Open Screen Time

Spec sheet

Purpose

Open Screen Time is open-source parental-control software for supervising children’s iOS devices.Read 12 Oct 2026 · openscreentime.org

Intended users

The app is intended for parents, guardians, or authorized adults supervising devices they are legally permitted to manage.Read 12 Oct 2026 · openscreentime.org

Free plan

YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · openscreentime.org

Beta status

The app is beta software, with public release work focused on reliability, review readiness, consent, and documentation.Read 12 Oct 2026 · openscreentime.org

Data storage

Family schedules, profiles, pairing records, and sync state are stored in a Firebase project controlled by the parent or guardian.Read 12 Oct 2026 · openscreentime.org

Firebase setup

The app supports one-click Firebase provisioning as well as assisted or fully manual setup, and is designed to work with Firebase’s free Spark plan.Read 12 Oct 2026 · openscreentime.org

Future platforms

The FAQ lists Web, macOS, Windows, and a terminal CLI as future Controller applications; it says Android or Amazon device supervision is not currently planned.Read 12 Oct 2026 · openscreentime.org

How it works

A parent Controller configures schedules and pairs supervised devices, while the child Enforcer receives policy updates and applies local controls.Read 12 Oct 2026 · openscreentime.org

iOS enforcement

The app uses Apple’s FamilyControls, ManagedSettings, and DeviceActivity APIs to apply Screen Time controls on the child device.Read 12 Oct 2026 · openscreentime.org

Permissions

The app may request Screen Time capabilities, camera, notifications, background refresh, significant-location-change access, and device authentication for parental-control functions.Read 12 Oct 2026 · openscreentime.org

Schedules

Schedules and policies saved on the child device can remain active when the app is closed or the device is offline.Read 12 Oct 2026 · openscreentime.org

Screen-time schedules

YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · openscreentime.org

Third-party services

The privacy policy names Apple frameworks, Firebase, Google Sign-In, Firestore, Firebase Cloud Messaging, and Cloud Functions as services that may process technical data.Read 12 Oct 2026 · openscreentime.org

Update delays

When the Enforcer app has been closed for a longer period, iOS background delivery can delay parent updates, sometimes up to about 15 minutes.Read 12 Oct 2026 · openscreentime.org

Plans and prices

Every Open Screen Time plan and price →

Where Specifiction places it

• Parental control apps#83 of 1077.3