Post not yet marked as solved
I am using the DeviceActivityMonitor eventDidReachThreshold functionality, but it became very unreliable on the iOS 17.5 beta.
Anyone experiencing similar problems?
Any known workarounds?
Post not yet marked as solved
Hi there,
I'm currently working with the Screen Time API using the family controls package to manage application usage on iOS devices. I want to block access to all applications except those specifically allowed by the user. While the ManagedSettingsStore.shield.applications method works for defining apps to block. However, integrating the .all(except:) from ShieldSettings.ActivityCategoryPolicy.all(except:) is unfortunately not working for me.
Here is my code snippit. Can anyone help out? And if anyone has examples of similar implementations or tips on best practices for using the Screen Time API for such scenarios, please let me know!
class ShieldManager: NSObject, ObservableObject, NFCNDEFReaderSessionDelegate {
@Published var discouragedSelections = FamilyActivitySelection()
private let store = ManagedSettingsStore()
func shieldActivities() {
// Clear to reset previous settings
store.clearAllSettings()
// This is an array with the app and category selection
let applications = discouragedSelections.applicationTokens
let categories = discouragedSelections.categoryTokens
//
//https://developer.apple.com/documentation/managedsettings/shieldsettings/activitycategorypolicy
store.shield.applications = applications.isEmpty ? nil : applications
store.shield.applicationCategories = categories.isEmpty ? nil : .specific(categories)
store.shield.webDomainCategories = categories.isEmpty ? nil : .specific(categories)
}
f
Post not yet marked as solved
I am developing a parent child control app using Screen time API and Family Control. I created two apps, one for parent and another for child. I want to see child device's activity report on parent app. This functionality works when there is only one parent/organiser. I am trying to add multiple parents to access device activity report using screen time API. I created a family group where I am the organiser (Dad), added another account as parent (Mom) and two child accounts. On the child's device I installed the app, authorised the app for parental approval (Dad) and screen time restrictions. When using the parent app as Mom, I am unable to fetch the child device's activity report.
Post not yet marked as solved
There is an inconsistent issue when views are rendered from the Device Activity Report Extension. This issue is noticeable only on release versions and it works fine in debug mode.
Around 80% of the times, the Report Views return blank screen and this is only the case when a weekly/monthly filter is used. Although, it works as expected for daily report views.
My questions are:
How are all the Report Activity Views working fine in debug mode but not in release mode?
How the daily activity filter works fine in the release mode but the weekly/monthly filters don't work? Is this because of a memory limit issue in the extension?
As of now, I have the family-controls(distribution) entitlement only for the app and for the extensions I only have family-controls(development) entitlement. Do I need to request for family-controls(Distribution) entitlement even for the extensions?
I have seen threads on the forum mentioning the blank screen issue associated with the DeviceActivityReport but haven't found a solution to it. Any suggestions/feedback would be of great help, thanks.
Post not yet marked as solved
Hi,
Is there any way to force orientation = portrait when opening another shielded app?
Thanks!
Post not yet marked as solved
I've been working with the Screen Time API for almost 6 months now.
I found out it's completely unreliable, testing on iOS 17.4, the DeviceActivityReport is not showing, the DeviceActivityMonitor more often than not does not fire intervalDidStart. It's very frustrating.
Has anyone found out a workaround?
We all know there has to be something we're doing wrong, since apps like Opal and Jono does not present those types of issues.
Let's please unite our forces and find a solution. How to use this API should not be a secret!
Post not yet marked as solved
I am currently trying to build a prototype parental control app using the ScreenTime API.
I was just wondering if I needed to create a separate parent and child app?
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it is possible to get app monthly activity in swift 5?
Post not yet marked as solved
Hi,
we are facing issues with the FamilyActivityPicker.
I have 2 devices in the same family, one successfully authorised as child device using AuthorizationCenter.shared.requestAuthorization(for: .child), the other one is used as parent device.
When I invoke FamilyActivityPicker on the children's device it works as expected but when invoked on the parent's device it only shows list of categories but not a single app. This behavior doesn't occur every time, on some devices it sometime works as it should.
It's very odd and I can't find any reason why it is happening. I would appreciate any tips.
Tested on app built with Xcode 15.3 an run on iOS 17.4.1 and iOS 16.7.2
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I am building an app that manages ScreenTime and I would like to persist the tokens of which apps are frequently limited to CoreData locally. I attempted to do so by converting to a string but was unable to find a way to initialize an ActivityCategoryToken with a string.
Is this possible? Am I going about it the wrong way?
Thanks.
Post not yet marked as solved
I have an app on App Store and some users started seeing this bug when the app requests for Screen Time API usage. The error is "The data couldn't be read because it isn't in the correct format". But it works still for most users and I can't reproduce it on my device.
Checking the competitors, some of them shows this error when requesting for ScreenTime usage: "An unknown error occurred: NSCocoaErrorDomain, 4864)
Has anyone experienced this?
Thank you!
My code below requesting screen time authorization
.onAppear {
Task {
do {
try await center.requestAuthorization(for: .individual)
if center.authorizationStatus == .approved {
self.checkApproved()
} else {
state = .denied
}
} catch let error {
showingAlert = true
errorTitle = error.localizedDescription
state = .denied
}
}
}
Post not yet marked as solved
I am developing a parental control app using Flutter and platform channels to integrate with the Screen Time API on iOS. The app has two interfaces - one for the parent and one for the child. I have set up Family Sharing correctly and installed the app on both the parent's and child's devices. However, I am encountering some issues with the Family Activity Selection feature.
It's worth noting that I am a Flutter developer with limited knowledge of Swift and iOS development, so if my issues stem from a mistake I made, please forgive me.
The problems I am facing are as follows:
When calling the family activity selection, the list of apps shown in the apps sheet is from the parent's device, and no apps from the child's device are displayed. I have double-checked that Family Sharing and other necessary configurations are set up correctly, including the family control capability.
Even if I select apps on the parent's device, the selected apps are not returned in the result. The returned array is empty. Additionally, there is no close or done button on the sheet, and drag-to-dismiss is not working either. This might be an issue with the way I have written the code (most of the native code was generated by AI assistants like Claude and GPT, as I am a Flutter developer with limited knowledge of Swift and iOS development).
I have tested other parental control apps that use the Screen Time API and observed the same issue, where the parent's apps are shown on the parent's device instead of the child's apps.
For more context, I have provided the relevant code snippet below:
import Flutter
import FamilyControls
import ManagedSettings
import SwiftUI
class FamilyActivityHandler: NSObject, FlutterPlugin {
// ...
private func openFamilyActivityPicker(result: @escaping FlutterResult) {
let store = ManagedSettingsStore()
let selection = FamilyActivitySelection()
// Adjusting for UIWindowScene for iOS 15 and later
guard let windowScene = UIApplication.shared.connectedScenes.first as? UIWindowScene,
let window = windowScene.windows.first else {
result(FlutterError(code: "NO_WINDOW_SCENE", message: "No window scene found", details: nil))
return
}
let viewController = UIHostingController(rootView: FamilyActivityPicker(selection: .constant(selection)))
viewController.modalPresentationStyle = .formSheet
window.rootViewController?.present(viewController, animated: true, completion: nil)
DispatchQueue.main.async {
let applications = selection.applicationTokens
let categories = selection.categoryTokens
let webDomains = selection.webDomainTokens
store.shield.applications = applications.isEmpty ? nil : applications
store.shield.applicationCategories = ShieldSettings.ActivityCategoryPolicy.specific(categories, except: Set())
store.shield.webDomains = webDomains
// Custom method to generate descriptive strings for tokens
let applicationsDescription = applications.map { token in
// Implement a custom description method or use an identifier property
"\(token)"
}
let categoriesDescription = categories.map { token in
// Implement a custom description method or use an identifier property
"\(token)"
}
let webDomainsDescription = webDomains.map { token in
// Implement a custom description method or use an identifier property
"\(token)"
}
let resultDict: [String: Any] = [
"applications": applicationsDescription,
"categories": categoriesDescription,
"webDomains": webDomainsDescription
]
result(resultDict)
}
}
}
I would greatly appreciate any guidance or insights from the community on how to resolve these issues and properly implement the Family Activity Selection feature using the Screen Time API in a Flutter app with platform channels.
Thank you in advance for your help!
Post not yet marked as solved
I am developing a parental control app using Flutter and platform channels to integrate with the Screen Time API on iOS. The app has two interfaces - one for the parent and one for the child. I have set up Family Sharing correctly and installed the app on both the parent's and child's devices. However, I am encountering some issues with the Family Activity Selection feature.
It's worth noting that I am a Flutter developer with limited knowledge of Swift and iOS development, so if my issues stem from a mistake I made, please forgive me.
The problems I am facing are as follows:
When calling the family activity selection, the list of apps shown in the apps sheet is from the parent's device, and no apps from the child's device are displayed. I have double-checked that Family Sharing and other necessary configurations are set up correctly, including the family control capability.
Even if I select apps on the parent's device, the selected apps are not returned in the result. The returned array is empty. Additionally, there is no close or done button on the sheet, and drag-to-dismiss is not working either. This might be an issue with the way I have written the code (most of the native code was generated by AI assistants like Claude and GPT, as I am a Flutter developer with limited knowledge of Swift and iOS development).
I have tested other parental control apps that use the Screen Time API and observed the same issue, where the parent's apps are shown on the parent's device instead of the child's apps.
For more context, I have provided the relevant code snippet below:
import Flutter
import FamilyControls
import ManagedSettings
import SwiftUI
class FamilyActivityHandler: NSObject, FlutterPlugin {
// ...
private func openFamilyActivityPicker(result: @escaping FlutterResult) {
let store = ManagedSettingsStore()
let selection = FamilyActivitySelection()
// Adjusting for UIWindowScene for iOS 15 and later
guard let windowScene = UIApplication.shared.connectedScenes.first as? UIWindowScene,
let window = windowScene.windows.first else {
result(FlutterError(code: "NO_WINDOW_SCENE", message: "No window scene found", details: nil))
return
}
let viewController = UIHostingController(rootView: FamilyActivityPicker(selection: .constant(selection)))
viewController.modalPresentationStyle = .formSheet
window.rootViewController?.present(viewController, animated: true, completion: nil)
DispatchQueue.main.async {
let applications = selection.applicationTokens
let categories = selection.categoryTokens
let webDomains = selection.webDomainTokens
store.shield.applications = applications.isEmpty ? nil : applications
store.shield.applicationCategories = ShieldSettings.ActivityCategoryPolicy.specific(categories, except: Set())
store.shield.webDomains = webDomains
// Custom method to generate descriptive strings for tokens
let applicationsDescription = applications.map { token in
// Implement a custom description method or use an identifier property
"\(token)"
}
let categoriesDescription = categories.map { token in
// Implement a custom description method or use an identifier property
"\(token)"
}
let webDomainsDescription = webDomains.map { token in
// Implement a custom description method or use an identifier property
"\(token)"
}
let resultDict: [String: Any] = [
"applications": applicationsDescription,
"categories": categoriesDescription,
"webDomains": webDomainsDescription
]
result(resultDict)
}
}
}
I would greatly appreciate any guidance or insights from the community on how to resolve these issues and properly implement the Family Activity Selection feature using the Screen Time API in a Flutter app with platform channels.
Thank you in advance for your help!
Post not yet marked as solved
I am currently debugging an issue with DeviceActivityMonitor where the threshold is reached even though the target app (e.g. Instagram) is not being used actively.
I noticed that the device with the unexpected behavior had the instagram.com website opened in the Safari web browser (among hundreds of other tabs).
That tab was not actively used either (not in foreground, Safari app neither used).
However, I was wondering if it can happen that this website is contributing towards the threshold as well even though it is in background and not used?
Otherwise I cannot explain myself this strange behavior.
Post not yet marked as solved
Hello, I am working on a screen time manager that can block certain apps. I want this to work by allowing a certain number of 5-minute sessions per day. For each app the user selects, I would like to store the number of sessions remaining for that app in a dictionary. Currently, I am storing them in a dictionary of type <AppToken: Int>. However, I would like to store this dictionary to UserDefaults, and it doesn't seem like it is possible to store the type AppToken to UserDefaults. I was wondering how I could go about storing the AppTokenas a String and maybe saving to UserDefaults as a <String: Int> instead? Thanks.
Hi, I use ScreenTime API for proving feature of hiding other installed apps in the iOS device.
Specifically I set applications I want to hide to this property of ManagedSettingsStore.application.blockedApplications. Documentation to this propery says
The system hides blocked applications and prevents the user from launching them.
There is no any limitations or deprecation labels, api available starting iOS 15.
My app is in the AppStore and works good, but I received reject for app update saying:
The app uses public APIs in an unapproved manner, which does not comply with guideline 2.5.1. Specifically, your app still uses Screentime API to hide apps from user. Since there is no accurate way of predicting how an API may be modified and what effects those modifications may have, unapproved uses of public APIs in apps is not allowed.
This sounds odd to me as feature is documented, not marked as deprecated and confirmed on forum by Apple Engineer it’s available for developers. Additionally I can’t find any public information about “unapproved uses of public APIs” that reviewer refers to.
So there are literally no reason to reject my app as feature is documented and I use it as it's prescribed. The only public requirement for the developers found in Apple Review Guidelines and Apple Developer Program License Agreement is to use public API, there is no term "unapproved uses of public APIs".
After long conversation with reviewer I submitted appeal but review board didn't provide any clarity and declines my appeal with exactly the same response without clarifying situation and referring to 2.5.1 that is actually not applicable.
Looking forward to finding any useful information, experiences from other developers, or clarifications from Apple Engineers.
Post not yet marked as solved
As per our code, we have the apps to be shielded whenever the threshold is reached. According to this use-case, our code in DeviceActivityExtension looks something like:
override func eventDidReachThreshold(_ event: DeviceActivityEvent.Name, activity: DeviceActivityName) {
super.eventDidReachThreshold(event, activity: activity)
defaults?.setValue(event.rawValue, forKey: "appLimitEventName")
defaults?.setValue(true, forKey: "appLimitReached")
defaults?.synchronize()
// using darwinNotificationCenter to trigger callback in the application
let darwinNotificationCenter = DarwinNotificationsManager.sharedInstance()
darwinNotificationCenter.postNotification(withName: "nextAppLimitInitiated")
// using Notifications to debug since print doesn't work
scheduleNotification(with: "interval threshold reached")
}
And in our application, we have the shielding logic in place,
init() {
let darwinNotificationCenter = DarwinNotificationsManager.sharedInstance()
darwinNotificationCenter.register(forNotificationName: "nextAppLimitInitiated"){
print("callback received")
let appLimitReached = self.defaults?.bool(forKey: "appLimitReached")
let appLimitEventName = self.defaults?.string(forKey: "appLimitEventName")
if appLimitReached ?? false, appLimitEventName != "" {
// this sends the notification when callback is received
self.scheduleNotification(with: "init start")
self.defaults?.setValue(false, forKey: "appLimitReached")
guard var dataArray = self.defaults?.array(forKey: "appLimitdataArray"), !dataArray.isEmpty else {
return
}
let appLimitData = dataArray.first as! NSDictionary
let appLimitKey = appLimitData["appLimitId"] as! String
let data = self.getSchedule(key: appLimitEventName ?? "")
if let appTokens = data?.applicationTokens {
for token in appTokens {
if !self.applicationTokens.contains(appTokens) {
self.applicationTokens.insert(token)
}
}
}
self.store.shield.applications = self.applicationTokens
self.store.shield.applicationCategories = ShieldSettings.ActivityCategoryPolicy.specific(self.categoryTokens, except: Set())
dataArray.removeFirst()
//dataArray.append(appLimitData)
self.defaults?.set(dataArray, forKey: "appLimitdataArray")
self.initiateMonitoring(initiateAgain: true)
self.scheduleNotification(with: "init end")
}
}
}
This works as expected for multiple App Limits but only when the device is connected to the Xcode. If we disconnect the device from Xcode/ stop application from Xcode/ try in release mode, the callback is not received from extension to the app/init block.
When the device is connected to Xcode, if the apps hit the threshold, they are shielded automatically. But if the device is disconnected/ app is in release mode, the apps are not shielded automatically even after the threshold is reached. It is shielded later only after opening our app once.
Please let me know if I'm doing anything wrong in receiving callback or in my shielding logic. If I need to place the shielding logic in the extension, please tell me how I can handle multiple appTokens.
Post not yet marked as solved
I am relatively new to swift, and working on an app blocker using flutter and swift. In my Xcode runner file, I used File > New > Target > ShieldConfigurationExtension and File > New > Target > ShieldActionExtension to create the extensions with all the necessary Info.plist values. However, when I try to build, I am presented with this error message:
Error (Xcode): Cycle inside Runner; building could produce unreliable results.
Cycle details:
→ Target 'Runner': CodeSign /Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/build/ios/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.app
○ That command depends on command in Target 'Runner': script phase “[CP] Copy Pods Resources”
○ That command depends on command in Target 'Runner': script phase “Thin Binary”
○ Target 'Runner' has process command with output '/Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/build/ios/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.app/Info.plist'
○ Target 'Runner' has copy command from '/Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/build/ios/Debug-iphoneos/shieldAction.appex' to '/Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/build/ios/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.app/PlugIns/shieldAction.appex'
2
Raw dependency cycle trace:
target: ->
node: <all> ->
command: <all> ->
node: /Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/build/ios/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.app/_CodeSignature ->
command: P0:target-Runner-18c1723432283e0cc55f10a6dcfd9e0288a783a885d8b0b3beb2e9f90bde3f49-:Debug:CodeSign /Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/build/ios/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.app ->
node: /Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/build/ios/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.app/GoogleSignIn.bundle/ ->
directoryTreeSignature: [ ->
directoryContents: /Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/build/ios/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.app/GoogleSignIn.bundle ->
CYCLE POINT ->
node: /Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/build/ios/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.app/GoogleSignIn.bundle ->
command: P2:target-Runner-18c1723432283e0cc55f10a6dcfd9e0288a783a885d8b0b3beb2e9f90bde3f49-:Debug:PhaseScriptExecution [CP] Copy Pods Resources /Users/arshgupta/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Runner-gkxkhzabeikourbemhpfsdwlgfor/Build/Intermediates.noindex/Runner.build/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.build/Script-F71E8F68D8E3D1B95F11D101.sh ->
node: /Users/arshgupta/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Runner-gkxkhzabeikourbemhpfsdwlgfor/Build/Intermediates.noindex/Runner.build/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.build/InputFileList-F71E8F68D8E3D1B95F11D101-Pods-Runner-resources-Debug-input-files-276c84640d21f41dd725929b3125799d-resolved.xcfilelist ->
command: P2:target-Runner-18c1723432283e0cc55f10a6dcfd9e0288a783a885d8b0b3beb2e9f90bde3f49-:Debug:WriteAuxiliaryFile /Users/arshgupta/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Runner-gkxkhzabeikourbemhpfsdwlgfor/Build/Intermediates.noindex/Runner.build/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.build/InputFileList-F71E8F68D8E3D1B95F11D101-Pods-Runner-resources-Debug-input-files-276c84640d21f41dd725929b3125799d-resolved.xcfilelist ->
node: <target-Runner-18c1723432283e0cc55f10a6dcfd9e0288a783a885d8b0b3beb2e9f90bde3f49--fused-phase4-thin-binary> ->
command: P0:::Gate target-Runner-18c1723432283e0cc55f10a6dcfd9e0288a783a885d8b0b3beb2e9f90bde3f49--fused-phase4-thin-binary ->
node: <execute-shell-script-18c1723432283e0cc55f10a6dcfd9e02f1eee2015e8ff5ebcd27678f788c2826-target-Runner-18c1723432283e0cc55f10a6dcfd9e0288a783a885d8b0b3beb2e9f90bde3f49-> ->
command: P2:target-Runner-18c1723432283e0cc55f10a6dcfd9e0288a783a885d8b0b3beb2e9f90bde3f49-:Debug:PhaseScriptExecution Thin Binary /Users/arshgupta/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Runner-gkxkhzabeikourbemhpfsdwlgfor/Build/Intermediates.noindex/Runner.build/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.build/Script-3B06AD1E1E4923F5004D2608.sh ->
node: /Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/build/ios/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.app/Info.plist/ ->
directoryTreeSignature: R ->
directoryContents: /Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/build/ios/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.app/Info.plist ->
node: /Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/build/ios/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.app/Info.plist ->
command: P0:target-Runner-18c1723432283e0cc55f10a6dcfd9e0288a783a885d8b0b3beb2e9f90bde3f49-:Debug:ProcessInfoPlistFile /Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/build/ios/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.app/Info.plist /Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/ios/Runner/Info.plist ->
node: /Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/build/ios/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.app/PlugIns/shieldAction.appex ->
command: P0:target-Runner-18c1723432283e0cc55f10a6dcfd9e0288a783a885d8b0b3beb2e9f90bde3f49-:Debug:Copy /Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/build/ios/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.app/PlugIns/shieldAction.appex /Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/build/ios/Debug-iphoneos/shieldAction.appex ->
node: <target-Runner-18c1723432283e0cc55f10a6dcfd9e0288a783a885d8b0b3beb2e9f90bde3f49--fused-phase5--cp--copy-pods-resources> ->
command: P0:::Gate target-Runner-18c1723432283e0cc55f10a6dcfd9e0288a783a885d8b0b3beb2e9f90bde3f49--fused-phase5--cp--copy-pods-resources ->
node: /Users/arshgupta/Documents/pledge-1/build/ios/Debug-iphoneos/Runner.app/GoogleSignIn.bundle
What can I do to fix this?
Post not yet marked as solved
I have two repeating DeviceActivitySchedules running in my app and noticed a super strange behavior:
whenever I modify Screen Time API permission settings (granting an additional app permission, or removing permission for a different app (completely different unrelated screen time apps from App Store)) all my DeviceActivitySchedules are cancelled and the intervalDidEnd callbacks are called
my permission is not modified in this scenario
this is a super strange and unexpected behavior
is anyone able to reproduce this?
for me this happens 100% of the times I do this
any known workarounds?
Post not yet marked as solved
Hello,
I am using a DeviceActivityEvent to limit access to an app after the user has spent x minutes on it.
Sometimes it can happen that a DeviceActivitySchedule spans from 11:55pm - 12:25am (just an example).
In these cases, I have noticed, the DeviceActivityMonitorExtension’s eventDidReachThreshold is not called after the user has reached the threshold time interval in the observed app.
I assume this is because we have transitioned over midnight and something weird happens to the DeviceActivitySchedule.
I’ve tried adding the day components to the DeviceActivitySchedule as well, but then it fails completely.
Any advice how to handle this?
I could, of course, create two separate DeviceActivitySchedules: one for before midnight, and one for after. But depending on the user’s real app usage that could lead to slightly different (and unexpected) behavior.
