We are developing a parental control application in SwiftUI with features like app blocking and screen time management. We are using the Family Control API along with Apple Family Sharing, allowing parents to add multiple children to the family group. We have followed the apple documentation still we are facing following issues: App Blocking Issue: The family picker does not display each child's name separately or their apps individually. Instead, it shows all children's apps together, making it difficult to block apps for a specific child. Screen Time Data Issue: We receive the total screen time usage for all children combined rather than separate screen time data for each child. Syncing Delay: When a new child is added to the Family Sharing group, we are unsure how long it takes for their apps to sync and appear on the parent’s device.

I requested the Family Controls Entitlement last week and haven’t heard back at all. I’ve submitted the request three times now, but I haven’t received a confirmation, a case number, or even an acknowledgment that it was received. I called Apple Support, but they said they have no visibility into the entitlement request process, which leaves me completely in the dark. I just want to know if my request is under consideration or not. This is especially frustrating because I’ve had strong engagement on social media around my app, and I have stakeholders waiting for updates. Right now, I can’t send the app for review, and I can’t even distribute it via TestFlight to internal testers. Honestly, I didn’t expect this kind of radio silence from Apple. Has anyone else experienced this when requesting entitlements?

Hello, I'm currently experiencing an issue with the DeviceActivityMonitor extension in my code, specifically with the eventDidReachThreshold callback. I'm hoping to get some insights into why this problem occurs and how to resolve it. Problem: Issue 1: The eventDidReachThreshold callback is not triggering as expected. It appears that the callback is not being invoked when the threshold is reached. Issue 2: After a few seconds, the eventDidReachThreshold callback starts to trigger multiple times. This unexpected behavior is causing problems in my code, as it results in incorrect actions being taken. iOS version: iOS16.7.2 and iOS17.1 Xcode version: 15.0.1 Swift version: 5.9 Here is my code to start the monitoring: func startMonitoring() { var startTime : DateComponents = DateComponents(hour: 0, minute: 0) let endTime : DateComponents = DateComponents(hour: 23, minute: 59) /// Creates the schedule for the activity, specifying the start and end times, and setting it to repeat. let schedule = DeviceActivitySchedule(intervalStart: startTime, intervalEnd: endTime, repeats: true, warningTime: nil) /// Defines the event that should trigger the encouragement. let event = DeviceActivityEvent(applications: socialActivitySelection.applicationTokens, categories: socialActivitySelection.categoryTokens, webDomains: socialActivitySelection.webDomainTokens, threshold: DateComponents(minute: 2)) let events: [DeviceActivityEvent.Name: DeviceActivityEvent] = [.socialScreenTimeEvent : event] do { activityCenter.stopMonitoring([.socialScreenTime]) /// Tries to start monitoring the activity using the specified schedule and events. try activityCenter.startMonitoring(.socialScreenTime, during: schedule, events: events) } catch { /// Prints an error message if the activity could not be started. print("Could not start monitoring: \(error)") } } If there are any known workarounds or potential solutions, please share them. Thank you for your help in resolving this problem.

Our users report frequent crashes with the FamilyActivityPicker. Since this is a screen controlled by Apple, I'm assuming that there's nothing I can do to prevent these crashes. I'm wondering, though, if there's any way to gracefully handle these crashes? When this happens, the following is printed to the console: [com.apple.FamilyControls.ActivityPickerExtension(1121)] Connection to plugin invalidated while in use. Does anyone know how to handle/catch this error?

Both view and modifier versions of the FamilyActivityPicker crash randomly when selecting some items (usually the other option) throwing these in the console: [com.apple.FamilyControls.ActivityPickerExtension(1150.1)] Connection to plugin invalidated while in use AX Lookup problem - errorCode:1100 error:Permission denied portName:'com.apple.iphone.axserver' PID:22091 ( 0 AXRuntime 0x00000001c603b0fc _AXGetPortFromCache + 800 1 AXRuntime 0x00000001c603cce0 AXUIElementPerformFencedActionWithValue + 700 2 UIKit 0x0000000230de3ec8 DDE6E0C5-2AC3-3C73-8CFE-BC88DE35BB5F + 1453768 3 libdispatch.dylib 0x0000000103ef0b98 _dispatch_call_block_and_release + 32 4 libdispatch.dylib 0x0000000103ef27bc _dispatch_client_callout + 20 5 libdispatch.dylib 0x0000000103efa66c _dispatch_lane_serial_drain + 832 6 libdispatch.dylib 0x0000000103efb408 _dispatch_lane_invoke + 408 7 libdispatch.dylib 0x0000000103f08404 _dispatch_root_queue_drain_deferred_wlh + 328 8 libdispatch.dylib 0x0000000103f07a38 _dispatch_workloop_worker_thread + 444 9 libsystem_pthread.dylib 0x00000001f0824f20 _pthread_wqthread + 288 10 libsystem_pthread.dylib 0x00000001f0824fc0 start_wqthread + 8 ) This also happens in production apps like the Opal. The questions are: At least how to detect it to be able to manually reload the sheet (like what Opal does and shows an alert when this happens) How to prevent it in the first place? I really appreciate any help you can provide.

I was granted permissions for family controls distribution for the main target of my app. Do I also need to request permission for the other targets like ShieldConfiguration, ShieldActionExtension, etc.? If no, how can i add the distribution capabilities to those targets?

As discussed and acknowledged here, there is a known bug with the FamilyActivityPicker. When a user expands a category that contains enough tokens to exceed the 50mb memory limit, the FamilyActivityPicker crashes. This happens quite frequently for heavy Safari users. An apple engineer mentioned on this thread that WebDomains shown in the picker are present based on the last 30 days of usage data as surfaced by WebKit. Is there any way a user can clear these WebDomains? Either programatically through our app or any other process we can guide them to as a workaround while this issue is getting fixed?

.fullScreenCover(isPresented: $isShow) { Button(action : { isPresented.toggle() }){ Text("Choose") } .familyActivityPicker( isPresented: $isPresented, selection: $selection) .onChange(of: selection){ value in } } In the official version of iOS 18, when I click the Done button of familyActivityPicker, the fullScreenCover pop-up box will disappear.

I have developed three apps using the Screen Time API. The following are common problems I encountered in the three apps: DeviceActivityMonitorExtension is automatically killed after running for a few days (frequently) The same DeviceActivityEvent in DeviceActivityMonitorExtension is triggered twice during eventDidReachThreshold (especially obvious in iOS18.5) Screen Time authorization is automatically canceled for no reason (occasionally) I hope to get help

How to programmatically check if ApplicationToken or ActivityCategoryToken is expired in FamilyActivityPicker? I'm building a Screen Time-based parental control app using FamilyControls and ManagedSettings. We use FamilyActivityPicker to allow the user to select apps and categories to restrict, and we apply the shield using: store.shield.applications = .specific(selection.applicationTokens) store.shield.applicationCategories = .specific(selection.categoryTokens) Sometimes, we observe that the shield silently fails to apply — no error is thrown, but the restrictions aren't enforced. I suspect this may be due to expired or invalid tokens, possibly if the app was removed or the selection became stale. My Questions: Can ApplicationToken or ActivityCategoryToken expire or become invalid over time? If yes, is there a supported or recommended way to detect whether a token is still valid before applying it to the shield? Is comparing the current shield values (store.shield.applications and store.shield.applicationCategories) after applying them a reliable validation method? What's the best practice to handle expired tokens (e.g. re-prompt the FamilyActivityPicker, or show a fallback)? What Is the Expiration Duration of Tokens from FamilyActivityPicker? Any guidance or insight from the Screen Time/FamilyControls team would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

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!

Hi, I'm trying to make use of the Device Activity Labels where you supply an ApplicationToken. I can successfully get it to show the icon + title of the Application (twitter in my case) but I cannot get the styling to work. // Works .labelStyle(.iconOnly) .labelStyle(.titleOnly) .border(...) ![]("https://developer.apple.com/forums/content/attachment/9660b578-a36f-4d5a-ae18-653a207aa5ab" "title=Screenshot 2023-03-12 at 12.57.34 PM.png;width=1218;height=844") // Does NOT work .font(.largeTitle) .foregroundColor(.blue) I have checked the same style (or just modifiers) against a standard Label and they actually do work in the code below. // This is an application token. Some style not applied. Label(targetApp) .labelStyle(MyStyle()) // Showing the same style using a simple label. All styles correctly applied. Label("Twitter", systemImage: "video.square.fill") .labelStyle(MyStyle()) Is changing the font + color of the title for this Label(_ applicationToken:) supported?

I'm currently working with the FamilyControls API and testing my app on two different devices. Both apps are in the same family-sharing network with one phone being the owner of the network (I'll call this A) and the other one being an adult in the network(I'll call this B). When device A picks apps using the FamilyActivityPicker, it shares that selection with device B (via encoding, sending over network, and decoding on device B). However, interacting with the token (displaying it, using it in shield) throws an error saying the token is null. From the documentation, I thought every token would be the same across all devices in the family sharing network. So my question: How do I send the FamilyActivitySelection from A to B and have the tokens still be functional? Does this functionality only work if A is a "parent" and B is a "child" in the family sharing network? Also, side note: If I reverse the process and send the tokens from B to A. Interacting with the token works exactly as expected. For some reason, it's only going from A to B where it doesn't work.

After transferring the App ownership to a different account, if you update the app on iOS, two identical apps will show up in Settings > Screen Time. Users can't control the blocking settings from before the update - the only fix is to restart the phone. After the next execution of manageStore.shield.applications, users still can't manually disable the restrictions - their only option is to uninstall and reinstall the app. I believe this is related to how Screen Time API's authentication works - it's not just tied to the app's bundle ID, but also linked to the developer account's organization ID. Any suggestions for a clean solution that would allow smooth app updates after the transfer without running into these issues?

When we request auth from the AuthorizationCenter, it seems that we're only really able to allow users to control the apps on the parent's phone. Is there a way to allow us to let parents manage apps on the kid's device directly through our parent app? For context, we have 2 different apps, one for the parent and one for the child. The child is able to purchase screen time and the parent can redeem them (activate those minutes) from their end.

The DeviceActivityReport view does not render immediately when added to the view hierarchy. Instead, it requires repeated navigation to the screen hosting the DeviceActivityReport view for it to appear. Furthermore, there is no programmatic way to determine whether the view is being rendered for the user, leading to an inconsistent and often poor user experience. I've created a sample project that demonstrates the issue.

I'm at my wit's end here with an iOS app I'm developing. I've applied for the Family Controls entitlement, and while my extensions (like Device Monitor) have been accepted, the main target entitlement for my app still hasn't been approved. Here's the timeline: Extensions (Device Monitor etc.): Accepted about a month ago. Main App Entitlement: Still pending - it's been over 6 weeks now. I'm looking for: Anyone who has gone through this process and can share how long it took for their main app entitlement to get approved after the extensions were. Any tips on what might speed up the process or what I might be doing wrong. Experiences with contacting Apple Developer Support regarding this issue. If you've been through a similar ordeal or have any advice, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks for any help or insight you can offer!

Hey everyone, I have an app using the screen time api, I've had quite a few reports from users saying that our monitoring features stop working until they open our app. What happens is that activities and schedules set with the device activity monitor seem to disappear. This is something we check on app re-opens and so we schedule them again and that is why the monitoring starts working again. Of course our current solution is not optimal since our app is mainly passive. Has anyone experienced these kinds of issue ?

I was experimenting with the screen time controls to see how it affected an app I am working on and I created a screen time passcode that I later forgot. Any fix? I can't find the "forgot passcode" button anywhere and I am now unable to turn off find my as a result.

I'm working with the Screen Time API (FamilyActivityPicker) in SwiftUI and need help with a specific scenario. I'm using the FamilyActivityPicker to let users select apps and categories to block. I save the previous selection (both applicationTokens and categoryTokens) locally. When the user updates their selection, I compare the new selection with the saved one to determine which apps or categories were removed. However, I’m trying to handle a specific case: when an individual app token is removed from the selection because its entire category was selected instead. In this situation, even though the app is no longer in applicationTokens, it's still blocked due to its category being included in categoryTokens. Since I need to show users which apps were actually removed, I want to avoid listing apps that are still indirectly blocked via a selected category. I’ve created a mapping between ApplicationToken and FamilyActivityCategoryToken to check whether a removed app is still covered by a selected category before displaying it. Is there any way to check this using the current Screen Time APIs, or does the system not give access to the relationship between apps and their categories? Any help or suggestions would mean a lot!