Learn what to do if you manage your Apple Family Sharing account but can’t make important changes to Screen Time, subscriptions, and other settings for family members.
First, you (the old member) can add your children, spouse, parents, or other family members to your Apple digital Family group.
The administrator (ie, you – the person who set up the Family group) can decide which apps purchased and subscriptions can be shared. Also, the editor, as well as the parent/guardian, can also control the Screen Time settings and parental limits for any child accounts added to that Family group.
To make these changes, all you need to do is open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad, or System Settings on your Mac, and go to The family option at the top. Next, enter the setting or tap on the child’s name to manage the options available there.
You can also go to Screen Time Settings on your device, select your child’s name under The family topic, and manage the limits from there. The changes you make will automatically apply to selected child devices wirelessly. This way, you don’t have to physically pick up their iPhone or iPad to adjust Screen Time controls.
In general, everything works fine, and the Family group editor is free to make changes as he likes. However, in the rare case that you (the promoter) can’t, here are the steps to fix that.
Check Apple server status
Visit Apple’s System Status page and make sure the following options are working without problems (that is, they have a green dot before their name or the word ‘Available’):
- Apple Account
- iCloud Account & Sign In
- Screen Time
If there’s a problem, you’ll have to wait a few hours until Apple fixes it.
Restart all devices
In most cases, it’s only temporary errors that prevent you from making many changes to your Family settings. Start by restarting your iPhone, iPad, or Mac from where you tried to make the change. If that doesn’t help, restart the devices of your children and family members added to your Apple Family group.
Make sure the child’s device has been used for a long time
Imagine you want to view your child’s device usage in Screen Time on your iPhone, but it appears blank. This may be because your child’s iPhone or iPad:
- for a long time it can be used,
- offline,
- are still signed in to their Apple Account,
- or has technical issues that are not resolved by a simple restart.
Check that an Apple account has been added to the family member’s device
You won’t be able to make changes to your family’s device remotely if their Apple Account isn’t signed in. So, ask if they recently signed out of their Apple account or changed its password and did not approve the new one in Settings.
Once an Apple Account has been added or is working properly on your family member’s iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you should be able to do everything you normally do. Settings > The family or Settings > Screen Time on your (programmer’s) device.
Update all devices
Make sure your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, as well as those of your family members, are running the latest version of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.
Remove and add a family member again
If the problem persists, try adding another person to your group family. If you don’t have a person to add, or if you’ve added 5 people, remove one person and add them again.
Reset all settings and try again
Follow the steps in our dedicated guide to reset all iOS settings to their defaults. This will not delete apps, photos, videos, and other personal data.
Not all things can be managed
Finally, one important thing to remember is that not every option you see in the ‘Family’ or ‘Screen Time’ settings can be managed all the time.
For example, if you have a child under the age of 13 added to your Apple Family account, you can’t dissolve the family group until that child is moved to another digital family group (such as one owned by your spouse).
When it comes to sharing media, apps, and subscriptions, not all can be shared among family members. In this case, you will have to select a family plan for that app, or all members will have to register separately.
And unlike kids, you can’t manage Screen Time limits on an adult (over 18) family member’s device.
In the event that you or a family member’s purchase does not go through, make sure that a valid credit card or supported payment method is added to your Apple Account.