Prevent access to the Screen Time API without guardian approval and provide opaque tokens that represent apps and websites.

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DeviceActivityMonitor is overcounting screen time for users on iOS 17.6.1
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?
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1.7k
Sep ’24
Any workaround for expanding a large category in FamilyActivityPicker?
I’m developing a self-management app using Family Controls, but I’ve encountered a FamilyActivityPciker's crash due to an XPC(or UIRemoteView) issue when there are too many tokens(maybe 200+ items) in a category. This makes bad UX, so I’m looking for a workaround. (I guess that the crash reason is cross process memory limitations, such as App Extension 50MB memory limitation.) A lot of web domains contribute to increase the number of tokens, However, even after clearing Safari’s browsing history, the tokens displayed in the FamilyActivityPicker remains unchanged. Is there any workaround that a 3rd party developer can implement to address this issue? prevent FamilyActivityPicker crashes or reduce the number of web domain tokens? For example, if there’s a way to reset the web domain tokens shown in FamilyActivityPicker from the Settings app, I could offer a help to users. Does anybody have ideas? Expanding SNS Category (29 items) It succeeded. Expanding Productivity & Finance (214 items) It failed. The screen froze, then appears blank. When the number of items is around 100, the crash rate is 50%, but when the items are over 200, the crash rate is 100%. Search Bar Problem The search bar also has same problem. If the number of search results are small, it works good without any blank, but if there are a lot of search results (200+), the XCP crashes and the screen appears blank. Code to Reproduce import SwiftUI import FamilyControls struct ContentView: View { @State private var selection = FamilyActivitySelection() @State private var isPickerPresented: Bool = false var body: some View { VStack { Button("Open Picker") { isPickerPresented = true } } .familyActivityPicker(isPresented: $isPickerPresented, selection: $selection) } } Steps to Reproduce Prepare a category that has 200+ items Try to open the category in the picker The screen will freeze, then appears blank. Errors in Console [u EDD60B83-5D2A-5446-B2C7-57D47C937916:m (null)] [com.apple.FamilyControls.ActivityPickerExtension(1204)] Connection to plugin interrupted while in use. AX Lookup problem - errorCode:1100 error:Permission denied portName:'com.apple.iphone.axserver' PID:2164 ( 0 AXRuntime 0x00000001d46c5f08 _AXGetPortFromCache + 796 1 AXRuntime 0x00000001d46ca23c AXUIElementPerformFencedActionWithValue + 700 2 UIKit 0x0000000256b75cec C01ACC79-A5BA-3017-91BD-A03759576BBF + 1527020 3 libdispatch.dylib 0x000000010546ca30 _dispatch_call_block_and_release + 32 4 libdispatch.dylib 0x000000010546e71c _dispatch_client_callout + 20 5 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001054765e8 _dispatch_lane_serial_drain + 828 6 libdispatch.dylib 0x0000000105477360 _dispatch_lane_invoke + 408 7 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001054845f0 _dispatch_root_queue_drain_deferred_wlh + 328 8 libdispatch.dylib 0x0000000105483c00 _dispatch_workloop_worker_thread + 580 9 libsystem_pthread.dylib 0x0000000224f77c7c _pthread_wqthread + 288 10 libsystem_pthread.dylib 0x0000000224f74488 start_wqthread + 8 ) Error acquiring assertion: <Error Domain=RBSAssertionErrorDomain Code=2 "Specified target process does not exist" UserInfo={NSLocalizedFailureReason=Specified target process does not exist}>
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2.2k
Sep ’24
How to open parent app from `ShieldActionDelegate`
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
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1.3k
Oct ’24
Can I Detect Which App the User Opens Using the Screen Time API?
I'm working with the Screen Time API in iOS and have successfully implemented the following: Granted Screen Time Permission: The app asks for and obtains Screen Time permissions without any issues. Blocked Specific Apps: Using FamilyActivitySelection, I can block access to certain apps. Monitoring Device Activity: With DeviceActivityCenter().startMonitoring(), I’m able to successfully start monitoring. DeviceActivityCenter().startMonitoring(.myActivity, during: schedule) Now, I’m wondering if there’s a way to detect exactly which app the user opens, so I can fire an API from my own app based on that event. Is this kind of real-time app usage detection possible with the Screen Time API? If so, how might it be implemented?
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Nov ’24
Family Controls Usage Data
Hi all, For context, the Family Controls entitlement request (for the Personal Device Management category/individual use case) includes the question: Will your app share device or usage data beyond the individual for the individual use case, or Family Sharing for the parent/guardian use case, including through means such as screenshots, screen recordings, or server logging? I'm looking for clarification on how to interpret this. I originally answered Yes and was rejected, then later answered No and was accepted. Ideally, I would like my screen time management app to allow users to opt-in to social features. One simple example is opting into a leaderboard with your friends for who has the lowest screen time. If the user installed this app for themself and chooses to share this basic data with their friends, it sounds like an ethical and unproblematic feature but I suppose storing that data would fall under "server logging"? If anyone has any experience with this, I would appreciate a more explicit description of the requirement above. Is what I described allowed? Thanks for reading!
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Nov ’24
Premature DeviceActivityEvent Triggering
Our app monitors device usage and applies a shield when the set time limit is reached. Multiple DeviceActivitySchedules can be present, each with different time limits. To display notifications at 50% of the total limit for each DeviceActivitySchedule, we set a warning time at half of the total time. However, we occasionally receive premature event callbacks. For example, consider a schedule from 13:00 to 13:30 with a single event threshold at 10 minutes and a warning time of 5 minutes. The 'eventDidReachThreshold' callback is delivered prematurely, along with the 'eventWillReachThresholdWarning' callback, at 13:10. Additionally, in some cases, when one DeviceActivitySchedule ends and the next begins immediately, DeviceActivityEvents registered for the new DeviceActivitySchedule are delivered prematurely along with the schedule start callback. For example, consider there are two DeviceActivitySchedules from 12:00 to 13:00 and from 13:00 to 14:00, each with a limit of 10 minutes and a warning time of 5 minutes. When the first schedule ends and the next begins at 13:00, the 'eventDidReachThreshold' callbacks for the events registered in the second schedule are delivered prematurely, along with the 'intervalDidStart' callback.
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Nov ’24
Taking long time to load Device Activity Report
When I try to load the device activity report, it takes too long to load data. Is this because of development time? Will the problem be solved when the app is live on the App Store? If it does not depend on the development profile, then please give me a solution for the fast data loading in the device activity report extension. Thank you
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422
Nov ’24
Device activity report data View is hidding when change the tab
I am working on the device activity report. and fetched data is loading on the chart. I am developing app using TabbarController. when I go to another tab and come back to the chart screen, it disappears. Here, I am working on a storyboard using Swift language, and device activity reports can be fetched only with SwiftUI. So, the problem is with it? Following the current code. @State private var context: DeviceActivityReport.Context = .init(rawValue: "Daily Activity") @State private var report: DeviceActivityReport? @State private var filter = DeviceActivityFilter( segment: .daily( during: Calendar.current.dateInterval( of: .day, for: .now )! ) // users: .all // devices: .init([.iPhone, .iPad]) ) @State var isReload: Bool = false var body: some View { ZStack { if isReload { LoadingView(title: "Data is loading...") } else if let report = report { report } else { DeviceActivityReport(context, filter: filter) } } .onAppear { DispatchQueue.main.async { report = DeviceActivityReport(context, filter: filter) } } } struct LoadingView: View { var title: String = "Please wait..." var body: some View { HStack { ProgressView(title) .font(.system(size: 14, weight: .medium)) .progressViewStyle(.horizontal) .tint(Color(.darkGray)) .padding(8) } .background(Color(.white)) .cornerRadius(8) .clipped() } }
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624
Nov ’24
swift DeviceActivityReport run in background
DeviceActivityReport presents statistics for a device: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/deviceactivity/deviceactivityreport The problem: DeviceActivityReport can present statistics with a delay for a parent device (when DeviceActivityReport is presenting, the DeviceActivityReportExtension is called to process the statistics). One possible solution is to call DeviceActivityReport periodically throughout the day in a child device. However, the app will not be available all day. Is there any way to run DeviceActivityReport in the background? I have tried the following approach, but it didn’t work (DeviceActivityReportExtension didnt call): let hostingController: UIHostingController? = .init(rootView: DeviceActivityReport(context, filter: filter)) hostingController?.view.frame = .init(origin: .zero, size: .init(width: 100, height: 100)) hostingController?.beginAppearanceTransition(true, animated: false) hostingController?.loadView() hostingController?.viewDidLoad() try? await Task.sleep(for: .seconds(0.5)) hostingController?.viewWillAppear(true) hostingController?.viewWillLayoutSubviews() try? await Task.sleep(for: .seconds(0.5)) hostingController?.viewDidAppear(true) try? await Task.sleep(for: .seconds(0.5)) hostingController?.didMove(toParent: rootVC) try? await Task.sleep(for: .seconds(0.5)) hostingController?.viewWillLayoutSubviews() hostingController?.viewDidLayoutSubviews() hostingController?.view.layoutIfNeeded() hostingController?.view.layoutSubviews() hostingController?.endAppearanceTransition() Is there any way to run DeviceActivityReport in the background? (when app is not visible/closed). The main problem is call DeviceActivityReport
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552
Nov ’24
How to Share and Access Dynamically Updating Data Across Different Targets?
I have a app with two targets: a main DeviceActivityApp target and a DeviceReport target. In the DeviceReport target, I have a TotalActivityReport struct conforming to DeviceActivityReportScene. Inside its makeConfiguration method, I update a dynamically generated list of AppReport items. The list updates correctly in the DeviceReport target. // Define which context your scene will represent. let context: DeviceActivityReport.Context = .totalActivity // Define the custom configuration and the resulting view for this report. let content: (MonitorDeviceReport) -> TotalActivityViewFirst @ObservedObject var activityData:ActivityData func makeConfiguration(representing data: DeviceActivityResults<DeviceActivityData>) async -> MonitorDeviceReport { // Reformat the data into a configuration that can be used to create // the report's view. var appList:[AppsReport]=[] let totalActivityDuration = await data.flatMap { $0.activitySegments }.reduce(0, { $0 + $1.totalActivityDuration }) for await _data in data{ for await activity in _data.activitySegments{ for await category in activity.categories{ for await app in category.applications{ let name=app.application.localizedDisplayName ?? "No Name" let bundleId=app.application.bundleIdentifier ?? "nil" let duration=app.totalActivityDuration let appIcon=app.application.token let app=AppsReport(id:bundleId,duration:duration, name:name, icon:appIcon) appList.append(app) } } } } DispatchQueue.main.async { activityData.list=appList } return MonitorDeviceReport(duration:totalActivityDuration, apps:appList) } } public class ActivityData:ObservableObject{ @Published var list:[AppsReport]=[] public static let shared = ActivityData() }. // This is in MonitorReport target However, I need to access this dynamic list in my MyApp target, specifically in ContentView.swift. I tried using an ObservableObject (ActivityData) to share the data between targets, but the list always appears empty in the MyApp target. Here’s what I’ve tried so far: Created a shared ActivityData instance using @Published Passed the ActivityData instance to TotalActivityReport Used dependency injection and a singleton pattern for ActivityData Verified that makeConfiguration updates the list correctly in DeviceReport What could I be missing? How can I correctly share and access this data across targets?
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390
Nov ’24
Device Activity Report Per hour Screen-time of apps for Graph
Hi everyone, I need to display a Graph based on Screen-time of apps per hour, from 12Am to 11PM. Am able to get the screen-time data for whole day with each app's total screen-time value. Am kind of confused how can I get the per hour screen-time of apps. I have applied filter of day DeviceActivityFilter( segment: .daily( during: Calendar.current.dateInterval( of: .day, for: .now )! ), users: .all, devices: .init([.iPhone, .iPad]) ) Am also using this data to display apps with their usage just like Apple's Screen_time in settings. I need to display exact same graph just like Apple's screen in phone settings for a Day.
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645
Nov ’24
FamilyActivitySelection tokens are invalid for other members in family sharing network
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.
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483
Dec ’24
FamilyActivitySelection sharing between device in Family Sharing Network
I'm working with the FamilyControls API and am running into an issue with sharing ActivityTokens between devices in the same family sharing network. Based on this documentation, ActivityTokens are only accessible and readable by other members in the family sharing network. My app is based on the idea that if one user selects the Games category in the FamilyActivityPicker, then this token can be shared with another device in the same family-sharing network and this other device can read and display the category. So my question is: If a user in the network selects an activity category in the FamilyActivityPicker, can this category token be shared, read, and used by another user in the family-sharing network?
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400
Dec ’24
DeviceActivityCenter.startMonitoring occasionally crash in the morning
When I use the screen time API, the app occasionally crashes in the morning. I mean the UI freeze lasts for more than ten seconds. But the weird thing is that I work normally during the day, that is, in the morning, when I just woke up. (There is no Do Not Disturb mode). This problem has been bothering me for several days, please help. The specific crash log is as follows, and the specific code is as follows. Model: iPhone 15 Pro, iOS: 18.1.1 Thanks for your help! Code: private func startAppMonitoring(application: ApplicationToken, seconds: Int, isFromNow: Bool) { let schedule = DeviceActivitySchedule( intervalStart: isFromNow ? Calendar.current.dateComponents([.hour, .minute, .second], from: Date()) : DateComponents(timeZone: TimeZone(identifier:TimeZone.current.identifier), hour: 0, minute: 0, second: 0), intervalEnd: DateComponents(timeZone: TimeZone(identifier:TimeZone.current.identifier), hour: 23, minute: 58, second: 59), repeats: true, warningTime: DateComponents(minute: 1) ) let event = DeviceActivityEvent( applications: Set([application]), threshold: DateComponents(second: seconds) ) let center = DeviceActivityCenter() do { try center.startMonitoring(DeviceActivityName("\(application.hashValue)Usage"), during: schedule, events: [DeviceActivityEvent.Name("\(application.hashValue)Event"): event]) } catch { print("Error starting monitoring schedule: \(error)") } } Crash report:
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498
Dec ’24
Screen Time API ( screen to select app)
Hello, we are building an app to limit children's screen time and using Screen Time API. We found bug on the screen where the user selects app category and apps, if the user selects Other category, the screen will crash (he will be empty, but if you reload screen, it will show apps again as usual). We hope that Apple will fix it someday, but we are trying to notify our users about this problem, and the problem is that we don't know what the user selects on Apple screen with apps till the user clicks Save or Done. But we need to notify him either when he clicks on the Other category or when he faces crash of this screen. We want to show a pop-up to user with explanation why screen crashed.
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555
Dec ’24
Family Controls Issues with Multiple Functionalities
I am developing an application that utilizes Family Controls to restrict the use of certain apps. Currently, I am using the following extensions: DeviceActivityMonitor, ShieldConfiguration, and ShieldAction. Issue Overview: While blocking a single application functions correctly, a problem arises when implementing multiple functionalities that use these extensions for the same application. STEPS TO REPRODUCE Functionality 1: Maximum Time in App Description: Blocks the app after 15 minutes of continuous use. Functionality 2: Conscious Opening Description: Upon opening the app, it is blocked for 10 seconds and then automatically unlocked. Steps to Reproduce the Bug: Open the Application: The app opens normally. Trigger Functionality 2 The app is blocked and displays the blocking screen corresponding to Functionality 2: Conscious Opening. Continue Using the App After 10 seconds, the app unlocks, and I continue using it. Important: If the app is closed at this point, the bug does not occur. Trigger Functionality 1 After 15 Minutes After 15 minutes of continuous use, the app should block according to Functionality 1: Maximum Time in App. Expected Behavior: The blocking screen for Functionality 1 is displayed. Actual Behavior: The blocking screen for Functionality 2 is displayed instead. Technical Observations: By adding logs in ShieldConfiguration, I observed that the configuration does not refresh correctly when the app is blocked a second time while still in use. If the app is closed and reopened, the correct blocking screen for Functionality 1 is displayed as expected.
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280
Dec ’24