Apple's new Screen Time blocked by family OS 27 requirement

The Verge reports that a parent trying to use Apple's revamped Screen Time on her daughter's iPhone is blocked because her son hasn't updated his MacBook Neo. The new Screen Time, which launched with iOS 27, requires every device in a Family Sharing group to be on OS 27 before it can be enabled on any device. Even though the son is 18 and not under parental controls, his un-updated laptop prevents the feature from working on his sister's phone.

Apple's requirement extends beyond iPhones and Macs. Every eligible iPad, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro in the family must be updated. Devices that cannot run OS 27 will not get the new Screen Time at all. Apple says legacy devices won't block the new controls on newer devices, but some users have found they must remove old gadgets from their accounts to proceed.

The reporter encountered additional issues. A Mac Mini that was already updated still showed as outdated in Apple's system. A hand-me-down iPad Mini appeared as a ghost device under her account even though it had been passed to her son. Removing it from her account eventually worked, but took several attempts and a weekend to clear. A colleague who updated all devices still lacked access; only after waiting and removing all legacy devices did the option appear.

Apple spokesperson Katie Lowry acknowledged the delays. "We're continuing to improve the rollout of the new parental controls so parents can get set up quickly and easily," she told The Verge. The company is working to resolve the delays some families are seeing.

The situation raises a larger issue for families that hand down older devices. Children with iPads or iPhones that cannot update to OS 27 will miss out on the improved controls. Those devices will likely need to be managed separately with the old Screen Time, breaking the unified iCloud sync that the new architecture relies on.

For now, parents may have to nag their college-age children to update their Macs, or wait for Apple to smooth the process. The irony, the reporter notes, is that a system meant to protect one child now depends on the goodwill of another who is over it.

• Apple
• Family Sharing
• iOS 27
• iPhone
• parental controls
• Screen Time