iOS 27 replaces App Limits with Time Allowances, allowing parents to set limits by app category within a daily total and create their own categories.
The update also adds approval flows for web visits and new contacts.
These controls are not enabled automatically, and the new Screen Time system requires version 27 software across the family group.
Apple partnered with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on the new tools. It also created a guide to healthy digital habits, with tips for balancing screen time, sleep, exercise, school, and family.
What's changing in parental controls
iOS 27 replaces individual app time limits with limits for app categories. Parents can set an overall daily limit and individual limits for each category within that. They can also create their own categories and set a limit for each.
With the “Ask to Browse” feature, a child needs approval from a parent before visiting an unapproved website. The request is sent through Messages. The “Ask to Add Contacts” feature asks for approval before a child can call or text a new phone number.
Communication Safety detects and blurs nudity in Messages, AirDrop, and FaceTime. In iOS 27, it also covers graphic violence and gore. Pause Devices lets parents instantly lock their child’s device with one tap.
When creating an account for a child, age-appropriate apps are suggested, instead of showing all pre-installed apps.
What is needed to make them work?
The new parental controls don't automatically turn on after you upgrade. To use the new Screen Time system, all devices in your family group need to be on iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, or tvOS 27, depending on the device. Devices that can't upgrade will continue to use the older iOS 26 parental controls.
A separate child account is required for each child and an active family group. Settings are managed from iPhone, in Settings, then Family.
The initial settings depend on age. For children under 13, website approval, adult website restriction, and contact management are enabled by default. “Communication Safety” is enabled by default for all users under 18. From the age of 13, most other settings depend on parental choice. Website approval and contact management are not enabled automatically.
Parents can set different schedules for weekdays and weekends, set category limits within the overall daily limit, and require approval for app purchases. The revamped Screen Time dashboard summarizes usage. Apple recommends that parents periodically review the settings, based on the AAP’s age guidelines.
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