Apple offers family management and communication by watch with Family Setup

Tiger parents listen up ... you can now manage your children’s online encounters with Apple Family Setup on watches.

Apple Family Setup with Apple Watch

Apple is rolling out its Family Setup feature in Australia that centres on watches instead of iPhones.

Parents can set up limited Apple functionality on Apple Watches for each family member and be notified it their children are not where they are supposed to be. They can limit who children can phone and text, and limit activity on the phone during class hours.

The functionality also is designed for an elderly family member.

Apple Family Setup using Apple Watch

Previously all family members had to carry iPhones and use a feature called Family Sharing.

“The idea was that we could bring Apple Watch to younger demographics, maybe users that aren‘t quite ready for their own iPhone, and also older demographics, maybe folks that just never really purchased their own smartphone,” said Deidre Caldbeck, director of product marketing at Apple.

Now a parent can monitor activities on a child’s watch from their iPhone. Family members have a cellular Apple Watch with their own mobile number, courtesy of Truphone. Children can call, text, email and use the watch’s walkie talkie feature.

You can limit communications to selected contacts such as family members, friends, neighbours and teachers.

You can switch off the ability of a child to add extra contacts. Apple’s approach is that you discuss with your child how you configure their watch, rather than mandate how they use it. Children have rights too. A child gives a parent permission to manage their contacts, so the watch isn’t seen as a surveillance device.

Apple Family Setup

Ms Caldbeck said Apple wanted the watch’s operation to be a collaboration between a parent and child and for parents to respect a child or older person’s privacy. “The family member who has the Apple Watch still has complete control over their location data, their health data and activity data.”

Parents can set schooltime mode to limit the use of the watch during classes. Parents can set a schooltime schedule that takes into account lunchtimes and meetings.

Children can override a schooltime restriction, but parents will know how often a child turns off schooltime, and for how long. Again, Apple prefers a non-authoritarian approach where a parent talks to their child about focusing during school work time.

Likewise with location sharing, it’s not about constant tracking, rather being notified if a child is not where you expect them to be. You might set up a location notification should they fail to show at the sport’s centre where they have regular weekly training.

Looking up the dictionary

Children can use many of the regular Apple Watch features such as activity monitoring but Apple has made changes they believe more suitable such as tracking minutes moving rather than active calories. Children can customise their exercise goals, and you as a parent can view their health data, but only with their permission.

Apple this year introduced hand washing monitoring on Apple Watch for the pandemic. With Family Setup, parents can view a graph of their child’s hand washing history and an average.

You can set up a family member’s medical ID which includes medications and allergies.

Apple offers older family members larger watch faces, an ability to configure the watch face so you can message or call a family member with a tap.

Apple Watch emergency SOS

Children can use the watch to listen to music – an Apple Music family subscription may be suited here.

Parents can select Apple Watch features during a thorough set up process.

You’ll need an Apple Watch Series 4 and later, or Apple Watch SE for this service. A Truphone subscription is A$9.99 monthly or A$99.00 per year and includes a local phone number, unlimited data, voice & SMS.

Apple will release the Family Setup option in Australia on December 8.