Set Up iPhone and iPad For Your Family

20/05/2022

As with any device, it's important that you set-up a new iPad or iPhone properly before sharing it with a child. This ensures not only that the device will work for them and have their favourite content, but also that the appropriate limits and restrictions are in place to ensure a safe and healthy experience.

The following steps are important:

Set-Up Device with User and Passwords
Configure Screen Time
Set-Up Age Limits
Set-Up Spending Passwords

Set-Up Device with User and Passwords

This ensures that you can access your apps, messages, family content and game saves. It's worth noting that, unlike consoles, iPhones are designed for use by a single person so additional care should be taken with the device and your password once it has been set-up:

Log On to Wifi and update system as required.
Add User Account via your Apple ID
Restore from a backup or start as a new device.
Ensure you specify a PIN Code

Configure Screen Time, Age Limits and Spending Passwords

This ensures that when another person (perhaps, your child) uses your device they need a password from you before accessing older rated games or making purchases in the App Store. You can also use these settings to specify which apps they can access and how long they can use the device each day.

Note that as part of this process you will set the following:

Screen downtime.
Limits for specific apps.
Communication limits.
Content restrictions based on game age limits specified in the App Store for each game.
Password requirement for purchases.

Andrew Robertson

Andy Robertson is the editor of AskAboutGames and has written for national press and broadcast about video games and families for over 15 years. He has just published the Taming Gaming book with its Family Video Game Database.