FamilyControls & Screen Time

Build parental control, focus, and digital wellbeing features on iOS and iPadOS using FamilyControls, ManagedSettings, and DeviceActivity.

Authorization & Capabilities
Selecting Apps with FamilyActivityPicker
Enforcing Restrictions with ManagedSettings
Monitoring Usage with DeviceActivity
Common Mistakes
Review Checklist
References

Authorization & Capabilities

FamilyControls requires the Family Controls Entitlement (com.apple.developer.family-controls). Request authorization via AuthorizationCenter.shared before presenting pickers or configuring stores.

import FamilyControls

@MainActor
final class ScreenTimeAuthManager {
    static let shared = ScreenTimeAuthManager()

    func requestAuthorization(for memberType: FamilyControlsMember = .individual) async throws {
        // Options: .individual (user's own device) or .child (parental device managing child)
        try await AuthorizationCenter.shared.requestAuthorization(for: memberType)
    }

    var authorizationStatus: AuthorizationStatus {
        AuthorizationCenter.shared.authorizationStatus
    }
}

Selecting Apps with FamilyActivityPicker

Allow users to select apps, categories, or web domains using SwiftUI's familyActivityPicker. Store the opaque FamilyActivitySelection securely in UserDefaults via an App Group container.

import SwiftUI
import FamilyControls

struct AppRestrictionPickerView: View {
    @State private var selection = FamilyActivitySelection()
    @State private var isPickerPresented = false

    var body: some View {
        Button("Select Apps to Shield") {
            isPickerPresented = true
        }
        .familyActivityPicker(
            isPresented: $isPickerPresented,
            selection: $selection
        )
        .onChange(of: selection) { _, newSelection in
            saveSelection(newSelection)
        }
    }

    private func saveSelection(_ selection: FamilyActivitySelection) {
        guard let groupDefaults = UserDefaults(suiteName: "group.com.example.app.screentime") else { return }
        if let encoded = try? PropertyListEncoder().encode(selection) {
            groupDefaults.set(encoded, forKey: "ShieldedSelection")
        }
    }
}

Enforcing Restrictions with ManagedSettings

Use ManagedSettingsStore to apply app shields, block application installs, restrict web domains, or enforce safari filter policies.

import ManagedSettings
import FamilyControls

@MainActor
final class ShieldManager {
    static let shared = ShieldManager()
    private let store = ManagedSettingsStore(named: .init("FocusShield"))

    func applyShield(to selection: FamilyActivitySelection) {
        // Shield specific applications
        store.shield.applications = selection.applicationTokens.isEmpty ? nil : selection.applicationTokens

        // Shield categories with optional exclusions
        store.shield.applicationCategories = selection.categoryTokens.isEmpty ? nil : .specific(selection.categoryTokens)

        // Shield web domains
        store.shield.webDomains = selection.webDomainTokens.isEmpty ? nil : selection.webDomainTokens
    }

    func clearShield() {
        store.clearAllSettings()
    }
}

Monitoring Usage with DeviceActivity

Schedule background monitoring thresholds with DeviceActivitySchedule and DeviceActivityCenter. Time limit events invoke the separate DeviceActivityMonitor extension target.

import DeviceActivity

final class DeviceScheduleManager {
    static let shared = DeviceScheduleManager()
    private let center = DeviceActivityCenter()

    func startSchedule() throws {
        let schedule = DeviceActivitySchedule(
            intervalStart: DateComponents(hour: 9, minute: 0),
            intervalEnd: DateComponents(hour: 17, minute: 0),
            repeats: true,
            warningTime: DateComponents(minute: 5)
        )

        let activityName = DeviceActivityName("WorkHoursSchedule")
        try center.startMonitoring(activityName, during: schedule)
    }

    func stopSchedule() {
        center.stopMonitoring([DeviceActivityName("WorkHoursSchedule")])
    }
}

Common Mistakes

Missing Family Controls Entitlement: Calling AuthorizationCenter.requestAuthorization without approval and provisioning profile entitlement fails immediately.
Reading application tokens directly: ApplicationToken and WebDomainToken are deliberately opaque tokens for user privacy; apps cannot read bundle identifiers or URLs from them.
Putting monitor logic in main app process: DeviceActivityMonitor runs in a separate extension process triggered by the system daemon; do not expect the main app to receive delegate calls directly.
Failing to clear ManagedSettingsStore: Shield policies persist across app restarts and uninstalls if not cleared by calling clearAllSettings() or explicitly resetting properties.
Using default UserDefaults for extensions: Main app and DeviceActivity extensions must use an App Group UserDefaults(suiteName:) to share serialized FamilyActivitySelection.

Review Checklist

Has the com.apple.developer.family-controls entitlement been declared and provisioned?
Is AuthorizationCenter.shared.requestAuthorization() invoked before opening the picker or modifying settings?
Are FamilyActivitySelection instances serialized with PropertyListEncoder / PropertyListDecoder into an App Group suite?
Are shields applied using ManagedSettingsStore rather than private APIs?
Is clearAllSettings() provided to allow users to release shields?
Does the DeviceActivityMonitor extension handle intervalDidStart, intervalDidEnd, and eventDidReachThreshold?

References

Screen Time Patterns — Custom shield configurations, DeviceActivityMonitor extensions, and persistence.
FamilyControls Documentation — Authorization and opaque activity selection tokens.
ManagedSettings Documentation — Setting shields, media restrictions, and Safari filters.
DeviceActivity Documentation — Usage monitoring schedules, events, and background monitors.

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