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 there, In short, I'm trying to use CoreData in my ShieldConfigurationDataSource extension. Trying to fetch from core data at all seems to cause the shield to render it's default look. I already added the extension to an app group + configured my persistence store to use the app group. Below is my code, any help is appreciated: // Shield extension override func configuration(shielding application: Application) -> ShieldConfiguration { do { let appSelectionId = "***" let blockedItemReq = ... blockedItemReq.predicate = ... let moc = PersistenceController.shared.container.viewContext // Commenting this and the bottom out makes it work, but I need the data! let blockedItemRes = try moc.fetch(blockedItemReq) let shieldTitle = ShieldConfiguration.Label(text: "Hello there", color: .red) return ShieldConfiguration(backgroundColor: .black, title: shieldTitle) } catch { let shieldTitle = ShieldConfiguration.Label(text: "ERROR \(error.localizedDescription)", color: .white) return ShieldConfiguration(backgroundColor: .black, title: shieldTitle) } } // Persistence Controller init(inMemory: Bool = false) { container = NSPersistentContainer(name: "AppBlockerOne") if inMemory { container.persistentStoreDescriptions.first!.url = URL(fileURLWithPath: "/dev/null") } else { let containerURL = FileManager.default.containerURL(forSecurityApplicationGroupIdentifier: "group.appblockerone")! let storeURL = containerURL.appendingPathComponent("AppBlockerOne.sqlite") let description = NSPersistentStoreDescription(url: storeURL) container.persistentStoreDescriptions = [description] } container.loadPersistentStores(completionHandler: { (storeDescription, error) in if let error = error as NSError? { fatalError("Unresolved error \(error), \(error.userInfo)") } }) container.viewContext.automaticallyMergesChangesFromParent = true }

My app correctly applies the ShieldConfiguration template that I chose (icon, text, CTA, etc), but some users reported seeing the following default shield: With the default shield text that reads, "You cannot use AppName because it is restricted." Any idea why?

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!

We have encountered an issue while developing our own Apple MDM solution. The issue occurs in the activation lock scenario. We have implemented the activation and deactivation of the activation lock feature in accordance with the following documentation. 1:https://developer.apple.com/documentation/devicemanagement/activation_lock_a_device 2:https://developer.apple.com/documentation/devicemanagement/device_assignment/activation_lock_a_device/creating_and_using_bypass_codes#3734453 Activationlock Request URI : https://mdmenrollment.apple.com/device/activationlock Request Method : POST Request Headers : [Accept:"text/plain, application/json, application/*+json, /", X-ADM-Auth-Session:"1723449441118O1O649496FAD285FDC77565EC075E770547O90695212BB76419F8E43B2F68BE7A6C6O67033512O11Op1OA0EA85747E70D2D6941C4F6662166CAF22C2193COC298C61ECC7B9E9C14EB2A20305F7E41", X-Server-Protocol-Version:"3", Content-Type:"application/json", Content-Length:"133"] Request Body : {"device":"K2LP4HQXJ4","escrow_key":"QRV7D-JPPMQ-Z90N-1VN8-L1PN-45Q2","lost_message":"xxxxx"} Response : {"serial_number":"K2LP4HQXJ4","response_status":"SUCCESS"} escrowKeyUnlock Request URI : https://deviceservices-external.apple.com/deviceservicesworkers/escrowKeyUnlock?serial=K2LP4HQXJ4&imei=357174298879232&meid=35717429887923&productType=iPhone14,2 Request Method : POST Request Headers : [Accept:"text/plain, application/json, application/*+json, /", Content-Type:"application/x-www-form-urlencoded", Content-Length:"189"] Request Body : orgName=xxxxx&guid=xxxxx&escrowKey=QRV7D-JPPMQ-Z90N-1VN8-L1PN-45Q2 Response : 404 <ns:escrowKeyDeviceServicesResponse version="1" xmlns:ns="http://www.apple.com/cds/mdmescrowKeyDeviceServices/xml"></ns:escrowKeyDeviceServicesResponse> Who can help me check if there are any errors in the way I'm calling these two APIs, and how to correct them?

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.

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! 🙏

We have an iPad app which can write to user-specified locations on USB-connected storage devices. On unmanaged devices, this works just fine. However, when the device is under MDM, although the Files app can see the external USB storage device, it does not show up in the file browser in our own app. There's a restriction called "allowFilesUSBDriveAccess" which is set to true (the default), but there's no restriction called "allowOtherAppsUSBDriveAccess". Are MDM-managed iPads simply not allowed to access USB drives (except through the Files app)?

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 }

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

Using the Screen Time API, I can create multiple ManagedSettingStore objects with different names. Is there a way to retrieve these later by name? For example, if I create them dynamically from a configuration managed by the user of my app, and the app crashes or its data gets corrupted, how can I get rid of "stale" ManagedSettingStore objects that I no longer know? Or, if I somehow lose the name of a ManagedSettingStore I created, how long does the store stay active? Forever? How can I get rid of the "stale" store?

i just downloaded the iOS 18 beta yesterday and now my phones (iPhone 15 pro) screen time keeps crashing. when I reach my limit and input the screen time code it won’t respond and keeps me locked out. when I went into the settings to just turn off screen time the entire settings app just freezes and then crashes entirely. I’ve tried restarting the phone several times and nothing has any impact and can’t find anything online except a lot of other people having the same issue without a fix.

Enrol Supervised iOS device. Push an CardDAV policy for the above device, the contacts gets synced in the native Contacts app as expected. (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/devicemanagement/carddav) When the above same profile is re-installed in the above device, the synced contacts are lost and password prompt is shown to enter the password - even though the installed profile contains password for the CardDAV policy. Password prompt from the device Re-Installed configuration <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"> <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>PayloadVersion</key> <integer>1</integer> <key>PayloadUUID</key> <string>35ee541b-fec0-46b0-bd48-bcc0702ab60b</string> <key>PayloadType</key> <string>Configuration</string> <key>PayloadOrganization</key> <string>MDM</string> <key>PayloadIdentifier</key> <string>com.mdm.ec89620f-2905-4c14-b09d-7e9f17944468.CardDAV</string> <key>PayloadDisplayName</key> <string>CardDAV</string> <key>PayloadRemovalDisallowed</key> <true/> <key>PayloadContent</key> <array> <dict> <key>PayloadVersion</key> <integer>1</integer> <key>PayloadUUID</key> <string>07c423b5-8ae2-4e6e-9336-aa9ca850d6c9</string> <key>PayloadType</key> <string>com.apple.carddav.account</string> <key>PayloadOrganization</key> <string>MDM</string> <key>PayloadIdentifier</key> <string>07cV423b5-8ae2-4e6e-9336-aa9ca850d6c9</string> <key>PayloadDisplayName</key> <string>CardDAV Policy</string> <key>CardDAVAccountDescription</key> <string>****</string> <key>CardDAVHostName</key> <string>www.googleapis.com</string> <key>CardDAVPassword</key> <string>****</string> <key>CardDAVPort</key> <integer>443</integer> <key>CardDAVPrincipalURL</key> <string></string> <key>CardDAVUseSSL</key> <true/> <key>CardDAVUsername</key> <string>****</string> </dict> </array> </dict> </plist> Feedback ID : FB14250521

Enrol Supervised iOS device Turn ON screen time restriction by opening Settings app -> Content & Privacy restrictions -> Passcode & Face ID -> Don’t Allow. Now install a Passcode policy profile via MDM with the key “forcePIN” set to “true”, such that the device is needed to change the passcode in device. By following above steps, the profile fails. The failure response from the device states that passcode restriction is applied in the device, “The profile ‘Profilename’ may require a passcode change but the passcode cannot be modified.” This is an incorrect behaviour as MDM should have more control over the screen-time restriction as well. Error response from the device <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"> <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>CommandUUID</key> <string>InstallProfile</string> <key>ErrorChain</key> <array> <dict> <key>ErrorCode</key> <integer>4001</integer> <key>ErrorDomain</key> <string>MCInstallationErrorDomain</string> <key>LocalizedDescription</key> <string>Profile Installation Failed</string> <key>USEnglishDescription</key> <string>Profile Installation Failed</string> </dict> <dict> <key>ErrorCode</key> <integer>4026</integer> <key>ErrorDomain</key> <string>MCInstallationErrorDomain</string> <key>LocalizedDescription</key> <string>The profile **** may require a passcode change but the passcode cannot be modified.</string> <key>USEnglishDescription</key> <string>The profile **** may require a passcode change but the passcode cannot be modified.</string> </dict> </array> <key>Status</key> <string>Error</string> <key>UDID</key> <string>****</string> </dict> </plist> Feedback ID : FB14249704

⬇️ ANYONE ON APPLE'S SCREEN TIME TEAM, PLEASE READ THIS ⬇️ Let's summarize the situation. 3rd-party apps with screen time access can be disabled by going to Settings > Screen Time > Apps with Screen Time Access. That's fine. Now, if I want to make it harder to remove my restrictions, I can ask a friend to enter a Screen Time Passcode for me. Great idea! The problem is my Screen Time Passcode isn't requested when disabling permissions for a third-party app. It's required for modifying any other Screen Time setting EXCEPT permissions for 3rd party apps. This is frustrating. The Screen Time passcode is a great feature. Making it compatible with permissions granted through the Family Controls framework is our NUMBER ONE REQUEST from tens of thousands of users. This feature has been requested for a long time (iOS 16, iOS 17, …): https://forums.developer.apple.com/forums/thread/714651 https://forums.developer.apple.com/forums/thread/727291 https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255421819 FB13548526
 If you're a developer working on Screen Time, share your feedback below or file one using Feedback Assistant. It is very disappointing to see it wasn't implemented for iOS 18. I can't believe this would require tremendous work from the Screen Time team to make it happen, but it would be a significant improvement for the Family Controls Framework and a ray of sunshine for all the developers who have worked really hard to deliver high-quality apps using the Screen Time API. Could an Apple engineer or a Screen Time team member give us any updates? Implementing this before the public release of iOS 18 would make A LOT of developers happy.

Some of our users encounter an issue after updating their iPhone/iPad to iOS 17.5.1. The tokens passed in the Shield Configuration extension don't match the tokens they selected in my app using the FamilyPicker before updating to iOS 17.5.1. It seems the tokens changed for no reason. My app can't match the token from the ShieldConfigurationDataSource to any tokens stored on my end, causing my shield screens to turn blank. The same applies to tokens in the Device Activity Report extension. The only workaround I've found is to tell affected users to unselect and reselect apps and websites to block in my app. This gets them new tokens from the FamilyActivityPicker, which solves the issue. However, for some users, the bug reoccurs a few days later. Tokens seem to change again, causing the same issue in the Shield Configuration extension. I am not able to reproduce the issue on my test devices so I have no sysdiagnose to attach. However, this issue is affecting other screen time apps: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/732845 https://forums.developer.apple.com/forums/thread/756440 FB14082790 FB14111223 A change in iOS 17.5.1 must have triggered this behaviour. Could an Apple engineer give us any updates on this?

Since iOS 18 Seed 2, I've noticed an issue. When calling startMonitoring(_:during:events:) with an already monitored activity, intervalDidStart in the Device Activity Monitor extension isn't triggered as it should be. I have to manually call stopMonitoring(_:) BEFORE restarting the activity for intervalDidStart to be called. This is 100% reproducible. This is different from how it worked before iOS 18 Seed 2 and contradicts the official documentation, which says, “If the app already monitored the activity, this method overwrites the previous schedule and events.” IMO, this suggests we shouldn't have to stop the activity manually; the startMonitoring(_:during:events:) method should handle it automatically. Is this a mistake or intended behavior? If intended: Could you give us the reason? The documentation should be updated to reflect this change. I've already filed a feedback about this issue (FB14110789).

Hello, I am working on an app that schedules a device activity monitor from the screen time API. I noticed that sometimes scheduling an activity monitor won’t work and instead I see this log: Canceling request to […].DeviceActivityMonitorExtension because it exceeded its allowed time. What does this mean? What exactly is exceeding its allowed time? Would love to get some feedback on this so I can prevent this from happening. Thanks a lot for any help and have a nice day!