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

I'm facing a problem where notification permissions are working fine in the main app, but failing in the Device Activity Report Extension on iOS 26. This issue wasn’t present in earlier iOS versions. Despite having notification permissions granted in the main app, the extension fails to get authorization. iOS 26: " Before iOS 26:

Hi there, Starting with iOS 26.2 RC, all my DeviceActivityMonitor.eventDidReachThreshold get activated immediately as I pick up my iPhone for the first time, two nights in a row. Feedback: FB21267341 There's always a chance something odd is happening to my device in particular (although I can't recall making any changes here and the debug logs point to the issue), but just getting this out there ASAP in case others are seeing this (or haven't tried!), and it's critical as this is the RC. DeviceActivityMonitor.eventDidReachThreshold issues also mentioned here: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/793747; but I believe they are different and were potentially fixed in iOS 26.1, but it points to this part of the technology having issues and maybe someone from Apple has been tweaking it.

Hello! I am experiencing some strange bugs around DeviceActivityEvents: When creating a DeviceActivityEvent we can assign a threshold and applicationTokens. The idea is, that after the user has spent said threshold on said apps, eventDidReachThreshold is called. includesPastActivity is set to false. On iOS 26 however, it happens (quite reliably after updating to a new beta seed) quite often that eventDidReachThreshold is called immediately (after a couple of seconds) instead of waiting for the threshold to be met. Is anyone else seeing similar issues on iOS 26? Only workaround I have found is to ask users to re-grant Screen Time permissions. This only holds for about two weeks though or at most until the next iOS 26 beta update is installed. Feedback filed under: FB18061981 FB18927456

Hi everyone, I submitted this feature request through Apple’s Feedback Assistant and wanted to share it here, because many families run into the same issue and Apple prioritizes features based on the number of reports they receive. Current limitation: Screen Time only allows one single Downtime period per day for child accounts. For families with separate school hours and bedtime, this is very impractical. My real-world use case: • Downtime 1: 08:00–13:00 (school) • Downtime 2: 20:00–06:00 (bedtime) Both serve completely different purposes, but are not possible to combine with the current system. My suggestions to Apple: Support multiple Downtime periods per day for child accounts. Allow custom exceptions per Downtime block (e.g., allow Phone app). Provide more flexibility overall for families using Screen Time. If you would benefit from this too, it would be great if you could submit the same request via the Feedback app – the more reports Apple receives, the higher the chance for implementation. My Feedback ID: FB21265678 Thank you! 🙏 Hallo zusammen, ich habe über die Feedback-App einen Vorschlag an Apple eingereicht und wollte ihn hier teilen, weil viele Familien dasselbe Problem haben und Apple mehr Rückmeldungen braucht, um das Thema zu priorisieren. Aktuelles Problem: In Bildschirmzeit kann für Kinder aktuell nur eine einzige Auszeit pro Tag eingerichtet werden. Für Familien mit getrennten Schul- und Schlafenszeiten ist das extrem unpraktisch. Mein Anwendungsfall: • Auszeit 1: 08:00–13:00 (Schule) • Auszeit 2: 20:00–06:00 (Schlafenszeit) Beides erfüllt unterschiedliche Zwecke, ist aber nicht kombinierbar. Mein Vorschlag an Apple: Mehrere Auszeiten pro Tag für Kinderaccounts. Pro Auszeit eigene Ausnahmen festlegen (z. B. Telefon erlauben). Allgemein mehr Flexibilität im Screen-Time-System für Familien. Wenn ihr das ebenfalls hilfreich findet, wäre es super, wenn ihr es auch über die Feedback-App meldet – je mehr, desto besser. Feedback-ID meines Vorschlags: FB21265678 Danke euch! 🙏

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! I recently submitted a request for the Family Controls (Distribution) entitlement for my app, and I’m trying to understand what kind of timeline to expect. I’ve seen posts suggesting anywhere from a few days to over a month for approval. Is there a typical review window for this entitlement? And is there anything I can do on my end to help the process move more smoothly? Thanks in advance!

Hello, I'm experiencing a significant delay getting the Family Controls entitlement approved for my Shield Configuration Extension, and I'm hoping someone here can help or has experienced something similar. Background: I'm developing an app that uses the Screen Time API with Family Controls. My main app bundle (lukedev.Bloka) was approved for Family Controls (Distribution) and works perfectly. The Problem My Shield Configuration Extension (lukedev.Bloka.Shield) has been stuck waiting for approval for over 2 weeks: Request ID: 6C8LD22UVM Submitted: November 20, 2025 Status: Still "Submitted" Current State: Only shows "Family Controls (Development)" in capabilities What I've Tried ✅ Submitted entitlement request via the proper channels ✅ Contacted Apple Developer Support (case #102762028251) ✅ Verified the main app has full Family Controls approval ✅ Deleted and regenerated all provisioning profiles multiple times ✅ Confirmed the App ID configuration is correct in the Developer Portal The Issue Without Family Controls (Distribution) approval for the Shield extension, I cannot: Test the complete app functionality on physical devices Submit the app to App Store Connect Move forward with development The error I'm getting during provisioning: Provisioning profile failed qualification Profile doesn't include the com.apple.developer.family-controls entitlement Questions Has anyone experienced multi-week delays for Shield extension entitlements? Is this normal? Should Shield extensions automatically inherit entitlements from the main app, or do they really require separate approval? The documentation isn't clear on this. Are there any known workarounds to test Shield Configuration Extensions during development while waiting for distribution approval? How can I escalate this request? Developer Support initially told me I already had approval (for the main app) but didn't address the extension's separate bundle ID. Technical Details Xcode: 16.2 Target: iOS 18+ Main App: Family Controls (Distribution) ✅ Approved Shield Extension: Family Controls (Development only) ❌ Stuck Why This Matters The Shield Configuration Extension is a core component of Screen Time API apps - it's not optional. Without it, the app cannot properly display blocking interfaces. The fact that it requires a separate 2+ week approval process (after the main app was already approved) seems like a significant oversight in Apple's review process. Has anyone successfully navigated this situation or found a way to expedite the review? Any help or insights would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Luca

Is it possible to change the title "Choose Activites" and also remove the search on the FamilyActivityPicker?

class ShieldActionExtension: ShieldActionDelegate { override func handle(action: ShieldAction, for application: ApplicationToken, completionHandler: @escaping (ShieldActionResponse) -> Void) { // Handle the action as needed. switch action { case .primaryButtonPressed: if let url = URL(string: "blockfocusapp://") { let extensionContext = NSExtensionContext() extensionContext.open(url, completionHandler: nil) } // completionHandler(.defer) case .secondaryButtonPressed: let userDefaults = UserDefaults(suiteName: "group.in.appsquare.FocusApp.shieldExt") userDefaults?.set(false, forKey: "shouldOpenMainApp") completionHandler(.defer) @unknown default: fatalError() } } override func handle(action: ShieldAction, for webDomain: WebDomainToken, completionHandler: @escaping (ShieldActionResponse) -> Void) { // Handle the action as needed. completionHandler(.close) } override func handle(action: ShieldAction, for category: ActivityCategoryToken, completionHandler: @escaping (ShieldActionResponse) -> Void) { // Handle the action as needed. completionHandler(.close) } } I want to be able to open my app from ShieldActionExtension

Hello, I think it is quite a common use-case to open the parent app that owns the ShieldActionDelegate when the user selects an action in the Shield. There are only three options available that we can do in response to an action: ShieldActionResponse.none ShieldActionResponse.close ShieldActionResponse.defer It would be great if this new one would be added as well: ShieldActionResponse.openParentApp While finding a workaround for now, the problem is that the ShieldActionDelegate is not a normal app extension. That means, normal tricks do not work to open the parent app from here. For example, UIApplication.shared.open(url) does not work because we can’t access UIApplication from the ShieldActionDelegate unfortunately. NSExtensionContext is also not available in the ShieldActionDelegate unfortunately, so that’s also not possible. There are apps however, that managed to find a workaround, in my research I stumbled across these two: https://apps.apple.com/de/app/applocker-passcode-lock-apps/id1132845904?l=en-GB https://apps.apple.com/us/app/app-lock/id6448239603 Please find a screen recording (gif) attached. Their workaround is 100% what I’m looking for, so there MUST be a way to do so that is compliant with the App Store guidelines (after all, the apps are available on the App Store!). I had documented my feature request more than 2 years ago in this radar as well: FB10393561

When I tap on one of the buttons in the ShieldAction extension I want to close the shield and open the parent app instead of the shielded app. Is there any way of doing this using the Screen Time API? class ShieldActionExtension: ShieldActionDelegate {      override func handle(action: ShieldAction, for application: ApplicationToken, completionHandler: @escaping (ShieldActionResponse) -> Void) {     // Handle the action as needed.           let store = ManagedSettingsStore()               switch action {     case .primaryButtonPressed:       //TODO - open parent app       completionHandler(.defer)     case .secondaryButtonPressed:       //remove shield       store.shield.applications?.remove(application)       completionHandler(.defer)         @unknown default:       fatalError()     }   }   }

I’m developing an app that uses Family Controls to block other apps. I’ve already received approval from Apple for the entitlement, and everything works perfectly when I run the app from Xcode on a physical device. However, when I upload the same build to TestFlight, the app installs and runs, but the Family Controls functionality doesn’t work — it seems like the entitlement isn’t being applied in the TestFlight version. So I’d like to ask: 👉 Do Family Controls entitlements work automatically on TestFlight builds, or is there any additional step required to enable them?

Hi everyone, solo iOS dev here. I’ve built a small focus app (“Modo”) that uses Apple’s Screen Time APIs to help curb social-media overuse. In development everything works: FamilyActivityPicker for selection, a DeviceActivityMonitor extension for schedules, and ManagedSettings shields (plus uninstall guard only while “Blocked” is active). I requested the Family Controls distribution entitlement so I can ship, but my capability request has been pending for a while and I’m not sure what the usual path forward is. What I’ve already done • Submitted the capability request (Account Holder), describing the use case (self-control / digital well-being), user consent flow,. • Implemented app + DeviceActivityMonitor + ManagedSettingsUI extensions; verified the debug build has the right entitlements and behavior. • Regenerated profiles after the request; checked codesign entitlements on the built targets. • Filed a Developer Support ticket referencing the capability request. I really appreciate any timelines, examples, or advice you can share. If an Apple engineer needs specifics (Team ID, request number), I can provide them as well. Thanks in advance!

Hello! I am working on a screentime app and wondering if anyone has had success achieving reliable background shield application while using com.apple.ManagedSettingsUI.shield-configuration-service? I recently switched from com.apple.deviceactivity.shield-configuration (which worked reliably but isn't accepted by TestFlight) and have not found any consistency getting shields to apply while the app is backgrounded. I believe this is a known limitation of ManagedSettingsUI and want to know if there are successful workarounds or any specific patterns/timing that improve consistency?

anyone has the same problem which is that your device activity extension ain't working even tho all the code work perfectly in the console, I setup it in the right way , tried to make schedule and it did the same exact thing when I tried to create usage threshold. anyone know the reason for this bug? here is my extension code import ManagedSettings import FamilyControls import Foundation import OSLog import UserNotifications class MonitoringExtension: DeviceActivityMonitor { private let defaults = UserDefaults(suiteName: "group.com.William.app") private let logger = Logger(subsystem: "com.William.app", category: "MonitoringExtension") override func eventDidReachThreshold(_ event: DeviceActivityEvent.Name, activity: DeviceActivityName) { let activityRaw = activity.rawValue logger.info("Limite atteinte: \(activityRaw)") scheduleNotification(title: "Limite dépassée", body: "Tu as utilisé trop de temps sur \(activityRaw).") guard let data = defaults?.data(forKey: "\(activityRaw)_selection"), let selection = try? JSONDecoder().decode(FamilyActivitySelection.self, from: data) else { logger.warning("Pas de sélection pour \(activityRaw)") return } let store = ManagedSettingsStore() // ← LE SEUL QUI MARCHE store.shield.applications = selection.applicationTokens if !selection.categoryTokens.isEmpty { store.shield.applicationCategories = .specific(selection.categoryTokens) } logger.info("BLOCAGE ACTIF via ManagedSettingsStore.default") } override func intervalDidEnd(for activity: DeviceActivityName) { super.intervalDidEnd(for: activity) let store = ManagedSettingsStore() store.clearAllSettings() // ← Débloque à minuit logger.info("Restrictions levées à la fin de l'intervalle") } private func scheduleNotification(title: String, body: String) { UNUserNotificationCenter.current().requestAuthorization(options: [.alert, .sound]) { granted, _ in guard granted else { return } let content = UNMutableNotificationContent() content.title = title content.body = body let request = UNNotificationRequest(identifier: UUID().uuidString, content: content, trigger: nil) UNUserNotificationCenter.current().add(request) } } }

Our app uses a 24-hour DeviceActivityMonitor repeating schedule to send users notifications for every hour of screen time they spend on their phone per day. Notifications are sent from eventDidReachThreshold callbacks at 1, 2, 3, etc, hour thresholds to keep them aware of their screen time. We have recently received an influx of emails from our users that after updating to iOS 17.6.1 their DeviceActivityMonitor notifications are saying their screen time was much higher than what is shown in DeviceActivityReport and their device's Screen Time settings. These users have disabled "Share Across Devices" - but I suspect the DeviceActivityMonitor is still getting screen time from their other devices even though that setting is turned off. Has anybody else noticed this, understands what is causing this, or could recommend a fix that we can tell our users to do?

Hi, it seems that with iOS26 the system displays two entries in the screentime report for apps that use a WKWebView: one for the app itself and one for the website that was displayed in the app. We don't see this behaviour in iOS18.7. I'm reseaching how to disable the recording for the webviews in one of our apps (written in Swift with UIKit). The STWebpageController looked promising, especially the field suppressUsageRecording, but the whole class is poorly documented. We initialized it with the bundle identifier of the app and set the url of the wkwebview as the url in STWebpageController. It looks a bit like this: webView = WKWebView(frame: .zero, configuration: config) view.addSubview(webView) //setup STWebpageController webpageController = STWebpageController() do { try webpageController!.setBundleIdentifier(bundleIdentifier) } catch{ } webpageController!.suppressUsageRecording = true addChild(webpageController!) view.addSubview(webpageController!.view) webpageController!.view.frame = view.frame webpageController!.didMove(toParent: self) //load url in webView let request = URLRequest(url: url, cachePolicy: .reloadIgnoringLocalCacheData) webview.load(request) webpageController?.url = request.url This has no effect on the recorded screentime for the webview inside our app - we still see the same time for the container app and the included webview. Any suggestions? Thanks, Heiko

I am building a screen time management app. It has the main app target, and then three extensions - those are the four targets in Xcode. The three extensions are: Shield Device Activity Monitor Device Activity Report Extension I requested "Family Controls (Distribution)" capability from Apple for the main app target / bundle ID, and it got approved. Do I need it for the extensions too? Because previously I had "Family Controls (Development)" for the extensions...

I’m using the shielding API, my code: let store = ManagedSettingsStore() let whitelist = SharedDefaults.whitelistApplications store.shield.applicationCategories = .all(except: whitelist) And to clear the shield, my code is: store.shield.applications = nil store.shield.applicationCategories = nil The issue: Some users report that after uninstalling my app, the shield is still active, and the UI changes to the default iOS system interface. Even after restarting the device, the apps on the phone remains locked, so the user has no way to remove the shield. Recently I’ve received several complaints on social media and App Store comments, accusing my app of being malicious software. This is not a 100% reproducible bug, but it happens frequently enough. I was also able to reproduce it myself by uninstalling the app during an active lock session. Could Apple engineers please look into this issue and advise how to ensure that once the user uninstalls the app, the device is no longer locked?