iOS: Understanding Restrictions (Parental Controls)
Summary
You can enable Restrictions, also known as Parental Controls, on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to prevent access to specific features. Learn more about the types of Restrictions that are available, as well as how to enable or disable Restrictions on your device.
Products Affected
iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
You can enable and adjust Restrictions, or Parental Controls, on your device to prevent access to specific features or content on the device. Locate these settings by tapping Settings > General > Restrictions.
Using Restrictions
To Enable Restrictions, tap Enable Restrictions and enter a passcode. The passcode will be required to make changes to these settings or to disable restrictions.1
You can choose to restrict access to the following applications and features on the device:2
- Safari
- Camera (also disables FaceTime)
- FaceTime
- iTunes
- iBookstore3
- Installing apps
- Deleting apps
- Siri
- Explicit language for Siri
You can choose to prevent access to specific content types:
- Ratings (select the country in the ratings section to automatically apply the appropriate content ratings for that region)
- Music and podcasts
- Movies
- TV shows
- Books3
- Apps
- In-app purchases
- You can also adjust the time necessary before a password is required to purchase content.
You can choose to prevent changes to Privacy settings, including:
- Location Services
- Contacts
- Calendars
- Reminders
- Photos
- Bluetooth sharing
You can choose to prevent changes to the following settings/accounts:
- Accounts (disables changes to Mail, Contacts, Calendars, iCloud, and Twitter accounts)
- Find My Friends4
- Volume limit
You can choose to restrict features within Game Center:
- Multiplayer games
- Adding friends
Additional Information
If your iOS device is missing a particular application or if a certain feature is not available, ensure that Restrictions are not enabled. Symptoms can include:
- App missing from the Home screen (Safari, Camera, or YouTube for example)
- Feature or service unavailable (Siri, Location Services, and so on)
- Setting missing or grayed out (such as Mail, Contacts, and Calendar; iCloud; Twitter; FaceTime)
Important: Restrictions can also be enabled or enforced using a profile (typically installed when using the device for business or education purposes). You can check for installed profiles in Settings > General > Profiles. For additional information, contact the administrator or the person who installed the profile.
Notes:
- If you lose or forget a restriction passcode, you will need to perform a factory restore to remove it.
- YouTube can be restricted in iOS 5 and earlier.
- Find more information on iBooks and iBookstore restrictions.
- This will be available only when the Find My Friends app is installed.
Find information on Using Parental Control in iTunes.
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