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Apple’s updated Screen Time tools are available.

The version 27 Screen Time tools are out. They stay off until every device in your Family Sharing group can run the new software, and a parent updates the family’s controls.

What changed

On September 14, 2026, Apple said its new child-safety tools were available with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27. To use the Screen Time update, every device in the Family Sharing group needs iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27. Apple says some features are not available in every region, language, or on every model.

Apple’s announcement describes:

  • Time Allowances for categories such as Social Media, Entertainment, and Games, with age-based suggestions you can use as a starting point.
  • A redesigned Screen Time view of use, with controls to change access in the moment.
  • Ask to Browse, so you can require approval before your child opens a new website in Safari.
  • A simpler setup for a new child account, including a recommended set of essential apps.
  • Communication Safety that covers gore and violent content as well as nudity in shared images and videos.

One detail is narrower on Apple’s help page than in the announcement. The September 14 newsroom post says the expanded protections include live FaceTime calls. Apple’s Communication Safety article, published September 29, 2026, says gore and violence detection “is available only in FaceTime video messages, not live calls,” and is not available on Apple Vision Pro. That detection needs iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, or watchOS 27 or later.

On that same help page, Communication Safety warns a child and blurs a photo or video that appears to contain nudity or gore and violence. It is on by default for children under 18 on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch with the latest software. Apple notes that age requirements vary by region. It does not read messages or show Apple the photos.

What you can do

  1. See which devices still need an update. On iPhone or iPad, open Settings, tap Family, then View Family Devices. Update the ones that can take version 27. If a device cannot update, Apple says you can keep the previous Screen Time controls.
  2. Then update the family’s parental controls. The organizer, or a parent or guardian, does this after the devices are updated. Our iPhone and iPad guide walks through Screen Time Schedule, Time Allowances, and Ask to Browse for the menus you actually have.
  3. Confirm Communication Safety is on. Apple’s help page says to open Screen Time settings, select your child, then Communication Safety. Treat the gore-and-violence check as a blur and a warning, not as a guarantee about a live call. Contact limits are still the control for who your child can reach in Phone, Messages, and FaceTime. See the contacts section of the guide.
  4. If you use TenMore, keep both tools in mind. Extra time in TenMore does not override Apple’s limits. Here is how the two schedules fit together.

Sources