TechNewsReportI can\u2019t use Apple\u2019s new Screen Time on my daughter\u2019s iPhone because my son won\u2019t update his MacBook\ufeffApple\u2019s revamped parental controls are surprisingly difficult to use if you have multiple Apple devices. The company says it\u2019s working on improvements.\ufeffApple\u2019s revamped parental controls are surprisingly difficult to use if you have multiple Apple devices. The company says it\u2019s working on improvements.by Jennifer Pattison TuohyOct 6, 2026, 1:15 PM UTCShareGiftTo update to the revamped Screen Time parental controls, every device in my family group must be on the relevant version 27. And that was just the start of my struggles.<\/p>\n
Screenshot by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy \/ The VergeJennifer Pattison Tuohy is a senior reviewer with over twenty years of experience. She covers smart home, IoT, and connected tech, and has written previously for Wirecutter, Wired, Dwell, BBC, and US News.After suffering years of frustration with Apple\u2019s parental control features, I\u2019ve been eagerly anticipating the revamped Screen Time that launched last month with iOS 27. Unfortunately, I can\u2019t use it.Technically, this is because my 18-year-old son hasn\u2019t got round to updating his MacBook. But mostly, it\u2019s because Apple\u2019s rollout of the new feature has been confusing and frustrating, with fiddly requirements that might have you digging through drawers for your old devices.\u201cWe\u2019re working to resolve delays some families are seeing.\u201d\u2014 Katie Lowry, Apple spokespersonI\u2019m not even trying to use Screen Time on my son\u2019s devices.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s 18, away at college, and well beyond my parental controls. The problem is I apparently need him to update his MacBook Neo before I can use Apple\u2019s new Screen Time features on my 15-year-old daughter\u2019s iPhone. His college is four hours away, and like many college kids, he\u2019s an expert at ignoring text messages from his mom asking him to do a boring chore.RelatedApple is redesigning Screen Time and overhauling child controlsApple\u2019s Screen Time updates are too little, too lateMeta and YouTube found negligent in landmark social media addiction caseMy problem stems from Apple\u2019s requirement that, to use the new Screen Time on any device in your connected household, every iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and even Vision Pro in your Apple Family Sharing group has to be updated to the relevant OS 27.On top of that, if you have older devices that aren\u2019t compatible with the latest OS, you can\u2019t use the new Screen Time on them at all. While Apple says these \u201clegacy devices\u201d won\u2019t prevent you from using the new Screen Time on newer devices, some users are finding they can only turn on the new Screen Time features after deleting the old gadgets from their accounts.All of this is creating a lot of frustration for parents like me, who just want a reliable, easy way to manage their child\u2019s screen time.<\/p>\n
I reached out to Apple about the problems I\u2019ve been having, and the company acknowledged the issues, saying it is making changes to \u201cresolve\u201d them.\u201dThis is our biggest child safety update yet, designed to give families even more tools to help keep children safe,\u201d Apple spokesperson Katie Lowry told me. \u201cWe\u2019re continuing to improve the rollout of the new parental controls so parents can get set up quickly and easily, and we\u2019re working to resolve delays some families are seeing.\u201dApple announced the revamped Screen Time earlier this year. Among underlying improvements and several updates, it includes new features such as Ask To Browse. Image: AppleApple\u2019s Screen Time is the company\u2019s version of parental controls, and it\u2019s been beset by issues since its introduction in 2018. In the years I\u2019ve been using it, I\u2019ve faced ongoing problems, from settings not syncing reliably across devices to trouble managing contacts and time limits remotely.<\/p>\n
And of course, my children finding ways to override my settings, thanks to Reddit threads, YouTube videos, and annoyingly good guesses.When Apple dedicated a big slice of its 2026 WWDC keynote to Screen Time, I was hopeful it meant the company had taken parent feedback seriously and was building a more robust and easier-to-use experience. The updates and new features look promising, but I haven\u2019t been able to try them because of the ongoing setup issues. And I\u2019m not alone.To use the new Screen Time on any device in your Family Sharing group every device has to be updated to OS 27Alongside the roadblock with my son\u2019s MacBook Neo (which, admittedly, is on us), I\u2019ve run into several other hurdles while trying to access the new Screen Time.There\u2019s the problem that Apple thinks my Mac Mini, which I updated to macOS 27 over a week ago, is still on macOS 26. There\u2019s the problem of my sixth-gen iPad Mini that I handed down to my son, but which Apple still lists under my name and as running iPadOS 18.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s the problem that my daughter\u2019s iPad Pro is too old to update to the latest software.To reiterate, to use the new Screen Time on any device, every eligible device has to be updated to OS 27, because the new Screen Time uses a completely redesigned iCloud architecture.The revamped Screen Time includes easier to use controls such as these buttons that give you quick access to common actions. Image: AppleMy son\u2019s iPad Mini is compatible, and I updated it when he was last home (without his MacBook). But when I went to enable the new Screen Time controls again, Apple showed that same iPad Mini under my account as needing to be updated. That iPad obviously doesn\u2019t exist: a ghost iPad, you might say.<\/p>\n
Eventually, removing it from my account fixed the problem (Settings > Apple Account > Devices > Remove Device), but it took several attempts digging through menus, plus waiting a full weekend for it to clear.In fact, all my attempts to conform to Apple\u2019s requirements for the new Screen Time have taken a while to kick in. It seems there\u2019s a delay between updating a device and the service becoming available. My editor updated all his devices but still didn\u2019t have access. It was only after waiting and removing all his legacy devices \u2014 those that can\u2019t be updated to 27 \u2014 from his account that the option appeared.It\u2019s unclear whether it was time or his actions that led to his eventual success.<\/p>\n
Apple\u2019s documentation says legacy devices shouldn\u2019t stop you from using the new Screen Time on compatible devices, but some Reddit users also found that removing them unlocked access. Either way, Apple needs to make this whole process clearer so families don\u2019t give up on trying to access what I hope are valuable features.These are some of the legacy devices still connected to my iCloud. I was able to remove most of them in my Apple account settings, although some refuse to leave. Screenshot: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy \/ The VergeThe fact that these legacy devices can\u2019t use the new Screen Time features raises a bigger issue.<\/p>\n
Passing older devices down to children is common in families, and the requirement to be on version 27 will mean many kids\u2019 devices won\u2019t get access to the improved parental controls.For example, my daughter\u2019s third-gen iPad Pro (a hand-me-down from my husband) taps out at iPadOS 26, meaning it can\u2019t ever run the new Screen Time. So, she will have one device (her iPhone 15) that can use the new Screen Time and one device (her iPad) that can\u2019t. I won\u2019t know how this will work until I have access, but my guess is it won\u2019t be fun.My guess is that I\u2019ll have to use the old Screen Time directly on the iPad, rather than managing it from my phone as I do now. This is because it won\u2019t be compatible with the upgraded iCloud architecture that syncs settings between devices in your family group.<\/p>\n
If you have multiple older devices, you may want to just stick with the old Screen Time controls for now.My son might be suspicious of my request to update his device so I can use Screen Time on his sist<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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