Updating your own iPhone to iOS 27 doesn’t switch on Apple’s new parental controls. Time Allowances, Ask to Browse and the rest of the redesigned Screen Time appear only after the devices in your Family Sharing group run version 27 software and a parent runs a one-time setup from Settings > Family.
Apple’s support article, published September 14, puts it in two steps: “make sure every device in your Family Sharing group is using these software versions,” then the organizer or a parent “also needs to update the parental controls for the family group.” If you still see the old Screen Time, one of those two hasn’t happened.
Find the devices holding you up
Once your own device runs version 27, Apple’s Child Safety guide lets you see what still needs updating:
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- Open Settings (System Settings on a Mac) and select Family.
- Choose View Family Devices to see the devices that can be updated.
- On each one, go to Settings > General > Software Update and follow the onscreen instructions.
For devices that can’t update at all, go to Settings > Family > View Family Devices and choose Legacy Devices. If the list shows something you no longer have access to, such as a traded-in phone, Apple says you can remove it from your Apple Account.
Which devices can’t move to version 27
- iPhone: iOS 27 runs on iPhone 11 and later and iPhone SE (2nd generation) and later.
- iPad: iPad (8th generation), iPad mini (5th generation), iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation) and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) stay on iPadOS 26.
- Apple Watch: watchOS 27 needs Apple Watch SE 3, Series 9 or later, or Ultra 2 or later. A hand-me-down Series 6, 7 or 8 can’t update.
- Mac: macOS 27 needs a Mac with Apple silicon, so Intel Macs are left out.
- Apple Vision Pro: every model gets visionOS 27.
The Apple Watch is the device most likely to catch families out, because a child’s watch is often a parent’s old one. If you’re buying a first watch, the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch SE 3 both run watchOS 27.
If a device can’t update
An old device isn’t left without controls. Apple’s guide says devices that can’t be updated “can still use Screen Time and Family Sharing settings from iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, or earlier.” The support article adds that you can “continue to use the previous version of Screen Time and parental controls, or adjust the parental controls directly on the child’s device.”
Apple’s wording differs on one point. Its Newsroom post says all devices in a Family Sharing group “must be updated”, while the Child Safety guide asks you to update “all eligible devices”. Apple doesn’t say whether a single legacy device blocks the new setup for the whole family. If a spare nobody uses is on the Legacy Devices list, removing it from your account is the simplest fix.
The setup a parent runs
With the family updated, go to Settings > Family and tap Get Started. You can transfer your existing controls or set new ones. Apple’s walkthrough covers website access, age ratings, who your child can contact, daily hours, school hours, Time Allowances and a four-digit Screen Time passcode.
Two features have new names. The paused hours outside your child’s schedule are “the feature formerly called Downtime”, and Time Allowances were “previously called App Limits”. They now cover Entertainment, Games and Social Media, with a total across all three that you can adjust per category.
Before you start, make sure the organizer or another parent is in your child’s contacts, “so their requests can be sent for approval.”
How Ask to Browse works
Ask to Browse makes a child request approval before opening a new website in Safari and other supported browsers. It’s on by default for children under 13, and Limit Adult Websites is on by default under 18, though ages vary by region. To change it, go to Settings > Family, tap your child’s name, tap Apps & Websites, tap Restrictions, then tap Filtering under Websites.
You can approve a request from the message on your own iPhone, iPad or Mac, or on your child’s device with the Screen Time passcode. Answer promptly: “If you don’t respond within 24 hours, the child will need to make the request again.” Approving a school website ahead of time saves that back and forth.
