Log into iphone as a parent

J

JoeRoberts

Registered User
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Hi
Against my better judgement I caved in and got iphone 13 for child who is 13. Has been setup as a child account, 12 to 14. I dont have any Apple devices but assumed I could manage the phone via an Apple login I have setup on my PC. This turns out not to be the case. She can't install any apps as it asks for parents permission which I can't give as I have no iphone. I can see the phone on my Apple login on the PC but it does not allow settings to be changed. Apple are not much help and basically said I should not have bought it for a child without having an Apple device myself. Has anyone managed to solve this before ?
 
Any Help Here?

"If you didn’t sign in to a child’s account when you set up their device, you can do so in Settings with their Apple Account and password"

Have you got these?
 
You may not be able to use Apple inbuilt parental controls but you could use some third party software such as FamilyTime; this costs a few € . There may be some freeware that does similar
 
Can you install FamilyTime (as an example of a control app) on an Android device and control the iPhone that way?

[EDIT] Apologies. Non-working link deleted
 
Last edited:
Can't you do this?

Set up a device for a child with Family Sharing on iPhone

With Family Sharing, use your iPhone to set up a new iPhone or iPad for a child in your family group.
support.apple.com
 
OP doesn't have a My Family account .......

and the "new device" is no longer a "new device"

Erase device and start afresh my creating a My Family / Family Sharing account?
 
I have family link setup on android. But can't get it installed on iphone as can't approve apps. If I reinstall the iphone I have 2 options, setup as adult or child. Setting as a child is what I did with me as family parent. But I can't manage the family account as have no Apple device. It's ridiculous that Apple won't allow me manage it on my Apple account on my PC. Looks like my only option is to return the phone.
 
Yes, those are the steps I followed to setup without another device. So I have the Family account but no way to manage it. There does not appear to be a "administrator" style option to let me manage the phone using the parent credentials.
 
Using the parent screen time password I have turned of all content controls and restrictions but still no joy to install apps
 
Did you tell the seller that you wanted the iPhone for use as a child's device? Online or bricks and mortar purchase?

It seems that certain Apple devices, iPhones*, Apple Watches, and iPads* are inherently single-user only unlike desktops, laptops, and Apple TVs where you can have multiple users of the same device. Access to facilities, programs, and content on multi-user devices is governed by what the admin/super-user allows on a user-by-user basis. On single-user devices it seems you need another device, single or multi-user, to set limits on what a child or other user can access via the Family Sharing.

*In theory it seems you can have multiple users of certain "single-user devices" but I don't see it as practical as you need both users present logging in and out responding to messages generated in the device for the different users. Note "it seems" which means I could be mistaken; I thought I made a mistake once, but I was wrong.

I think in your circumstances you may need an Android phone for your child.
 
Bought online. But have 14 days return which I can use on basis phone not fit for purpose.

Have had 3 different apple support techs logged remotely into phone today trying various options. They now gone to speak with engineers and call scheduled for tomorrow. Seems none have ever come across this scenario before.

Disabling the ask to buy setting should allow me to manage by inputting my screen time pin to approve requests but they can't get it disabled. Let's see what comes back tomorrow.

There should be a warning on the product that if purchased for a child the parent needs an Apple device to manage it.
 
JoeRoberts said:
There should be a warning on the product that if purchased for a child the parent needs an Apple device to manage it.
Click to expand...
Make that point to the Apple techs as it doesn't seem obvious to me from reading the various Apple help pages online, and I can't see it anywhere in their advertising.

"Need one? Then buy two!"
 
Ring Apple. The call is free, the assistance on this topic is free. If you have any problem with queues ring early in the morning.
 
Ok. So it boiled down to not being able to turn off "ask to buy" .Friend set me up on an old iphone and via this I could turn it off. Which now allows apps to be installed once I sign into screen time. And access parameters will be managed using screen time.

BTW, the family link (google) is of no benefit managing a child iphone from a parent android, I think it would work OK the other way round though.

So, lesson is, when setting up an iphone for a child the option for ask to buy must be disabled during setup if an adult does not have an Apple device. It can't be disabled afterwards within the phone, even Apple techs could not override this. And the phone could not be reinstalled as signout was disabled which again can only be disabled using another device if you wish to.
 
Glad you got it sorted out, top marks for persistence.

Was it a brand thing with the child that it had to be an iPhone to "fit in with the gang"?
 
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