Here Are the New Parental Controls Features in IOS 27.
At this year’s WWDC, Apple devoted significant time to child safety and parental controls, highlighting ways parents can help their children develop healthier habits when using the company’s devices. However, as The Verge (and Reddit users ) point out, most of the features presented aren’t entirely new.
The Screen Time feature is getting a redesign.
The Screen Time app will receive a refreshed interface with a quick overview of your child’s device usage, including daily averages and most frequently used apps. A quick access button will also be added for pausing or allowing device usage and rescheduling apps.
The Request to View feature allows parents to control website usage.
Ask to Buy is an existing parental control tool that allows children to submit purchase requests in the App Store, which you can approve or deny. The new Ask to Review feature works similarly: parents can require children and teens to request permission to visit new websites in Safari. These requests are made through Messages on the parent’s device. Ask to Review is enabled by default for users under 13 and can be added to teen accounts. This feature can help prevent teens from using the browser to access restricted apps (such as social media).
Apps now provide users with recommendations that take into account their time constraints.
Parents already have the ability to set limits on the time and duration of time their children can use specific apps. In iOS 27, the “Suggested Time” feature will offer suggestions developed by child development experts like the American Academy of Pediatrics. When selecting a suggested time, a slider will indicate whether the limit meets “generally accepted guidelines” for the child’s age. Parents can set time limits for app categories, including Entertainment, Games, and Social, and use the expanded “Screen Time Schedule” feature to schedule app categories for specific times, such as during school hours, after school, certain days of the week, or weekends. Apps will be categorized into “Suggested Time ” categories based on developer recommendations . However, it appears there is no option for more granular customization of categories, which would allow parents to separate specific social or entertainment apps from others and set different limits for them.
iOS 27 will also include other updates that improve child safety.
Apple’s existing Communication Safety feature, enabled by default for users under 18, blurs nudity in messages and FaceTime video calls. In iOS 27, it will also block content containing graphic violence and gore detected in shared images and videos. Parents will also have more control over approving new contacts for messages (including group chats), FaceTime, and phone.