Family Controls & Screen Time
How Time Debt uses Apple's frameworks — last updated: July 18, 2026
Plain summary: Time Debt enforces limits with Apple's own Screen Time system, on the device where it is set up. Apple's design means Time Debt cannot see which apps you selected, what happens inside them, or anything on another person's device.
The three Apple frameworks
- FamilyControls — provides the system app picker and the authorization you grant. You select apps and categories in Apple's own picker; Time Debt receives only opaque tokens, never app names or bundle identifiers.
- DeviceActivity — Apple's system watches usage against your daily allowance and notifies Time Debt's small on-device extension when a threshold is reached. Usage minutes are counted by iOS, not by us.
- ManagedSettings — applies and removes the shield (the block screen) for the selected apps. Enforcement happens inside iOS itself.
What this means in practice
- Blocking is real — the same mechanism as Apple's own Screen Time, not a reminder overlay.
- Time Debt never reads content inside any app: no messages, photos, browsing, contacts or location.
- All rules, ledgers and family data stay on the device. There is no cloud dashboard and no remote monitoring.
- Enforcement needs your explicit Screen Time authorization, which you can revoke anytime in iOS Settings.
For families
Family mode in Time Debt is configured by a parent or guardian on the device they manage. Children can request extra time; the approval — with tomorrow's cost shown — happens with guardian authentication (Face ID / passcode). Profiles use nicknames only. Nothing about your family leaves the device it was created on, which also means Time Debt is not a surveillance tool and never will be.
Emergency access is never blocked
iOS always allows emergency calls regardless of any app. Inside Time Debt, Emergency Access removes every shield until the next day — free, every day, no questions asked.
Related: privacy policy · family mode · support