I've been working a lot with the FamilyControls API and App Shield recently but have encountered a problem with no documentation. I used the FamilyActivitySelection to select the app store to shield(This is just for testing), and then printed out the application token: 1wfY¸êB ò S« öi #×(É?âðw ù/jQ ¿ J ïE¢? ·¿ º<Òd?ý r7¥Ãn N átJ¹ÿ85B_{VAF fC8. ,,¸¯3 T7F ±õü; ¹?v@¯ô Ä \-õ# Ò I know the application token is a Codable object so I was wondering, How do I create an application token using the Token<Application> initializer init(from: any Decoder) throws Creates a new instance by decoding from the given decoder. Using the above data? Do I have to encode first in order to decode it? For reference, the code I tried to use is: newValue.applicationTokens.encode(to: JSONEncoder) if let encoded = try? JSONEncoder().encode(newValue.applicationTokens) { data = encoded print(String(data: data, encoding: .utf8)!) } if let app = try? JSONDecoder().decode(Token<Application>.self, from: data) { let token = Application(token: app) print(token) } else { print("didn't work") } But it prints didn't work every time. What should I do differently?

Hi everyone, I’m encountering an issue with shield.applicationCategories = .all(except: applications.applicationTokens) when trying to shield all apps except a specified few. Despite using this configuration, all apps are getting shielded, including those that should be exempt. I’ve verified that the correct applicationTokens are being used and ensured that there are no conflicting schedules that might override this configuration. Interestingly, the ShieldConfiguration appears for the apps that are supposed to be blocked, but not for the ones in the exception list. Has anyone else experienced this issue, or does anyone have insights into what might be causing this behavior? Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone, I'm working on implementing an AppLimit, where after accumulating x minutes of Screen Time for an app, it should be blocked. It works fine on the first day, but stops functioning correctly on subsequent days. What I'm Doing I start a 24/7 schedule with a DeviceActivityEvent that has a specified Screen Time threshold. In my DeviceActivityMonitor, I'm reacting to the eventDidReachThreshold. Once the accumulated time is reached, the app is blocked. This works as expected on the first day. Issues I'm Experiencing / Questions Second Day Issue: On the second day, the app is no longer blocked after the Screen Time threshold is reached, even though it worked on the first day. This leads me to suspect that a DeviceActivityEvent is "consumable". Is this correct? Pre-existing Screen Time Issue: If a user has already surpassed the Screen Time threshold before monitoring starts, the app isn't blocked once the schedule is set up. This leads to 2 issues: I would expect that the accumulated amount of time after starting the schedule would result in the call of eventDidReachThreshold. But it is never called It could also be the case that the previously accumulated time is being kept in mind, but that would mean the apps should be blocked, which isn't the case. Does the threshold account for accumulated Screen Time before the schedule begins? I haven't tested setting a limit of 10 minutes, accumulating 3 minutes of Screen Time, then starting the schedule and accumulating the remaining time, but I'm curious if anyone has encountered this behavior. Does anyone have an explanation for this behavior? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hello Apple Developer Community, We have developed two totally separate apps for parental control: one for parents (xyz/parent.com) and one for children (abc/child.com). These are not two sides of the same app, but rather distinct applications. Recently, we integrated these two apps and encountered a few challenges and questions that we hope the community can help with. Family Picker Behavior: We noticed that only the parent app on the current device is displayed in the Family Activity Picker. Is this the intended behavior? Our expectation was that the Family Activity Picker would show both the parent and child apps available on the device. Is there a way to ensure that both types of apps are listed? Filtering Apps in Family Picker: Is it possible to filter the apps displayed in the Family Activity Picker to show only the child’s app and exclude the parent app? Our goal is to streamline the selection process for users by removing irrelevant apps from the picker. If direct filtering is not possible, are there any recommended workarounds or best practices to achieve a similar result? Screen Time Permission Requirements: We’ve successfully implemented screen time permissions using the Authorization Center for the child app. However, do we also need to request screen time permissions from within the parent app? If so, are there any specific guidelines or best practices for managing screen time permissions across two interconnected apps? Triggering Child Managed Settings from Multiple Apps: Is it feasible to trigger managed settings (e.g., enabling restrictions) for the child app from both the parent and child apps? We want to ensure consistent enforcement of settings regardless of which app initiates the change. Are there any limitations or conflicts we should be aware of when managing settings from two different apps? We appreciate any guidance or insights you can provide on these issues. We’ve referred to the Family Controls and Screen Time documentation, but we're seeking more specific advice related to the integration of two separate apps in this context. Thank you in advance for your help!

Hi everyone, I'm currently working with the Screen Time API, specifically trying to figure out the best way to pause an active, repeating schedule without disrupting future schedules. Here's the scenario: I have a repeating schedule set from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM daily. If I need to pause the schedule temporarily, my current approach involves stopping monitoring, clearing all restrictions, and then setting a new schedule for the remaining time after the pause. However, this method cancels the repeating schedule entirely, which causes issues when the schedule is supposed to restart the next day at 10:00 AM. Instead, it starts after the pause time, which isn’t what I want. Challenges I'm Facing: Maintaining Repeating Schedules: How can I pause the schedule in a way that ensures it resumes correctly the next day at the intended time (10:00 AM)? DeviceActivityMonitor Logic: Is there a way to deactivate and reactivate the schedule through the DeviceActivityMonitor without fully stopping the monitoring? Ideally, I'd like to retain the original schedule, pause it, and then resume it seamlessly after the pause. What I’ve Tried So Far: I’ve attempted to store the necessary data in the App Groups shared container as a local file. In the DeviceActivityMonitor, I used the schedule's name to identify and retrieve the saved object, planning to use this data to reapply the shielding after the pause. Unfortunately, this approach exceeds the 6MB memory limit of the extension, which is another roadblock. Given these issues, I’m unsure how to move forward. Are there any best practices or alternative approaches that could help manage this situation more effectively? Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance for your help.

Hello! I'm currently making an app that requires the ability to activate a screenlock for a point in the future. I currently have my project setup so that I can set a screenlock through a DeviceActivityMonitorExtension (DAM) but regardless of the time interval I use for intervalDidStart and intervalDidEnd the screenlock just seems to apply instantly. I'm under the impression that I'm missing something outside of just passing the interval to the DAM functions. Has anyone accomplished this? Thank you!

Hi everyone, I'm working on an app that uses the Screen Time API, and I'm encountering an issue with Live Activities. The app runs a timer (e.g., 10 minutes), after which the intervalDidEnd method in DeviceActivityMonitor is triggered. To improve the user experience, I've implemented Live Activities to display the remaining time. However, I'm having trouble stopping the Live Activity when the timer expires and intervalDidEnd is called. It seems that the Screen Time extensions cannot detect or interact with active Live Activities, even though both share the same App Group. My Question: Since the DeviceActivityMonitor extension does not seem to be able to detect Live Activities, does anyone know if there’s a way to end a Live Activity when the timer expires without relying on a server? Using Apple’s Push Notification service feels excessive given the lightweight nature of the app, which doesn’t use server-side components. Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Hello Apple Developers, I've encountered an issue while working on a DeviceActivityReport in Swift. The problem arises when attempting to use the Context type from DeviceActivityReport. Here is the snippet of the code causing the problem: import DeviceActivity import SwiftUI extension DeviceActivityReport.Context { // If your app initializes a DeviceActivityReport with this context, then the system will use // your extension's corresponding DeviceActivityReportScene to render the contents of the // report. static let totalActivity = Self("Total Activity") } struct TotalActivityReport: DeviceActivityReportScene { // Define which context your scene will represent. let context: DeviceActivityReport.Context = .totalActivity // Define the custom configuration and the resulting view for this report. let content: (String) -> TotalActivityView func makeConfiguration(representing data: DeviceActivityResults<DeviceActivityData>) async -> String { // Reformat the data into a configuration that can be used to create // the report's view. let formatter = DateComponentsFormatter() formatter.allowedUnits = [.day, .hour, .minute, .second] formatter.unitsStyle = .abbreviated formatter.zeroFormattingBehavior = .dropAll let totalActivityDuration = await data.flatMap { $0.activitySegments }.reduce(0, { $0 + $1.totalActivityDuration }) return formatter.string(from: totalActivityDuration) ?? "No activity data" } } Issue: The compiler throws the following errors: 'Context' is not a member type of struct 'DeviceActivityReport.DeviceActivityReport' 'Context' is not a member type of struct 'DeviceActivityReport.DeviceActivityReport' Possible Causes: There might be an issue with referencing DeviceActivityReport.Context directly. The correct type might be DeviceActivityReport.DeviceActivityReport.Context. These files were generated by Xcode, and nothing has been manually changed. Any insights or suggestions to resolve this issue would be greatly appreciated. Best regards,

Hi there, My app uses all the Screen Time API's with individual FamilyControls authorization. I've been using the API's for over 2 years (since they came out). In iOS 18 Beta (maybe started in Beta 3?), I've been experiencing random issues. I tracked it down to where it seems like DeviceActivityMonitor extension is more likely to deadlock in iOS 18. To reproduce: when DeviceActivityMonitorExtension.intervalDidEnd gets called, IF you call DeviceActivityCenter.startMonitoring for that SAME DeviceActivityName from the DeviceActivityMonitorExtension , the startMonitoring call deadlocks (if I pause debugger, it does not advance past DeviceActivityCenter.startMonitoring). The bug is reported in FB14664238. It also contains a sample project where you can reproduce this. I also note in the comment section that this is not the only way to encounter this problem. My application code (which is a lot more complicated) seems to deadlock on calling DeviceActivityCenter.activities. As a result, there seems to be an "overall trend" where, due to some changes, DeviceActivityMonitor extension is more likely to deadlock. The steps are not reproducible on iOS 17.6. This is built using Xcode 17.4. Thank you! 🙏

Hello, We are developing a parental control app consisting of two parts: a parent app to manage settings and a child app to enforce these settings using iOS's Screen Time API, CoreData, and other components. We've attempted to use silent notifications with Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) to communicate updates from the parent app to the child app. Our current implementation involves background modes for remote messages and background tasks. However, we're facing a challenge: while normal FCM push notifications with a 'message' key work as expected, silent notifications (with only a 'data' key) do not trigger the desired behavior in the child app, even though FCM returns a success response. We're looking for assistance with two main issues: Alternative Approaches: Is there a better way to notify the child app of changes? We're considering a system where the child app periodically checks for updates via API and then updates CoreData and managed settings. Any recommendations for this architecture or a more reliable notification system would be greatly appreciated. Debugging Silent Notifications: If our current approach using silent notifications is feasible, could someone help us debug why these notifications are not working as expected? We've been stuck on this for a week, and any help would be a lifesaver. Here's the relevant part of our AppDelegate code: import UIKit import FirebaseCore import FirebaseMessaging import BackgroundTasks @objc class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate, UNUserNotificationCenterDelegate { let gcmMessageIDKey = "gcm.message_id" let backgroundTaskIdentifier = "com.your-company.your-app.silentnotification" func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -&gt; Bool { FirebaseApp.configure() Messaging.messaging().delegate = self // Register for remote notifications UNUserNotificationCenter.current().delegate = self application.registerForRemoteNotifications() // Register background task BGTaskScheduler.shared.register(forTaskWithIdentifier: backgroundTaskIdentifier, using: nil) { task in self.handleBackgroundTask(task: task as! BGProcessingTask) } return true } // Handle incoming remote notifications func application(_ application: UIApplication, didReceiveRemoteNotification userInfo: [AnyHashable: Any], fetchCompletionHandler completionHandler: @escaping (UIBackgroundFetchResult) -&gt; Void) { if let aps = userInfo["aps"] as? [String: Any], let contentAvailable = aps["content-available"] as? Int, contentAvailable == 1 { // This is a silent notification handleSilentNotification(userInfo: userInfo, completionHandler: completionHandler) } else { // This is a regular notification Messaging.messaging().appDidReceiveMessage(userInfo) completionHandler(.newData) } } // Handle silent notification func handleSilentNotification(userInfo: [AnyHashable: Any], completionHandler: @escaping (UIBackgroundFetchResult) -&gt; Void) { let request = BGProcessingTaskRequest(identifier: backgroundTaskIdentifier) request.requiresNetworkConnectivity = true do { try BGTaskScheduler.shared.submit(request) performAPICall { result in switch result { case .success(_): completionHandler(.newData) case .failure(_): completionHandler(.failed) } } } catch { completionHandler(.failed) } } // Handle background task func handleBackgroundTask(task: BGProcessingTask) { task.expirationHandler = { task.setTaskCompleted(success: false) } performAPICall { result in task.setTaskCompleted(success: result != nil) } } // Perform API call (placeholder implementation) func performAPICall(completion: @escaping (Data?) -&gt; Void) { // Your API call implementation here // For testing, you can use a simple delay: DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 2) { completion(Data()) } } } extension AppDelegate: MessagingDelegate { func messaging(_ messaging: Messaging, didReceiveRegistrationToken fcmToken: String?) { print("FCM token: \(fcmToken ?? "nil")") // TODO: Send this token to your server } } Additionally, here is how we're sending notifications from the server side using Node.js: // Import the required Firebase Admin SDK (assumed to be initialized elsewhere) // const { getMessaging } = require('firebase-admin/messaging'); /** * Sends a background push notification to an iOS device * @returns {Promise&lt;string&gt;} The message ID if successful * @throws Will throw an error if the sending process fails */ async function sendBackgroundPushNotification() { // Construct the message object for a background push notification const message = { apns: { headers: { // Set the priority of the push notification "apns-priority": "5", priority: "5", // Indicate that this is a background refresh notification "content-available": "1", content_available: "1", // Specify the push type as background "apns-push-type": "background", // Set the topic to your app's bundle identifier "apns-topic": "com.your-company.your-app", // Replace with your actual bundle identifier }, payload: { aps: { // This tells iOS to wake up your app in the background "content-available": 1, }, }, }, // Custom data payload to be sent with the notification // Modify this object to include the data you want to send data: { // Add your custom key-value pairs here }, // Uncomment the following block if you want to include a visible notification // notification: { // title: "Notification Title", // body: "Notification Body", // }, token token: "DEVICE_FCM_TOKEN_PLACEHOLDER", }; try { // Attempt to send the message using Firebase Cloud Messaging const response = await getMessaging().send(message); console.log("Successfully sent background data to iOS:", response); return response; } catch (error) { console.error("Error sending background data to iOS:", error); throw error; } } // Example usage: // sendBackgroundPushNotification() // .then((response) =&gt; console.log("Message sent successfully:", response)) // .catch((error) =&gt; console.error("Failed to send message:", error)); We would really appreciate any insights or guidance on these issues. Thank you!

I am developing an application for managing screen time, and I encountered an issue when retrieving DeviceActivityEvent bound to a specific DeviceActivityName using the events method of DeviceActivityCenter. I noticed that the application token data bound to DeviceActivityEvent is missing. Could you help me understand why this might be happening?

I shield a web domain picked by users like this (discouragedSelections is an instance of FamilyActivitySelection() btw) : let webDomainTokens = discouragedSelections.webDomainTokens store.shield.webDomains = webDomainTokens The domain is correcly shielded and I can see the restricted screen when I access it via Safari. When I tap on the main button of that restricted view, I receive a different token than the one I got from .webDomainTokens from the code above. Why? override func handle(action: ShieldAction, for webDomain: WebDomainToken, completionHandler: @escaping (ShieldActionResponse) -> Void) { // webDomain here is different from the one in store.shield.webDomains }

Hi everyone, I am a beginner in Swift and I am currently using DeviceActivityMonitor to develop an app for parents to control their children's app usage time. During the development process, I found that the DeviceActivityMonitor has a 6MB memory limit in the background, and my app exceeds this limit after running for a long time. I would like to know how to reduce the memory usage of DeviceActivityMonitor in the background, or where I can check the memory usage of DeviceActivityMonitor and see which variables are consuming memory. Additionally, I want to know if a new instance of the DeviceActivityMonitor class is created every time it is called? Thank you for your help!

Hello. I have a few questions about Location Push Service and Screentime Family controls. Do Location Push Service and Screentime Family controls require permission to be tested with development builds? Will my application for permission to test be approved? How long does it take to receive results if I apply for permission? Is it possible to use the functionality of the Screentime api in LocationPushServiceExtention? Is it possible to control remotely even if I apply for Screen time API's Family Controls permission as an individual? (ex. Change Screen time settings by push from server) Information is needed to plan an app that includes both functions. Thank you

Can ManagedSettingsStore and DeviceActivityCenter be used from a background thread, or do I need to access them from the main thread/queue only?

I want to display device activity reports for particular selected apps. for getting a daily basis app uses time. Now, what is happening? there are 10 apps selected from the family activity picker but some apps are displayed in the list. I need all 10 apps or more that I will choose from the family activity picker. The bellow code is used for fetching reports. var body: some View { VStack { DeviceActivityReport(context, filter: filter) } } bellow code is used for the filter @State public var filter = DeviceActivityFilter() init(selectedApps: Set<ApplicationToken>, selectedCategories: Set<ActivityCategoryToken>, selectedWebDomains: Set<WebDomainToken>) { self.selectedApps = selectedApps self.selectedCategories = selectedCategories self.selectedWebDomains = selectedWebDomains self.filter = DeviceActivityFilter( segment: .daily( during: Calendar.current.dateInterval( of: .weekOfYear, for: .now )! ), users: .all, devices: .init([.iPhone]), applications: selectedApps, categories: selectedCategories, webDomains: selectedWebDomains ) } You can see we selected 3 apps from family activity picker but we getting 2 apps from DeviceActivityReport extension following code is for device activity report extension let context: DeviceActivityReport.Context = .totalActivity // Define the custom configuration and the resulting view for this report. let content: (ActivityReport) -> TotalActivityView func makeConfiguration(representing data: DeviceActivityResults<DeviceActivityData>) async -> ActivityReport { // Reformat the data into a configuration that can be used to create // the report's view. var res = "" var list: [AppDeviceActivity] = [] let totalActivityDuration = await data.flatMap { $0.activitySegments }.reduce(0, { $0 + $1.totalActivityDuration }) for await d in data { res += d.user.appleID!.debugDescription res += d.lastUpdatedDate.description for await a in d.activitySegments{ res += a.totalActivityDuration.formatted() for await c in a.categories { for await ap in c.applications { if let apptoken = ap.application.token { let appName = (ap.application.localizedDisplayName ?? "nil") let bundle = (ap.application.bundleIdentifier ?? "nil") let duration = ap.totalActivityDuration let numberOfPickups = ap.numberOfPickups let app = AppDeviceActivity(appToken: apptoken, id: bundle, displayName: appName, duration: duration, numberOfPickups: numberOfPickups) list.append(app) } } } } } return ActivityReport(totalDuration: totalActivityDuration, apps: list) }

I want to display device activity reports for particular selected apps. for getting a daily basis app uses time. Now, what is happening? there are 10 apps selected from the family activity picker but some apps are displayed in the list. I need all 10 apps or more that I will choose from the family activity picker. The bellow code is used for fetching reports. var body: some View { VStack { DeviceActivityReport(context, filter: filter) } } bellow code is used for the filter @State public var filter = DeviceActivityFilter() init(selectedApps: Set<ApplicationToken>, selectedCategories: Set<ActivityCategoryToken>, selectedWebDomains: Set<WebDomainToken>) { self.selectedApps = selectedApps self.selectedCategories = selectedCategories self.selectedWebDomains = selectedWebDomains self.filter = DeviceActivityFilter( segment: .daily( during: Calendar.current.dateInterval( of: .weekOfYear, for: .now )! ), users: .all, devices: .init([.iPhone]), applications: selectedApps, categories: selectedCategories, webDomains: selectedWebDomains ) } You can see we selected 3 apps from family activity picker but we getting 2 apps from DeviceActivityReport extension following code is for device activity report extension let context: DeviceActivityReport.Context = .totalActivity // Define the custom configuration and the resulting view for this report. let content: (ActivityReport) -> TotalActivityView func makeConfiguration(representing data: DeviceActivityResults<DeviceActivityData>) async -> ActivityReport { // Reformat the data into a configuration that can be used to create // the report's view. var res = "" var list: [AppDeviceActivity] = [] let totalActivityDuration = await data.flatMap { $0.activitySegments }.reduce(0, { $0 + $1.totalActivityDuration }) for await d in data { res += d.user.appleID!.debugDescription res += d.lastUpdatedDate.description for await a in d.activitySegments{ res += a.totalActivityDuration.formatted() for await c in a.categories { for await ap in c.applications { if let apptoken = ap.application.token { let appName = (ap.application.localizedDisplayName ?? "nil") let bundle = (ap.application.bundleIdentifier ?? "nil") let duration = ap.totalActivityDuration let numberOfPickups = ap.numberOfPickups let app = AppDeviceActivity(appToken: apptoken, id: bundle, displayName: appName, duration: duration, numberOfPickups: numberOfPickups) list.append(app) } } } } } return ActivityReport(totalDuration: totalActivityDuration, apps: list) }

Can I use Screentime API in CLLocationPushServiceExtension? For example, I am curious about whether it is possible to set a managed setting in the Screentime API to limit app usage time or change the time limit. If the implementation of the above function is impossible or causes rejection by the App Store, is there a way to use the Screentime API in the background through push notification?

I implemented parents to manage their children's apps with FamilyActivityPicker. Then, is there way to get child’s app list without FamilyActivityPicker?

When a request comes from the server, I want to set the screen time API of the requested phone or retrieve usage information. I would like to use silent push to complete that action in the background. Is it impossible for the Screen Time API to run in the background?