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

Hi One of the new Family Control API's requires the new "Family Controls App & Website Usage" capability but it appears to be missing in the latest Xcode beta (26.4 B2). MacOS and iOS all running 26.4 Beta 3. Does anyone know if we have to wait for Xcode 26.4 Beta 3 and it's associated SDK's for this one to become available?

I've already submitted multiple cases about this issue. My Family Controls Distribution request was apparently approved (or I was told via Developer Support) for my Device Activity extension, but the Distribution option still does not appear in the identifier. This is blocking my ability to distribute via TestFlight. I need someone who can update the identifier capabilities or explain why the approved capability is not showing.

Hello, I submitted a Family Controls (Distribution) entitlement request on February 25, 2026 for my prayer/productivity app that uses the Screen Time API to block distracting apps. I also submitted requests for two extensions on March 6, 2026: com.prayfirst.prayFirst.ShieldAction com.prayfirst.prayFirst.ShieldConfiguration All three requests still show "Submitted" status in the Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles portal with no progress. I contacted Apple Developer Support (Case #102839422791), and they mentioned I should have received a "follow-up number" after submission — but I never received one. This entitlement is the only blocker preventing me from building and distributing my app. Could a DTS engineer please assist or escalate this? Team ID: BH752TBX9L Thank you.

Hi everyone, I'm running into what appears to be a stuck Family Controls entitlement request and wanted to see if anyone has experienced something similar. Request ID: 9D7MU547QH The request is still showing a status of "Submitted". Context: • Our main app bundle ID was already approved for the Family Controls entitlement. • Two related extensions (ShieldConfiguration and DeviceActivityMonitor) were also approved within a few days. • The remaining request is for a ShieldAction extension, which handles button taps from the shield UI. This entitlement is currently blocking our business's beta testing, so we’re trying to understand whether this is just normal queue delay or if the request might be stuck. Has anyone seen a case where the main app and other extensions were approved but a ShieldAction request remained in "Submitted" for an extended period? If an Apple engineer happens to see this, I’d greatly appreciate any guidance on whether the request might be stuck in the review queue. Thank you!

Hi everyone, I recently submitted the Family Controls request form and received the following request IDs: 429MKWT5VX
 KNL6T2DC7A
 N62KV78DKC However, I haven’t received any updates yet and I’m not sure how these requests are tracked or when we’ll know if they’re approved. Our app is almost ready to launch and this capability is critical for us. Both the main app and an extension depend on Family Controls, so we’re currently blocked from moving forward. I also raised a support ticket with Apple Developer Support (Case ID: 102838723073), but I haven’t received any response there either. To be honest, this is becoming really stressful. Months of work are stuck at the final step and we’re unable to move forward without this approval. This isn’t just a small personal project and we’re building a production app and were hoping to launch very soon. If anyone has been through this process or has any guidance on the approval timeline, or if someone from Apple could help look into these request IDs, it would genuinely mean a lot to us.

 Thank you

Hi, I submitted a Family Controls (Distribution) entitlement request on March 9, 2026 for my iOS app, but I still have not received any approval, rejection, or other status update. At this point, I’m mainly trying to understand: whether this waiting time is currently normal, whether there is any way to check if the request is actually under review, and whether Apple provides any follow-up if more information is needed. This is blocking my progress, because the app depends on the Screen Time / Family Controls APIs. Has anyone recently experienced similar delays, and is there any recommended next step besides waiting? Thanks. Imi

Hi everyone, I recently submitted the Family Controls request form and received the following request IDs: 429MKWT5VX
 KNL6T2DC7A
 N62KV78DKC However, I haven’t received any updates yet and I’m not sure how these requests are tracked or when we’ll know if they’re approved. Our app is almost ready to launch and this capability is critical for us. Both the main app and an extension depend on Family Controls, so we’re currently blocked from moving forward. I also raised a support ticket with Apple Developer Support (Case ID: 102838723073), but I haven’t received any response there either. To be honest, this is becoming really stressful. Months of work are stuck at the final step and we’re unable to move forward without this approval. This isn’t just a small personal project and we’re building a production app and were hoping to launch very soon. If anyone has been through this process or has any guidance on the approval timeline, or if someone from Apple could help look into these request IDs, it would genuinely mean a lot to us.

 Thank you

I'm experiencing a contradictory validation issue with DeviceActivityReportExtension that creates an impossible situation: The Problem: Without NSExtensionPrincipalClass in Info.plist → App Store Connect rejects upload with: "Missing Info.plist values. No values for NSExtensionMainStoryboard or NSExtensionPrincipalClass found" With NSExtensionPrincipalClass → Local install fails with: "defines either an NSExtensionMainStoryboard or NSExtensionPrincipalClass key, which is not allowed for the extension point com.apple.deviceactivityui.report-extension" Setup: Extension point: com.apple.deviceactivityui.report-extension Using SwiftUI with @main attribute and DeviceActivityReportExtension protocol Xcode 16.2, iOS 17.6 deployment target Code structure: @main struct SpoolReport: DeviceActivityReportExtension { var body: some DeviceActivityReportScene { // Report scenes here } } The extension builds and runs perfectly without NSExtensionPrincipalClass, but cannot be uploaded to App Store Connect. Adding the key allows upload but breaks local installation. Is this a known issue? Is there a workaround or correct Info.plist configuration for DeviceActivityReportExtension? Thank you!

I can see the user’s real daily Screen Time perfectly inside a DeviceActivityReport extension on a physical device. It’s right there. But the moment I try to use that exact total inside my main app (for today’s log and a leaderboard), it dosnt work. I’ve tried, App Groups, Shared UserDefaults, Writing to a shared container file, CFPreferences Nothing makes it across. The report displays fine, but the containing app never receives the total. If this is sandboxed by design, I’d love confirmation. Thanks a lot

DeviceActivityReportExtension sandbox blocks all output channels — how to export resolved Application.bundleIdentifier? Application.bundleIdentifier only resolves to a non-nil value inside a DeviceActivityReportExtension (ExtensionKit/XPC). The main app and DeviceActivityMonitor extension always return nil. However, the Report Extension's sandbox silently blocks every output channel I've tested: UserDefaults (App Group): Reads succeed, writes silently dropped File writes (App Group container): Fail silently or throw HTTP requests: Network blocked entirely Local Notifications: "Couldn't communicate with a helper application" UIPasteboard: Writes silently fail iCloud KVS: synchronize() returns false Both targets share the same com.apple.security.application-groups entitlement and group identifier. The main app reads and writes to the shared container normally — only the extension's writes fail. This means resolved bundle identifiers can only be rendered in the extension's own SwiftUI view and cannot be communicated anywhere else. My question: Is this sandbox restriction intentional? If so, what is the recommended mechanism for the host app (or a backend) to obtain the resolved bundle identifiers that only the Report Extension can access? Environment: Xcode 16.3, iOS 18.3, physical device. Sample project: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DPyN2BCUt5p-RKEPA0zsDFFEvgZVHlS_/view?usp=sharing — a minimal two-target project that demonstrates every failing channel. Run on a physical device, grant Screen Time access, select apps, and observe that bundle ID resolution shows PASS but all write channels show FAIL.

I am building a simple iOS app that shows the total phone usage time for today using the Screen Time APIs. Architecture: Main app → requests authorization using AuthorizationCenter.shared.requestAuthorization(for: .individual) → displays a DeviceActivityReport Report extension → DeviceActivityReportExtension → calculates total usage using DeviceActivityResults<DeviceActivityData> → shows the number in a SwiftUI view The report works correctly. The extension successfully calculates the total usage and displays it on screen. Example logic inside the report extension: for await activityData in data { for await segment in activityData.activitySegments { totalSeconds += segment.totalActivityDuration } } let totalMinutes = Int(totalSeconds / 60) The problem: I need the main app to access that number so I can store it daily in my own database. I tried to send the value from the extension to the main app using: App Group + UserDefaults(suiteName:) App Group + shared file (FileManager.containerURL) writing inside makeConfiguration(...) Example: if let defaults = UserDefaults(suiteName: "group.myapp") { defaults.set(value, forKey: "savedTotalActivity") } But the main app cannot read the value. The report extension displays the number correctly, but the data never appears in shared storage. Questions: Is DeviceActivityReportExtension intentionally sandboxed so Screen Time data cannot be exported to the containing app? Is there any supported way for the main app to access the total usage value calculated in the report extension? If exporting the value is restricted, what is the recommended architecture for apps that want to store daily Screen Time totals for later analysis? Goal: I want a simple app that records something like: 2026-03-08 → 244 minutes 2026-03-09 → 198 minutes and stores it inside the app database. Any guidance on the correct architecture would help.

On iOS 26.2 (23C55), DeviceActivityMonitor.eventDidReachThreshold fires intermittently for a daily schedule (00:00–23:59) even when iOS Screen Time shows 0 minutes for the selected apps that day. This causes premature shielding via ManagedSettings. Environment: iPhone 13 Pro Max, iOS 26.2 (23C55). Event selection: 2 apps. Threshold: 30 minutes. Multiple TestFlight users report the same behavior across various app selections and thresholds. Intermittent (~50% of days); sometimes multiple days in a row. Not observed in testing prior to iOS 26.2. Evidence: sysdiagnose + Screen Time screenshots (with 0 screen time on selected apps) + unified logs show UsageTrackingAgent notifying the extension that “unproductive from activity daily reached its threshold,” followed immediately by ManagedSettings shield being applied (extension reacting to the callback). Filed Feedback Assistant: FB21450954. Questions: Are others seeing this on 26.2? Does it correlate with restarting monitoring at interval boundaries or includesPastActivity settings?

I have gotten all necessary entitlements for all my extensions, but screen time still does not work in Testflight. our app blocks social apps for a particular period of time.. This feature works in my Xcode physical device but fails in testflight

I'm building an app that uses the Family Controls / Screen Time APIs (FamilyControls, ManagedSettings). My app has three targets, each with a distinct Bundle ID: Main App Shield Configuration Extension ShieldAction Extension All three have com.apple.developer.family-controls in their entitlements files, and they share an App Group. My question is about the distribution entitlement request form at developer.apple.com/contact/request/family-controls-distribution: does the form need to be submitted once per Bundle ID, or is a single submission for the main app sufficient to then enable Family Controls (Distribution) for the extension Bundle IDs in the developer portal as well? I've seen conflicting reports in other forum threads — some developers say one submission covers all targets, others say separate submissions are needed per Bundle ID. I've already submitted the main app, but now I am wondering whether I should submit one for each Shield extension. Thanks!

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.

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 requested the Family Controls (distribution) capability but am not sure if I did it correct. I applied, answered the questions why i needed it and submitted. Its been about 2 weeks since applying. In the app configurations, it on apple dev site, it shows in the request history that I submitted it on March 17, but I can click the request (+) button and request it again. Just want to make sure I didn't mess anything up--it seems like they would prevent me from sendin another request if I had already requested it. It hasn't taken them this long to get back to me in the past which is why I am confused. If anyone knows how to speed up the process, please let me know! Thanks.

Description: I am developing a digital well-being application using the Screen Time API (FamilyControls, ManagedSettings, and DeviceActivity). I am encountering a critical issue where the ApplicationToken provided by the system to my app extensions suddenly changes, causing a mismatch with the tokens originally stored by the main application. The Problem: When a user selects applications via FamilyActivityPicker, we persist the FamilyActivitySelection (and the underlying ApplicationToken objects) in a shared App Group container. However, we are seeing frequent cases where the token passed into: ShieldConfigurationDataSource.configuration(shielding:in:) ShieldActionDelegate.handle(action:for:completionHandler:) ...does not match (using ==) any of the tokens previously selected and stored. IOS version: 26.2.1

Le build iOS via EAS échoue systématiquement lors de la phase Xcode. Bien que les capacités Family Controls et App Groups soient activées sur le portail Apple Developer et configurées dans le app.json, les profils de provisionnement générés par EAS sont rejetés par Xcode car ils ne contiendraient pas les droits nécessaires. Configuration du projet : Targets (4) : App principale + 3 extensions (ShieldConfiguration, ShieldAction, ActivityMonitorExtension). Capabilities requises : Family Controls (Development), App Groups. EAS CLI Version : 18.0.6 (et versions antérieures testées). Erreur Xcode récurrente : error: Provisioning profile "[expo] com.*****.*** AdHoc 177230..." doesn't support the Family Controls (Development) capability.. error: Provisioning profile "... AdHoc ..." doesn't include the com.apple.developer.family-controls entitlement.. Ce qui a déjà été tenté (sans succès) : Configuration app.json : Ajout manuel des entitlements pour le bundle principal et configuration du plugin react-native-device-activity. Nettoyage Credentials : Suppression totale des profils et des identifiants sur le site Expo.dev ET sur le portail Apple Developer. +1 Forçage Sync : Utilisation de eas build --clear-cache et réponse "No" à la réutilisation des profils existants. Observation étrange : Le terminal indique souvent ✔ Synced capabilities: No updates, alors que les droits viennent d'être modifiés sur le portail Apple. Sur le portail Apple, les profils affichent pourtant bien "Family Controls (Development)" dans les capacités activées. Je met en piece jointe un des profiles.

Context: I am building an iOS productivity app using EAS Build. The project has 4 targets: the main app and 3 extensions (ShieldAction, ShieldConfiguration, ActivityMonitorExtension). The Issue: I have officially received approval from Apple for the Family Controls (Distribution) entitlement for my main Bundle ID. However, the build still fails during the Xcode phase. The Errors: Xcode reports that the generated provisioning profiles do not include the com.apple.developer.family-controls entitlement. For example: Provisioning profile "*[expo] com.*.** AdHoc 177247892...." doesn't support the Family Controls capability. All 3 extensions are failing with the exact same error. What I've done: Confirmed approval from Apple for com.*.**. Enabled Family Controls and App Groups on the Apple Developer Portal for all 4 Identifiers. Cleared EAS local and remote cache using eas build --clear-cache. Deleted existing profiles on both Expo.dev and Apple Portal to force regeneration. The Question: Even with official approval, why does EAS continue to generate "empty" profiles for my Ad-Hoc development build? Do I need separate approval for each extension's Bundle ID, or is there a way to force EAS to sync these "Managed Capabilities" correctly?