagnosticSubmission, allowWebDistributionAppInstallation and forcePreserveESIMOnErase—are shown. Actual results Only one restriction—allowDiagnosticSubmission—is shown. Appendix: Restriction keys and their restricted message shown in Settings allowESIMModification: eSIM modification not allowed forcePreserveESIMOnErase: Preserve eSIM on erase enforced allowWebDistributionAppInstallation: Web app distribution not allowed allowDiagnosticSubmission: Diagnostic submission not allowed

Phone glitchs a lot more my flashlight won’t turn on half the time even when it says it’s on its not on settings page likes to freeze randomly will restart my phone as well and controller has more issues connecting on certain games

We are pushing some Chrome settings through Directory Services command line utility /usr/bin/dscl /usr/bin/dscl /Local/Default -mcximport /Computers/local_computer chrome_settings.plist /usr/bin/mcxrefresh -n root These commands created com.google.Chrome.plist in /Library/Managed Preferences on previous macOS versions. However on macOS 15.x Sequoia these commands intermittently fail to create the file in /Library/Managed Preferences though there is no error reported or any log entries that could indicate an error. There could be other component on Sequoia that is preventing directory services tool to push the preferences but I am unable to locate it. It is not MDM because the machines are not enrolled (also have a setup where dscl and MDM both work). This is happening on a clean macbook setup but I have never seen it happen on mac mini. Anyone have an idea what could be interfering with directory services to complete its task of pushing managed settings? DDM?

Hello fellow Screen Time developers! I have bee experimenting with the ActivityCategoryPolicy.all(except: allowList) API of the ManagedSettings framework in order to provide a digital detox feature to my app, where ALL apps would be blocked, except some important ones (phone, messages, maps). The apps to be exempted can be configured by the user via the FamilyActivitySelection(). However, I am experiencing a strange bug, where all apps are restricted / blocked, even the ones that are set to be exempted and are part of the allowList Set. Instead of not restricting allowed apps at all, these apps are restricted with a generic shield (screenshot below) – a concrete shield is not requested for them from my ShieldConfigurationDataSource. I have also filed a radar under this number, attached is a minimalistic sample project and video that shows how to reproduce this: FB15500605 (no response so far) I have also seen other people report on this issue, but couldn't find any useful information there: https://forums.developer.apple.com/forums/thread/750988 https://forums.developer.apple.com/forums/thread/762287 Thanks a lot for your help, and have a nice day!

I work as the end user compute engineer at my employer. My test managed shared iPad Pro was on iOS 18.0.1 and from the sign in screen I was able to double click the lock/wake button twice to open the Wi-Fi picker. I upgraded it to the latest iOS 18.1 update and the Wi-Fi picker screen no longer comes up when double clicking the lock/wake button. Has this feature been removed? If so, this will pose a huge issue when it comes to new users signing in when not on a known Wi-Fi network.

Family activity picker looses icon and incudes parent apps after 20 seconds...and you never see the kids icons again until you reboot. Any ideas? family controls authorized on both apps Share across devices activated Web & activity activated. Before... ...and after 22 seconds.

I have two time machines one is a western digital and the other is a Q Nap that ever since I upgraded to Sequoia, I cannot use. It’s an NAS device and Macke says that I have to contact the manufacturer of the product. They’re too old for me to contact them. My MacBook is new and it was working up until I had upgraded to Sequoia so I’m just trying to find out if that is a software glitch or an OS glitch. It is happening on both Max that I have so this is begging me the question that it’s an iOS update causation. It just sits and spins at the Time Machine preparing to back up and that is all that it does the first time it backed up probably until 25% and now it’s just doing this preparing to back up. I also have tried to wipe out the shares on both NAS machines and deleted the the files within the share to set it up again, and it still does not work.