Apple ID, Family accounts & Whattsapp...... grrrr

Apple ID, Family accounts & Whattsapp...... grrrr

Author
Discussion

PushedDover

Original Poster:

5,888 posts

59 months

Friday 2nd June 2023
quotequote all
Hope for some useful advice,

I have given moons ago an old Ipod touch to my daughter. Created an appleID - but back then knew nothing of child accounts / family accounts. So a little lie on the age had it allow an account in her name.

Wind on the clock many years and the usual pestering for a phone.
We have in time and with trust given her a phone, and now with a SIM in it. Obviously all the kids want Whattsapp.
Shes been good to date, and I trust her, but noticed she has used it past bedtime tonight. So 'right I think' - time for Family Sharing.
But to enable screen time controlling, one needs to adjust her age south, to below 13 years old.
Which I have now discovered disables Whattsapp.


Arrrrh.

I can't (nor can apple having been chatting to them) change the age back to north of 16.

I assume thats it - no whattsapp, and her Apple ID is locked forever ? ?

No workarounds?

If I start a new apple ID (which is relevant as she has had her name changed after divorce to her mother) does everything get lost?
Ideas all - I suspect a very hard lesson of "trust breach", but I would like to get back to letting her hang out on Whattsapp too.....

Alorotom

12,101 posts

193 months

Saturday 3rd June 2023
quotequote all
The age on the iCloud account should be irrelevant here

If you turn screen time off and then back on again and go back through the setup process you can set what age band category she is allowed for Apps / Books / TV Shows / Movies etc. which is independent from the age on her account profile, and overrides this.

Make sure the Apps section is set old enough to allow WhatsApp

PushedDover

Original Poster:

5,888 posts

59 months

Sunday 4th June 2023
quotequote all
Thanks-
Small mercy’s, and in explainable, but come the morning, all wa well and working - strange. So she remains as ‘10yr old’ the Whattsapp works fine, and I still get to have family sharing control.
How? No idea but the night before so much of the phone was not allowing this.

Bullett

10,951 posts

190 months

Sunday 4th June 2023
quotequote all
Glad you got it working.
Just one comment, it’s recommended good practice not to have devices in the bedroom, for all ages not just kids. We’ve always enforced this and it’s now ‘normal’ to take phones and tablets away at bedtime. Mine are 11 and 13.
They charge in my office, ive Seen phones ping at gone 11pm for the younger one.