Apple (AAPL) Rebuilds Parental Controls in iOS 27

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) released a rebuilt set of parental controls with iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 on 14 September, moving from broad restriction toward per website and per category approval.

Everything depends on a Child Account set up through Family Sharing, which Apple requires for children under 13, or the local equivalent minimum age, and makes available up to 18. A device signed in under an adult's Apple Account receives none of these protections, which matters for hand-me-down hardware.

Setup now happens earlier. In Setup Assistant a parent chooses which built-in apps exist on the device at all, selecting a handful of essentials, a recommended set, or a custom list. Apps can be added later through Ask to Buy.

Ask to Browse extends that model to the web. With it enabled, a parent approves each new website before a child can open it in Safari. Apple names Safari specifically and has not said whether the control reaches third party browsers.

Communication Safety, which previously screened for nudity in shared images and video, now also blocks detected gore and violent content, and the check extends to live FaceTime calls rather than stills and recordings alone. Apple has not described how that detection works or whether it runs on device.

App Limits becomes Time Allowances, set by category rather than individually, with parents able to create their own categories and have websites associated with an app inherit the same allowance. Apple says its suggested allowances draw on a child's age and expert research, and that it is working with the American Academy of Pediatrics to adapt the Family Media Plan.

One prerequisite is strict. Every device in a Family Sharing group must run version 27 software, including watchOS and visionOS, so a forgotten iPad holds up the whole group.