Apple Shares More Details on Parental Control App Crackdown

[Rogifan]

Why can't Apple require these apps to better explain what data is being exposed in order to remain approved? Or provide an API that those apps could use to gather that data without MDM, in a way that would prompt the user for consent similar to location or notifications? Apple knew that revoking the ability to use MDM would destroy these apps. There's no other way for an app to monitor what's going on with usage on the phone except through MDM. Apple might as well have sent them a letter that says, "We are going to remove your app in April. There is nothing you can do." Can't we have a choice to use some other parental control method than Apple's?

I’m curious how many people were actually using these apps. Before I’d ever build a business model off something I’d think long and hard about whether it was something that could be incorporated into the OS without much difficulty or is something that the OS maker would most likely incorporate into the OS some day. Flashlight apps are a perfect example. On the flip side you have something like Shortcuts. Apple didn’t copy the functionality of Workflow and then tell Workflow they can’t be in the App Store anymore. They bought Workflow and integrated the talent. If these apps were really doing something special that Apple wanted Apple would have bought the app or poached the talent behind it.

 

[MLMLML2000]

You get the idea. Every Stock App that Apple includes with iOS has countless other competing Apps in The App Store. Why isn't Apple removing all these Apps?

It's not about Apple suppressing competing apps. It's about Apple suppressing apps that reduce demand for the iPhone itself -- in fact, these apps suggest that using iPhones is an unhealthy behavior that needs to be managed. The last thing Apple wants is society to view smartphones in 2025 the way cigarettes are now viewed.

 

[ElRojito]

As someone that remotely manages company devices on an MDM.... it’s crazy the amount I can see. I kind of agree. That being said, they need to make other tools devs can use to achieve this

 

[Jonathan2019]

Apple's crackdown is very strange to me. I was an Apple developer since before the NDA was lifted for developing iPhone Apps. I spent over $1,000 for ten years with the privilege of uploading my iOS Apps to the App Store. Several years ago Apple removed all my paid Apps because they were "old". Several months ago they took my free Apps off because they were "old" (they were submitted at the same time as the paid Apps). The strangest part is they left my oldest free App on. I discontinued my membership. I am a developer and maybe a sucker for waiting it out with my free Apps but I am not stupid.

 

[bbkbryan]

I have to call BS on Apple saying MDM is an enterprise only feature. Anyone can perform MDM with the $20 purchase of macOS "Server". This opens MDM to anyone with a Mac. What if a parent sets up Profile Manager and enrolls all of their devices? Do they count as an enterprise now? Wouldn't that make these apps perfectly OK?

While I feel the existence of these types of apps are both necessary and sickening isn't it up to the parents? Until the kids are 18 the parents have the right to know what their kids are doing.

 

[Solomani]

Dear Third Party devs: Leave the Parenting to Apple! Apple is the best parent! They know the best interests of their children userbase! Do not mess with Apple's parenting style and parenting controls, don't even try!

 

[I7guy]

I have to call BS on Apple saying MDM is an enterprise only feature. Anyone can perform MDM with the $20 purchase of macOS "Server". This opens MDM to anyone with a Mac. What if a parent sets up Profile Manager and enrolls all of their devices? Do they count as an enterprise now? Wouldn't that make these apps perfectly OK?

While I feel the existence of these types of apps are both necessary and sickening isn't it up to the parents? Until the kids are 18 the parents have the right to know what their kids are doing.

Don't think this is the same thing. Doesn't the phone have to be hooked to the mac for this to happen? At the very least this method is not going through the app store.

 

[Victor Mortimer]

Screen Time has worked flawlessly for me, but I'm not managing child devices. Maybe that's where your supposed flaws are?

It works flawlessly for me too, it's turned off and doesn't bother me one bit.

It's been a problem for a few clients, though. They'd managed to accidentally turn it on, had to help them turn it off.

 

[TriBruin]

Don't think this is the same thing. Doesn't the phone have to be hooked to the mac for this to happen? At the very least this method is not going through the app store.

It is very close, but your right is not exactly the same thing. You don't have to connect the devices to a Mac to enroll them in Profile Manager, it can be done over the air like any other MDM enrollment. In fact, there is nothing Apple could do to prevent a parent from doing that. I know for a fact that people have their personal Jamf accounts to use for personal/family use. MDMs can be great to centrally manage devices, especially if you are, like many of us are, tech support for your family. PM doesn't have a lot of the reporting that other MDMs (or the Apps in question) have, so it may not be quite as useful as these parental apps.

 

[sparkinstx]

So they yanked OurPact? Wow. We've been using it for a couple of years. It fits the profile, as it uses a management certificate, like an MDM solution. We hadn't been tweaking OurPact settings in awhile, since setting up family sharing and enabling Screen Time. I just discovered that Screen Time limits by individual days of the week can be enabled - is that a new feature? I'd never noticed it before. I haven't become a Screen Time expert, so I'm not familiar with granting time extensions and things like that.

 

[rjohnstone]

So they yanked OurPact? Wow. We've been using it for a couple of years. It fits the profile, as it uses a management certificate, like an MDM solution. We hadn't been tweaking OurPact settings in awhile, since setting up family sharing and enabling Screen Time. I just discovered that Screen Time limits by individual days of the week can be enabled - is that a new feature? I'd never noticed it before. I haven't become a Screen Time expert, so I'm not familiar with granting time extensions and things like that.

Yes... you can manage a daily schedule, however you can only set one schedule per day.
You can't have something like a school schedule and then an evening schedule.

 

[anthony11]

Care to share a few specific examples?

Screen Time has worked flawlessly for me, but I'm not managing child devices. Maybe that's where your supposed flaws are?
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Give us a scenario. Remote Unlock would be a very scary feature that bypasses the strong measures in place.

The former Restrictions controls made it easier to lock out access to the app store and prevent deleting apps. With Screen Time Apple *STILL* refuses to give us a simple @#$# volume limit. Not a music volume limit, not a headphone volume limit, a volume limit for the whole @#$#@ device that includes the speakers.