General: Forums topic: Family Controls Forums tag: Family Controls Configuring Family Controls documentation Requesting the Family Controls entitlement documentation Screen Time Technology Frameworks documentation FamilyControls documentation What's new in Screen Time API video Meet the Screen Time API video

App Store Connect returns the following message when the NSExtensionPointIdentifier key in the Info.plist of a Device Activity Monitor extension contains an invalid value: ITMS-90349: Invalid Info.plist value - The value of the NSExtensionPointIdentifier key, <value>, in the Info.plist of ".../PlugIns/...appex" is invalid. To resolve this issue, set NSExtensionPointIdentifier to com.apple.deviceactivity.monitor-extension. The expected Info.plist structure for a Device Activity Monitor extension is: <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>NSExtension</key> <dict> <key>NSExtensionPointIdentifier</key> <string>com.apple.deviceactivity.monitor-extension</string> <key>NSExtensionPrincipalClass</key> <string>$(PRODUCT_MODULE_NAME).DeviceActivityMonitorExtension</string> </dict> </dict> </plist> After you apply this fix, build and archive your app, then re-upload to App Store Connect to confirm the error is resolved.

On iOS 26.4, I set a Screen Time passcode. However, when I go to Settings > Apps > [Our App] and turn off Screen Time Access for the app, the system asks for Face ID instead of the Screen Time passcode. As a result, Screen Time access can be disabled without entering the Screen Time passcode. Steps to Reproduce 1. Set a Screen Time passcode on iOS 26.4. 2. Open Settings > Apps > [Our App]. 3. Turn off Screen Time Access for the app. Expected Result The system should require the Screen Time passcode before allowing Screen Time access to be disabled. Actual Result The system asks for Face ID instead of the Screen Time passcode, and Screen Time access is disabled.

Our app uses WKWebView to load web pages, and we're encountering a crash with WKScreenTimeConfigurationObserver on iOS 26.1 and above. However, there are no WKScreenTimeConfigurationObserver-related code calls in our project. The crash log is as follows: NSInternalInconsistencyException Cannot update for observer <WKScreenTimeConfigurationObserver 0x13be821e0> for the key path "configuration.enforcesChildRestrictions" from <STScreenTimeConfigurationObserver 0x13be808e0>, most likely because the value for the key "configuration" has changed without an appropriate KVO notification being sent. Check the KVO compliance of the STScreenTimeConfigurationObserver class. We want to confirm if this is a system bug. How can we fix it?

Hi, I’m building an iOS app that uses FamilyControls to let users block distracting apps during study sessions. Everything works fine in Debug on a real device: the authorization request succeeds and app blocking works correctly. The problem is when I try to create an Archive for App Store Connect. Xcode gives me this error: “Provisioning profile ‘iOS Team Store Provisioning Profile: com.(ID)’ doesn’t include the com.apple.developer.family-controls entitlement.” I also get a warning saying that my bundle identifier is using the development-only version of the Family Controls capability and that I should request access to the distribution version. I’ve already added the Family Controls capability, enabled the required entitlements, and I’m using automatic signing. I also tried enabling the capability for my App ID in the Apple Developer portal, but it either doesn’t save or the distribution profile still doesn’t include the entitlement. Does the Family Controls distribution entitlement require approval from Apple before it can be used in an App Store build? If so, where do I request it? Has anyone successfully published an app using FamilyControls and run into this issue? Thanks.

We have developed a Parental/Self control app using Screen time API. We have used individual authentication to authorize the app, using the instructions here: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/familycontrols/authorizationcenter The problem is , that individual auth can be disabled easily , by the following steps: enter Settings app. in Settings app, click on the Parental/Self control app. click to disable screen time restriction. show the device owner's face/fingerprint. (or pin code) Why is that a problem: Parental control apps, or self-control apps, are about giving control to the software, To make it hard for the user to disable the restrictions. So using the flow I have introduced above, it's super-easy for a user to disable his Parental control restrictions, which misses the entire point of Parental/Self control idea. Furthermore, not only the user have the means to unlock his screen time restrictions, he also MUST have the means to unlock it. This makes Screen time (with individual auth) useless: I have a code ready to make a great parental control app for my clients, with amazing ideas, but I can't use the Screen time API unless this problem is fixed. Why child-parent auth is not enough: My clients are grownups people between ages of 15-40, that are interested in self-control, so they don't have iCloud child accounts. also, the child-parent auth solution forces my clients to give some control to other person, and my clients prefer their privacy. Some of them prefer self-control and not parental-control. What I suggest as a solution: 1: Give more options to users how to disable the Screen time restrictions. including: a second faceID / FingerPrint (that isn't the same as the one used to unlock the device) a second pin password. a string password 2: Give the users the option to choose to not have the device's owner Face/Finger/Pincode ID , as a method to disable the Screen time restrictions.

Hello, we’re seeing a rather serious regression on iOS 26.6: The issue appears to reproduce with a single named ManagedSettingsStore: import ManagedSettings let store = ManagedSettingsStore(named: ManagedSettingsStore.Name("specific")) store.webContent.blockedByFilter = .specific([ WebDomain(domain: "specific-domain-marker.example") ]) Expected behavior: Only the explicitly configured .specific(...) web domain filter should be reflected in the effective ManagedSettings / ManagedConfiguration state. Observed behavior: After configuring this single store with .specific(...), I’m seeing unexpected additional websites being blocked (mostly adult content) which should only happen when using the .auto(…) API. Documented under FB22890915 with Sample Project and Sysdiagnose.

Dear Developer Technical Support, I wanted to ask for technical advice regarding the DeviceActivityMonitor which is part of the DeviceActivity framework: The DeviceActivityMonitor has a very strict memory limit of 6MB. That’s not a lot and it doesn't leave a lot of room for any kind of code that accesses permanently stored data. I would therefore like to ask for advice on best-practices on how to share information between the main app and that extension: Is UserDefaults a good idea to use here? Can/should we use CoreData or SwiftData? Should we build super small file-based data sharing (e.g. via .plists)? Why is it necessary to share data? This can be simple things that inform the decision of the device activity monitor in intervalDidStart, intervalDidEnd, eventDidReachThreshold, eventWillReachThresholdWarning. For example a setting where the user decides if they want to receive a push notification on eventWillReachThresholdWarning. Or the list of tokens that is supposed to be blocked in eventDidReachThreshold or intervalDidStart. I’m asking because even though we are super careful and conservative about memory allocations in our DeviceActivityMonitor we are regularly seeing it being killed due to memory pressure. What’s the best way to approach this? I’m grateful for any kinds of hints! Thanks a lot and have a great day! – Frederik

With the ScreenTime API Apple talks a lot about their focus on privacy and the data not leaving the device. Does that mean there would be a problem with an app where the users ScreenTime data is shared to a custom backend? Could this potentially cause an app to be rejected from the AppStore?

Hey . So i'm building a screentime app whereby users can add an accountability partner who will be able to see their total screentime.(no app breakdowns included) . This will require me to send the data to firebase realtime database and retrieve for the accountability partner to see. Problem is , I've literally tried everything but the screentime still shows 0m on the accountabiliy partner's end. I need the data to be displayed rounded down to the nearest 0.5 e.g 1hr43mins ->1.5hrs+ ,2.0hrs+ ,3.5hrs+ , meaning it only moves when a threshold is crossed by the user. (this is to save database costs). Anyway i'd really appreciate if someone could help me out here. Thanks

Hi Apple DTS, FivePrayer is a live App Store app and we are blocked by Family Controls (Distribution) after an app transfer. Bundle ID: com.fiveprayer.app Current team: FivePrayer LLC Previous team: Gansoft Inc. App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fiveprayer/id6755536905 This same app previously had Family Controls (Distribution) approved under Gansoft Inc. After the transfer to FivePrayer LLC, the capability did not carry over, so we had to request it again. It has now been pending for almost one month, and we cannot ship critical updates because Family Controls is a core dependency of the app. Is there a way to re-associate the previously approved entitlement with the transferred App ID, or route this to the correct Managed Capabilities / Entitlements team? Thank you.

I submitted my Family Controls entitlement request on April 21 for my iOS app and still haven't heard anything back. We have had no approval or status update. It's been close to a month now. This is blocking me from testing and moving forward with the app since it relies on the Screen Time / Family Controls APIs. Has anyone run into delays this long recently? Thanks

Hello, I have submitted multiple requests for the Family Controls Distribution Entitlement through this form: https://developer.apple.com/contact/request/family-controls-distribution After submitting my requests, I waited for about 1 week but did not receive any response. Since I heard nothing, I contacted Apple Developer Support by email. After that, I finally received a response from an advisor asking for additional information, including my follow-up number. I replied with all the requested information immediately, but it has now been 5 more days and I still have not received any further response. In total, I have been waiting for about 2 weeks for this entitlement request. My app is a Screen Time control / digital wellbeing application that helps users reduce screen time through exercise-based challenges and healthy habits. My app uses the FamilyControls, ManagedSettings, and DeviceActivity frameworks and requires the Distribution Entitlement for App Store release. Here are my details: Case Number: 102866460896 Request Type: Family Controls Distribution Entitlement I understand the team may be busy, but I would appreciate any help checking the status of my request or escalating it if possible. Thank you very much.

I have been building an app where I have the user select what apps they would like to track and then I display a device activity report of only those apps. The device activity report shows data perfectly for the selected apps if the users apple account is "Adult". If the users apple account is "Parent/Guardian" or "Organizer" randomly the device activity report will show 0 minutes (no screen time data). Among randomly happening I have found a trigger for the bug to be opening any FamilyActivityPicker (even not the one used for filtering the device activity report extension) then going back to the device activity report extension on the profile page anywhere from 3-50 times. Once the bug happens repeating that process 1-2 times fixes it or removing screen time restrictions permission then adding it back.

Hi, I submitted my Family Controls entitlement requests on April 21 for my iOS app, but I still haven’t received an approval, rejection, or any status update. This is blocking my ability to properly test and move forward with the app, since it depends on the Screen Time / Family Controls APIs. Has anyone had a similar delay recently? Is the recommended next step to file a code-level support request with my Team ID, or should I continue waiting? Thanks.

Hello, I submitted a Family Controls Distribution entitlement request on May 1st, 2026 and received the generic confirmation page. It has now been 13 days with no approval, rejection or status update. Timeline: May 1st: Submitted request via developer.apple.com/contact/ request/family-controls-distribution → Received confirmation page May 8th: Opened Entitlements ticket via Developer Support → No response after 6 days (despite the stated 2 business day response time) My app Knipsi is a parental control app for the DACH market. It helps families manage screen time by letting children earn credits through completing real-world tasks, with parents approving via Face ID. The app is 100% finished and ready for TestFlight — this entitlement is the only remaining blocker. App Details: Team ID: 5GW9CM8T7U Bundle ID: aquilano.Knipsi Case: 102883106983 Frameworks: FamilyControls, ManagedSettings, DeviceActivity I understand the entitlement review takes time — but what concerns me is that the support ticket opened under Entitlements has also gone unanswered for 6 days, despite the advertised 2 business day response time. Could anyone share how long the Family Controls Distribution approval currently takes? And is there a recommended way to follow up when support tickets go unanswered? Thank you

Hi, I submitted my Family Controls entitlement requests on April 15 for my iOS app, but I still haven’t received an approval, rejection, or any status update. This is blocking my ability to properly test and move forward with the app, since it depends on the Screen Time / Family Controls APIs. I've tried contact to apple developer support and filed a code-level support on app connect dashboard. and still nothing received. Here is the request information: code-level support case id: 19834379 apple developer support case id: 102878196850 Family Controls Distribution RequestId: BT4C47F5VB,SLP56WRZ3J,BZ7MF3R4FF,5HAY5UF5X2,P49SM5C859,KG2T2X2L76,N353H759C4 Thanks.

Hi, I'm building a wellness app called that helps users manage their phone usage based on their consumption, using the Screen Time API. I need the Family Controls (Distribution) entitlement to ship it. I've already submitted multiple requests across all my bundle IDs, but due to the lack of confirmation feedback after each submission, I may have submitted more than needed. Regardless, the oldest request submitted was on April 22nd (exactly 2 weeks ago), without any reply or change. Is this normal ? Also, I came across a forum post (https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/821964?answerId=885672022#885672022) suggesting that the entitlement is now scoped at the team level rather than per bundle ID, and that I should resubmit a single request. I want to do the right thing here but I'm not sure whether to resubmit or wait and I don't want to make the situation worse than it already is. We're about a month away from our launch date and this is the last remaining blocker for both TestFlight and App Store submission. Any guidance on next steps, or help prioritizing this, would mean a lot. Thanks so much,

Summary We are seeing a recurring fatal NSInternalInconsistencyException on iOS 26.x devices. The crash originates entirely from system frameworks (Foundation / WebKit / Screen Time / NSXPCConnection) — there are no app frames in the stack. The exception is raised from an XPC reply on a worker thread, so the host app cannot wrap it in @try/@catch. The crash appears to be a KVO consistency check failing inside the platform's internal Screen Time observer (STScreenTimeConfigurationObserver) when it observes WKWebView's configuration.enforcesChildRestrictions key path. The exception message states the value of the intermediate key configuration changed without an appropriate KVO notification. Environment iOS versions: 26.2.1 (also seen on 26.0.x – 26.2.x) Devices: iPhone 13 (iPhone14,5), iPhone 16 Plus, others App orientation: portrait Process state at crash: BACKGROUND (most occurrences) App uses WKWebView in several screens (link preview, in-app web, 3rd-party SDK web views) Crash is recurring across multiple users on iOS 26.x and is reproducible at scale in production Exception Name: NSInternalInconsistencyException Reason: Cannot update for observer <WKScreenTimeConfigurationObserver 0x...> for the key path "configuration.enforcesChildRestrictions" from <STScreenTimeConfigurationObserver 0x...>, most likely because the value for the key "configuration" has changed without an appropriate KVO notification being sent. Check the KVO-compliance of the STScreenTimeConfigurationObserver class. Crashing thread (top frames) 0 CoreFoundation __exceptionPreprocess 1 libobjc.A.dylib objc_exception_throw 2 Foundation -[NSKeyValueNestedProperty object:withObservance:didChangeValueForKeyOrKeys:recurse:forwardingValues:] 3 Foundation NSKeyValueDidChange 4 Foundation -[NSObject(NSKeyValueObservingPrivate) _changeValueForKeys:count:maybeOldValuesDict:maybeNewValuesDict:usingBlock:] 5 Foundation -[NSObject(NSKeyValueObservingPrivate) _changeValueForKey:key:key:usingBlock:] 6 Foundation NSSetObjectValueAndNotify 7 CoreFoundation invoking 8 Foundation -[NSInvocation invoke] 9 Foundation 10 Foundation -[NSXPCConnection _decodeAndInvokeReplyBlockWithEvent:sequence:replyInfo:] 11 Foundation __88-[NSXPCConnection _sendInvocation:orArguments:count:methodSignature:selector:withProxy:]_block_invoke_5 12 libxpc.dylib _xpc_connection_reply_callout 13 libxpc.dylib _xpc_connection_call_reply_async 14 libdispatch.dylib _dispatch_mach_msg_async_reply_invoke 15 libdispatch.dylib _dispatch_root_queue_drain_deferred_item 16 libdispatch.dylib _dispatch_kevent_worker_thread (Every frame above frame 0 lives in the system. No app frames are present.) What we observed Crash fires asynchronously on a libdispatch kevent worker thread, triggered by an XPC reply from the Screen Time service. The exception is thrown while the platform updates a chained KVO key path (configuration.enforcesChildRestrictions) on a WKWebView instance. The intermediate key configuration apparently changed without a paired willChange/didChange notification, which Foundation's KVO machinery then flags as inconsistency. Because the throw happens on the XPC reply path, there is no app-level synchronous frame we can wrap to recover. The exception unwinds straight into std::__terminate. What we tried (no effect) Confirmed all WKWebView creation and release happens on the main thread. Stop loading and nil out navigationDelegate before releasing the WKWebView. Avoided mutating WKWebViewConfiguration after the WKWebView is created. Checked for any custom KVO on WKWebView.configuration in app code — none exists. The crash still reproduces; we have no path to mitigate it from the application side. Questions for Apple / the community Is STScreenTimeConfigurationObserver expected to observe WKWebView.configuration.enforcesChildRestrictions under all conditions on iOS 26, or only when Screen Time / Communication Limits / Child Restrictions are enabled on the device? 2. Is there a public API (WKWebViewConfiguration option, Info.plist key, etc.) to opt a WKWebView out of Screen Time observation for hosts that do not need Screen Time integration for their web content? 3. Is this a known regression in iOS 26.x KVO chained-key-path notification posting inside WebKit's Screen Time integration? If so, is a fix slated for an upcoming 26.x release? 4. Is there any recommended workaround on the application side that does not rely on swizzling private Foundation / NSXPCConnection methods? Reproduction notes We do not have a deterministic local repro. Crashes are heavily concentrated on: iOS 26.2.1 Devices with Screen Time / Communication Limits / Child Restrictions configured at the OS level App entering the BACKGROUND state shortly after a WKWebView session If anyone has a reliable local repro on a developer device, please share — we would also like to file a Feedback Assistant report with steps. Filed Feedback Will attach FB number once filed. Thanks in advance.

We are developing an MDM agent app that uses FamilyControls with .individual authorization to enforce Screen Time restrictions (app blocking, domain blocking via ManagedSettingsStore and DeviceActivityCenter). The Problem We are actively subscribing to AuthorizationCenter.shared.$authorizationStatus to detect authorization changes. However, when the user revokes the app's FamilyControls authorization through Settings (either via Settings > Screen Time > Apps With Screen Time Access, or Settings > Apps > [Our App]), the publisher does not emit any value. All ManagedSettingsStore restrictions are lifted immediately by the system, but our app receives no notification of this change. The only scenario where the publisher reliably emits is when a debugger is attached (i.e., running directly from Xcode). Without the debugger, the publisher is completely silent — even when the app returns to foreground. Code Example We tried subscribing directly to AuthorizationCenter.shared.$authorizationStatus with no intermediary, exactly as shown in the documentation: AuthorizationCenter.shared.$authorizationStatus .sink { status in print("[DIRECT] authorizationStatus emitted: \(status)") } .store(in: &cancellables) This subscription is set up at app launch and stored in cancellables. The result is the same — the publisher does not emit when the user revokes authorization in Settings without a debugger attached. Documentation Reference The documentation for authorizationStatus states: "The status may change due to external events, such as a child graduating to an adult account, or a parent or guardian changing the status in Settings." And: "The system sets this property only after a call to requestAuthorization(for:) succeeds. It then updates the property until a call to revokeAuthorization(completionHandler:) succeeds or your app exits." This suggests the publisher should emit when the status is changed via Settings, but in our testing it does not — unless a debugger is attached. What We Verified We tested with a development-signed build (which includes the com.apple.developer.family-controls entitlement), launched from Xcode, then disconnected the debugger, killed the app, and relaunched from the home screen. Scenario Publisher emits on revocation? Running from Xcode (debugger attached) Yes, immediately Development-signed build (no debugger) No — silent even on foreground return We also confirmed: MDM configuration profiles can disable Screen Time entirely, but cannot restrict the per-app authorization toggle — the user can always freely revoke the app's Screen Time access The Security Gap This creates a significant gap for parental controls use cases: User leaves the app (app goes to background) User goes to Settings and disables Screen Time access for the app All restrictions are immediately lifted User uses the device freely User re-enables Screen Time access and opens the app Everything syncs back to normal — administrator never knows Questions Is there any supported mechanism to receive a notification (background or foreground) when FamilyControls individual authorization is revoked? We are subscribing to AuthorizationCenter.shared.$authorizationStatus but it does not emit. Is the $authorizationStatus publisher expected to work only when a debugger is attached? Is this a known limitation or a bug? Can DeviceActivityMonitor extension detect authorization revocation? Based on documentation it appears limited to schedule/threshold events, but we haven't confirmed this. Is there a planned API improvement to address this gap? Environment iOS 26.2 Xcode 26.3 Swift 6.2.4 FamilyControls .individual authorization Related Threads Screen time API can be disabled easily Changing Screen Time Passcode does not protect apps

We came across reports on Medium and Apple Developer Forums suggesting that ApplicationToken and ActivityCategoryToken values issued by the FamilyControls framework are not guaranteed to be stable, that iOS may silently re-issue new tokens for the same apps after OS or app updates, making any previously stored tokens invalid. We are storing FamilyActivitySelection tokens encoded via JSONEncoder to a backend for long-term use, and relying on them inside a DeviceActivityMonitorExtension to restore and apply shields when a schedule fires. What we're trying to understand is: is this token instability still an active problem in iOS 16/17/18/26, and when a token does become invalid, does JSONDecoder actually throw a DecodingError giving us a clear signal, or does it decode successfully and ManagedSettingsStore just silently ignore the stale tokens with no error at all? On Medium, We Found That The Token Mutation Problem One of the more painful bugs in real production apps: application tokens are not guaranteed to be stable forever. iOS can silently issue new, different tokens for the same app. If your store contains the old token and the Shield delegate receives a new one, the delegate has no way to match them — it doesn’t know which store is responsible for the shield, or which blocking “profile” caused it. This has been reported by multiple developers of real Screen Time apps and confirmed across several Apple Developer Forum threads. There is no official fix yet. The workaround is defensive: when the ShieldConfigurationDataSource or ShieldActionDelegate receives a token you don't recognise, fall back to a generic shield UI rather than crashing or returning empty data. And never rely on token identity as a long-term stable key in your persistence layer — always re-derive from a fresh FamilyActivityPicker selection when the user re-activates a profile.