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!