Parental control: iOS 26 and co. expand functions for parents
Apple has created new options for its new operating systems to make iPhones, Macs and other devices more childproof. Will it help?
Child protection in iOS 26: Apps can now query the age via API to customize content.
(Image: Apple)
Apple is also introducing new ways to protect children with its new operating systems this fall. Parents will be able to manage children's accounts more easily, and apps will be able to adapt their content based on the age of the user.
Management of the family group
When setting up a child account, parental controls will be activated by default from iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4 and macOS 15.4. Parents will also be able to exit the setup later. From iOS 26, parents are guided through an age check and then automatically connect the children's account to the family group – including the familiar protection functions such as screen time. visionOS 26 and watchOS 26 are also supported.
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The App Store will have finer age settings by the end of the year: 13+, 16+ and 18+ will be added to the approvals. There are a total of five “tiers” that developers can define to classify their apps. Depending on the setting, this is linked to various restrictions.
Control chat partners in other apps too
In the future, it will also be possible to share age information with apps. This is done securely. An exact date of birth does not have to be entered; instead, an age range is transmitted via the “Declared Age Range API”. Parents can set whether the age cohort is always, on request, or never transmitted. Children cannot change this themselves. Another new feature is the control of new communication partners. Parents can specify who is allowed through – both in the Messages app and also in more and more third-party apps via a new PermissionKit. Finally, the App Store no longer editorially promotes content that does not match the children's settings. Such apps also do not appear in lists.
In the past, there have always been problems with screen time – children were always coming up with new ideas to “hack” Apple's protection. Although there were always relatively prompt updates, you should not rely entirely on the purely technical solution. It makes more sense to talk to the children and, above all, to create mutual trust when using technology.
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