Apple Screen Time vs FamilyTime

Apple Screen Time is a free parental control feature for managing a child's device use on iOS and macOS. Parents can set Downtime to block apps and notifications at selected times, limit time on apps, websites, or categories, and choose app availability schedules for weekdays and weekends. Daily Time Allowances cover categories such as entertainment, games, and social media, with age-tailored guidance. Web controls let parents allow or block specific sites and apps, and Ask to Browse supports website approval requests. Parents can manage a child's contacts in Messages, FaceTime, and Phone, including requiring approval for new contacts. Content settings include age ratings and controls over changes to location and Bluetooth sharing. Communication Safety blurs detected nudity in shared photos and videos in supported apps and offers children a way to get help. Managing a child's controls through a family group requires Family Sharing and an Apple Account for each member. Redesigned parental controls require version 27 or later across the family group; some controls are available on watchOS 27.

FamilyTime is a parental-control service for managing children’s device use, activity, and location. Listed tools include content filtering, screen-time schedules, app blocking, activity reports, live location, visited places, geofences, and teen speed-limit alerts. Parents connect the FamilyTime Jr app on a child’s device by scanning a QR code; settings can prevent the app from being uninstalled. Parent access is available through Windows or Mac dashboards and mobile and web apps. FamilyTime supports Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac, though calls and text-message monitoring are Android-only. Social monitoring covers chats on WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, BiP, Instagram, TikTok, imo, Twitch, and Signal. The service provides 30-day activity reports and says it uses end-to-end encryption for children’s data and is GDPR-compliant. A three-day free trial is listed. MyFamily is $2.41 a month, billed annually at $29 after the trial, for one child device; MyFamily3 is $4.08 a month, billed annually at $49, for three devices; MyFamily5 is $5.75 a month, billed annually at $69, for five devices. Yearly subscriptions renew after 365 calendar days.