We came across reports on Medium and Apple Developer Forums suggesting that ApplicationToken and ActivityCategoryToken values issued by the FamilyControls framework are not guaranteed to be stable, that iOS may silently re-issue new tokens for the same apps after OS or app updates, making any previously stored tokens invalid. We are storing FamilyActivitySelection tokens encoded via JSONEncoder to a backend for long-term use, and relying on them inside a DeviceActivityMonitorExtension to restore and apply shields when a schedule fires. What we're trying to understand is: is this token instability still an active problem in iOS 16/17/18/26, and when a token does become invalid, does JSONDecoder actually throw a DecodingError giving us a clear signal, or does it decode successfully and ManagedSettingsStore just silently ignore the stale tokens with no error at all? On Medium, We Found That The Token Mutation Problem One of the more painful bugs in real production apps: application tokens are not guaranteed to be stable forever. iOS can silently issue new, different tokens for the same app. If your store contains the old token and the Shield delegate receives a new one, the delegate has no way to match them — it doesn’t know which store is responsible for the shield, or which blocking “profile” caused it. This has been reported by multiple developers of real Screen Time apps and confirmed across several Apple Developer Forum threads. There is no official fix yet. The workaround is defensive: when the ShieldConfigurationDataSource or ShieldActionDelegate receives a token you don't recognise, fall back to a generic shield UI rather than crashing or returning empty data. And never rely on token identity as a long-term stable key in your persistence layer — always re-derive from a fresh FamilyActivityPicker selection when the user re-activates a profile.

Device: iPhone 15 Pro Max, iOS 26.4 Xcode: Latest version, development signing with "Automatically manage signing" Team: Registered Apple Developer Program (Organization) Problem DeviceActivityReport SwiftUI view renders completely blank. The Report Extension's makeConfiguration(representing:) is never called (confirmed via App Group counter that stays at 0). The DeviceActivityMonitorExtension callbacks (intervalDidStart, eventDidReachThreshold) also never fire. What works AuthorizationCenter.shared.requestAuthorization(for: .individual) → .approved DeviceActivityCenter().startMonitoring() → registers schedules successfully, center.activities returns them ManagedSettingsStore.shield.applications → blocks apps correctly from the main app process Screen Time is enabled and actively collecting data (Settings > Screen Time shows per-app usage: Clash Royale 2h 35m, etc.) App Group UserDefaults(suiteName:) read/write works from the main app What doesn't work DeviceActivityReportExtension.makeConfiguration() is never called (callCount stays 0 in App Group) DeviceActivityMonitorExtension.intervalDidStart() is never called No extension callbacks fire at all — the extension process is never launched by iOS Confirmed it's NOT our app's issue We created a brand new Xcode project from Apple's template: File > New > Project > App File > New > Target > Device Activity Report Extension Added Family Controls capability to both targets Embedded DeviceActivityReport view in ContentView with daily filter Built and ran on the same device Result: Same blank screen. The template project's Report Extension also never renders any data. Console errors Failed to locate container app bundle record. The process may not be entitled to access the LaunchServices database or the app may have moved. (501) personaAttributesForPersonaType for type:0 failed with error Error Domain=NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=4099 "The connection to service named com.apple.mobile.usermanagerd.xpc was invalidated: Connection init failed at lookup with error 159 - Sandbox restriction." LaunchServices: store (null) or url (null) was nil: Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-54 "process may not map database" Attempt to map database failed: permission was denied. This attempt will not be retried. Failed to initialize client context with error Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-54 "process may not map database" What we've tried Deleting app, rebooting device, reinstalling Re-requesting FamilyControls authorization on every launch Embedding extensions with "Embed & Sign" (not just "Embed Without Signing") Verified all 3 .appex files are in PlugIns/ directory at runtime Verified App Group (group.com.parentguard.app) is accessible Verified all App IDs and capabilities registered in Apple Developer portal Tried different DeviceActivityFilter configurations (daily, hourly) Placed DeviceActivityReport view at root of view hierarchy Clean build, new provisioning profiles Extensions embedded [Diagnose] Found extension: DeviceActivityReportExtension.appex [Diagnose] Found extension: DeviceActivityMonitorExtension.appex [Diagnose] Found extension: ShieldConfigurationExtension.appex Question Has anyone gotten DeviceActivityReport or DeviceActivityMonitorExtension to work on iOS 26.4 with a development-signed build from Xcode? Is there a specific configuration or workaround that makes the extension process launch? The Sandbox restriction error (159) on usermanagerd.xpc seems to be the root cause — is there an entitlement or device setting we're missing?

Our team already has Family Controls (Distribution) entitlement approved for the main app and existing Screen Time extensions. We recently added a new Shield Configuration extension to show a custom on-device shield UI using ManagedSettingsUI. It is only used for UI rendering and does not collect or send any user data. However, the entitlement does not seem to be applied to this new extension yet, and we are blocked from proceeding with builds. We have already contacted support but haven’t received an update yet. Case ID: 102881099623 Could someone please help to apply/sync for the Family Controls distribution entitlement or guide us on the next steps? Happy to share app details privately if needed. Thanks.

Hello, I have submitted the Family Controls Distribution entitlement request twice, but I have not received any confirmation email or follow-up number for either submission. App: parental control app Bundle ID: com.learnunlock.app Use case: We use FamilyControls (authorization), ManagedSettings (shield apps), and DeviceActivity (schedule restrictions) to help families manage screen time. Could anyone from Apple please check the status of my submissions, or advise on next steps? Thank you.

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()     }   }   }

It has been five days since we applied for Family Controls (Distribution) permission, but the status still shows as Submitted. Is there any way to expedite the review process?

Hello, My request to get the family control entitlement for distribution has been approved on June 30, 2025, for my app with bundle id io.onelife.app.ios. I added a device report extension to it recently, but since then I'm not able to upload a new archive to testflight. The upload fails with error: exportArchive Provisioning profile "iOS Team Store Provisioning Profile: io.onelife.app.ios.YoholDeviceActivityReportExtension" doesn't include the com.apple.developer.family-controls entitlement. I ticked the checkbox in developer.apple.com -> identifiers -> YoholDeviceActivityReportExtension -> Capability, and it seems to have created a new request 9AHY2B7947 on April 23, 2026. Did I miss something ? Should I just wait to have it approved a second time ?

I submitted a Family Controls Distribution entitlement request on 4/22 for my app Prof Blob. I received the confirmation page after submitting, but I have not received any approval, rejection, or status update. We are currently blocked from moving forward with our production release submission due to this entitlement. Details: Request ID: Y2L55S3W34 Team ID: 5AXHQ5ZF3G App: Prof Blob Bundle ID: com.spammusubi.blob-screen-time Related extension bundle IDs: com.spammusubi.blob-screen-time.BlobActivityReportExtension com.spammusubi.blob-screen-time.DeviceActivityMonitorExtension com.spammusubi.blob-screen-time.ShieldActionExtension com.spammusubi.blob-screen-time.ShieldConfigurationExtension Purpose: Individual device management for focus and productivity. Prof Blob is a digital wellbeing / screen time management app that uses Apple’s Screen Time APIs to let users select distracting apps and require a short math-based cognitive gate before opening them. The app uses FamilyControls, DeviceActivity, and ManagedSettings. Development builds are working, but the Family Controls Distribution entitlement is required for production builds, TestFlight validation, and App Store submission. Is there a way to expedite this request or confirm that it is still in review? I would be happy to provide any additional information needed to move the request forward.

Hi all, Our team (D36U48VRGM) holds approved Family Controls (Distribution) entitlement on three bundles, all live on the App Store as part of the same app: com.strategieayoub.quranfocus (main app) com.strategieayoub.quranfocus.ShieldAction com.strategieayoub.quranfocus.ShieldConfiguration We've added a fourth target — a DeviceActivityMonitor extension at com.strategieayoub.quranfocus.DeviceActivityMonitor — to replace our current BGProcessingTaskRequest re-shield path. The BGTaskScheduler approach is unreliable for our use case: iOS routinely runs the task hours late or skips it entirely, leaving users' apps unblocked far past the unlock window we promised. DeviceActivityMonitor's intervalDidEnd callback is the only mechanism Apple provides that fires reliably regardless of app state. The new bundle ID is registered, has Family Controls (Development) provisioned, and intervalDidEnd works correctly during local on-device testing. The blocker is Distribution — Xcode's Signing pane shows: "Bundle identifier is using development only version of Family Controls (Development) capability. Please request access to Family Controls (Distribution) to avoid issues when distributing." Two questions: The previous per-asset Family Controls request form has been replaced with a single account-level form that contains no free-text field where I can specify a bundle ID. How does Apple now expect developers with already-approved teams to attach an additional child bundle to that approval? Phone Developer Support said they cannot make entitlement attachments and pointed me back to the form. Is there a documented escalation path? Thanks for any pointers.

Hi, I am looking for help. I submitted my request for Family Conotrols Distribution using the form. I have been waiting for days and didn't get any reply or confirmation email. Thanks.

Hello, I want to echo the DeviceActivityReport "concurrency" problems flagged in https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/720549, and ask a related question. (Thanks to Kmart and other Apple dev support folks who have been monitoring these forums and responding diligently.) I would like to display daily and weekly stats in the same view, broken down by specific apps (as in the native Screen Time). However, instantiating multiple DeviceActivityReport objects with different filters and/or different contexts leads to confusion, where the two views will incorrectly and intermittently swap data or duplicate data where it shouldn't (seemingly upon some interval when the extension provides fresh data). There isn't documentation on how to display multiple reports at once. Is the idea that logic for multiple reports should be embedded within the extension itself in the makeConfiguration() function and there should only be a single DeviceActivityReport in the main App, or is this a bug? Even with a single DeviceActivityReport, I run into inconsistencies where the View provided by the extension takes multiple seconds to load or fails to load altogether. The behavior seems random...I will build the application with the same code multiple times and see different behavior each time. Finally, a plug for better support in the Simulator for the entire set of Screen Time APIs. Thanks!

Hello, I submitted a request for Family Controls (Distribution) approval, and it has now been over 4 days without any update on the status. I understand that review times can vary, but I wanted to check if this delay is expected or if there’s anything I might need to do on my end to help move the process forward. Could anyone from the Apple team or the community provide insight into: Typical processing times for Family Controls distribution requests Whether delays beyond a few days are common Any steps I should take to follow up or expedite the review For reference: Status: Submitted Submission time: April 21, 2026 Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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 Shield Action & Shield Configuration extensions, but the Distribution option still does not appear in the identifiers. 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.

Hi, I have an approved com.apple.developer.family-controls entitlement for my main app bundle (com.maxflame.prove-it) and submitted a request on April 18, 2026 to extend it to an embedded extension: com.maxflame.prove-it.DeviceActivityMonitorExtension Request ID: 65CKJZ7DQ4 — status still shows "Submitted" with no further response. The extension uses DeviceActivity callbacks and needs to decode FamilyActivitySelection, which requires the entitlement on the extension bundle as well. In my experience, Family Controls entitlement approvals for the main app bundle have come through within 24 hours. It's now been 5 days with no response for this extension request, which seems unusual. Has anyone else gone through this for extension bundle IDs? Did you need to submit a separate request per bundle, or did Apple extend the approval to your extensions automatically once the main app was approved? And has anyone else experienced longer wait times specifically for extension bundles? Any guidance appreciated.

I submitted a Family Controls Framework Entitlement request on April 16, 2026 for my iOS app (Team ID: U3BVGVPCEH). After 11 days, the request still shows "Submitted" with no status update or email communication. I submitted two additional requests on April 20 and April 23 thinking the first had failed (no confirmation email was ever received). All three show "Submitted": J5DLD62PNZ — April 16 VV8B272DHZ — April 20 D362NT677B — April 23 I also opened a Developer Support ticket on April 23 with no response yet. Can anyone help me a bit? I cannot distribute my app by Testflight and I need it for my PhD.

I have a parental control app that uses FamilyControls, ManagedSettings, and DeviceActivityMonitor across two extension targets (DeviceActivityMonitor and ShieldConfiguration). The main app target received its Family Controls (Distribution) entitlement without issue. I then submitted requests for the same entitlement for both extension targets on April 16. Both still show as "Submitted" with no update after 12 days. Two questions: What is the typical turnaround time for extension entitlement requests? The main app was approved relatively quickly. Is there anything additional required for extension targets beyond the standard request? I submitted through the normal entitlement request flow. I didn't include any supplementary documentation as none was requested. These are the last blocker for App Store submission. Any guidance appreciated.

Hi, I have an approved com.apple.developer.family-controls entitlement for my main app bundle (com.maxflame.prove-it) and submitted a request on April 18, 2026 to extend it to an embedded extension: com.maxflame.prove-it.DeviceActivityMonitorExtension Request ID: 65CKJZ7DQ4 — status still shows "Submitted" with no further response. The extension uses DeviceActivity callbacks and needs to decode FamilyActivitySelection, which requires the entitlement on the extension bundle as well. In my experience, Family Controls entitlement approvals for the main app bundle have come through within 24 hours. It's now been 5 days with no response for this extension request, which seems unusual. Has anyone else gone through this for extension bundle IDs? Did you need to submit a separate request per bundle, or did Apple extend the approval to your extensions automatically once the main app was approved? And has anyone else experienced longer wait times specifically for extension bundles? Any guidance appreciated.

Hi I am trying to implement a minimal DeviceActivityReport extension. Setup: iOS app with FamilyControls authorization (status = approved) DeviceActivityReport displayed in SwiftUI Report extension embedded in PlugIns Correct NSExtensionPointIdentifier: com.apple.deviceactivityui.report-extension No NSExtensionPrincipalClass or storyboard Entitlements: com.apple.developer.family-controls com.apple.developer.family-controls.app-and-website-usage The app installs and runs correctly. Authorization is granted. However, the extension is never loaded: No logs from the extension (init/body/makeConfiguration never called) Console shows: "Failed to discover the client's extension: DeviceActivityReportService... ClientError Code=2" Environment: Xcode 16.2 iOS device running iOS 18.x (latest available) The .appex is correctly embedded and signed. Question: Is there a known issue with DeviceActivityReport extensions not being discovered at runtime with this setup? Is additional configuration required beyond NSExtensionPointIdentifier? Thanks

I'm writing this post out of genuine desperation after exhausting every official support channel available to me. The situation: I've built a screen time / focus app for students called SınavKilidi, specifically designed for Turkish high school students preparing for the YKS university entrance exam — one of the most high-stakes exams in Turkey, taken by hundreds of thousands of students every year. The exam window is approximately 2 months away. This app is inherently seasonal: if it doesn't reach users before the exam season, an entire year of development becomes irrelevant. The main app binary was approved and is live. Everything on the App Store Connect side is fully ready — metadata, screenshots, pricing, in-app purchases, the works. The blocker: My app uses App Extensions that require the com.apple.developer.family-controls entitlement. The main app target received distribution entitlement approval. However, the extensions — which are architecturally inseparable from the core functionality — have not received the same entitlement. Without this, I cannot submit a working build. The app is literally unshippable in its current state despite the main entitlement being granted. This is not a configuration issue on my end. The entitlement is correctly set up in my provisioning profiles. The gap is purely on Apple's approval side for the extension targets. The support experience: I opened Case #102855522321 on March 29, 2026. Since then: I had a call with Apple Developer Support on April 1 I sent follow-up emails on April 1, April 2, April 3, and April 7 Not a single substantive response. Only automated acknowledgements. That is 10+ days, 4 follow-up emails, 1 phone call, and complete silence on an issue that is actively costing me my launch window. What I'm asking: I'm not asking for special treatment. I understand Apple receives thousands of requests. But this entitlement request is for a legitimate, already-partially-approved app, with a documented real-world deadline, in an educational category that Apple actively promotes. Can anyone from the App Review or Developer Relations team look into Case #102855522321 and provide an actual update? Or can anyone here share whether there's a known delay affecting FamilyControls entitlement approvals for extensions specifically? Any guidance would be deeply appreciated. Every day that passes without a resolution is a day closer to this app missing its entire reason for existing.

My Family Controls (Distribution) capability request (C4N7962252) was approved March 15, 2026 for bundle ID com.jedsiegel.unplugtogether. All three Family Controls capabilities are enabled on the App ID. When I generate a provisioning profile (manual or automatic), Xcode reports: "Provisioning profile doesn't match the entitlements file's value for the com.apple.developer.family-controls entitlement." I decoded the profile using security cms -D and found: com.apple.developer.family-controls.app-and-website-usage → present com.apple.developer.family-controls → missing entirely My entitlements file requires com.apple.developer.family-controls with value ["individual"] for AuthorizationCenter. I've tried toggling capabilities off/on, deleting and recreating profiles, switching between automatic and manual signing, and clearing provisioning profile caches. Nothing works because the profile generation itself is not including the entitlement. Team ID: Q4RA4WMD6K Xcode 26.3, targeting iOS 26.2 Has anyone encountered this? Is there a way to get the provisioning system to include this entitlement?