The Short Version
Sources checked 2026-10-03: Apple's guide for parents and Apple Support.
iOS 27 gives parents new controls. The biggest are Ask to Browse for websites, schedules that change through the school day, and time limits by app category. Communication Safety now also blurs violent images.
Apple also redesigned the controls. They are now in one place, and two of them have new names. The list of what moved is at the end of this article. To use the new controls, every device in your family needs version 27.
What Is New
Screen Time Schedules
You choose which kinds of apps your child can use at each time of day. Apple gives time windows such as Before School, School and After School. You can set weekdays and weekends apart, and you can add your own windows.
Before iOS 27: You had one block of Downtime each day, when only the apps that you always allowed would open. You could not let different apps work at different times of day. This is a real step forward.
Pause During School Hours
This pauses Entertainment, Games and Social Media apps between the start and the end of the school day. Other apps and websites stay available.
Before iOS 27: The closest option on iPhone was Downtime, and it paused almost every app, not only games and social media. Now school apps can stay open while the distractions stop.
Time Allowances
You set one daily total for Entertainment, Games and Social Media. Then you change the time for each category inside that total. Apple shows a suggested range for your child's age. When time runs out, your child can ask you for more. You can approve 15 minutes, 1 hour or all day from Messages.
Before iOS 27: App Limits already let you limit categories of apps. The new parts are the one total with a time for each category inside it, and the suggested range for your child's age.
Ask to Browse
Your child must ask before they open a new website in Safari or another supported browser app. The request comes to you in Messages. You can approve websites ahead of time, and you can block a website later. A request that you do not answer expires after 24 hours. Apple does not say whether this covers websites inside other apps.
Before iOS 27: You could limit your child to a list of websites that you made. Ask to Browse adds the request: your child asks for each new website, and you answer from your phone.
Communication Safety Now Covers Violence
Communication Safety now also blurs gore and violence in photos and videos that people share with your child. This works in FaceTime video messages, but not in live FaceTime calls.
Before iOS 27: Communication Safety blurred nudity only. It did not blur violent images.
Choose Apps at Setup
When you set up a new iPhone or iPad for a child, you choose which apps they can use: a few essential apps, a set that Apple chooses, or your own choice. You add more apps later with Ask to Buy.
Before iOS 27: A new phone started with all of Apple's apps, and you limited them after setup. Now you start small and add apps over time.
Quick Actions
From your phone, you can pause your child's device, allow unlimited use for a special day, or change the schedule. Unlimited use does not count against Time Allowances.
Before iOS 27: You could turn on Downtime early, which is close to a pause. The quick actions now sit at the top of your child's page, one tap away.
Siri and Apple Intelligence
You choose Siri AI (Beta), Siri Classic or no Siri. Siri AI is not available to children under 13. You can also block AI help with writing, images and math. Apple suggests that you block writing and math help if you do not want your child to get help with homework.
Before iOS 27: You could already block writing tools, image creation and ChatGPT. Siri AI is new in iOS 27, so the choice of which Siri your child gets is new too.
Apple Watch
On watchOS 27, the watch gets schedules, quick actions, and website filtering with Ask to Browse. The watch opens only the websites that you approved.
Before iOS 27: Screen Time Schedules and Ask to Browse did not exist on any device, so both are new on the watch. A watch is often a child's first device.
Apple changes these settings every year. Create your account to get our step-by-step guides, and an email when we update them. We’ll email account messages, guide updates, and news about our products and partners. Unsubscribe anytime. We don’t sell your email.
Create your accountAlready a member? Sign in
What Is On by Default
For a child with a Child Account. Ages vary by country.
| SETTING | ON BY DEFAULT FOR |
|---|---|
| Ask to Browse | Children under 13 |
| Limit Adult Websites | Children under 18 |
| Age-based content limits | Children under 18 |
| Communication Safety | Children under 18 |
| Approval for new contacts | Children up to 13 |
| Siri AI (Beta) | Not available to children under 13 |
In some places, you cannot turn off Screen Time, Ask to Buy, Ask to Browse or app content limits for a child under 18.
What Was Renamed or Moved
Apple's words: Downtime is "the feature formerly called Downtime". Time Allowances were "previously called App Limits".
If you set up Screen Time before iOS 27, some settings now have new names and a new place. This table shows where each one went.
| IOS 26 NAME | IOS 27 NAME | WHAT IT DOES NOW |
|---|---|---|
| Downtime | Device hours in the Screen Time Schedule | The hours your child can use apps, with Available From and Available Until times for weekdays and weekends. Outside these hours, most apps and notifications pause. |
| App Limits | Time Allowances | One daily total for Entertainment, Games and Social Media. You can change the time for each category and add categories. |
| Communication Limits | Allowed Contacts | Who your child can call, message and FaceTime, during Screen Time hours and when the device is paused. Apple does not say that this is a rename. |
| Settings > Screen Time | Settings > Family > your child's name | All the parental controls are now here. |
A device that cannot update to version 27 keeps the iOS 26 names and settings. Apple calls these Legacy Devices.
Apple changes these settings every year. Create your account to get our step-by-step guides, and an email when we update them. We’ll email account messages, guide updates, and news about our products and partners. Unsubscribe anytime. We don’t sell your email.
Create your accountAlready a member? Sign in
Sources
Checked October 3, 2026. Everything on this page comes from Apple's own documentation.