Apple Watch

A watch for a child who has no phone of their own, which is the whole appeal. Apple renamed the feature to Apple Watch For Your Kids, so older guides call it Family Setup.

Menu names shift between software versions and between phone makers. If a name here does not match what you see, look for something close by rather than assuming the setting is gone.

1. 1

   Check it will actually work first

   This is the step that saves a wasted evening. Apple's own pages disagree on which models qualify, and the carrier list is shorter than people expect. Ireland is not on it at all.

   1. Confirm the watch is a cellular model. Apple's pages variously say Series 4 and later, Series 6 and later, or SE and later, so Series 6 or SE or newer is the safe reading.
   2. Check your carrier is on Apple's supported list. In the UK that is EE. Ireland is not listed.
   3. Confirm you are the organiser or a parent in your Family Sharing group, with two-factor authentication on.
   4. A plan is not needed to set the watch up, but without one it only works near your phone or Wi-Fi, which defeats the point.

   Some corporate cellular plans do not support it either. Apple also says the feature is unavailable in Italy, Korea and elsewhere.

2. 2

   Pair it to your iPhone

   The pairing decides which phone owns the watch, and that cannot be casually moved later. Use the phone that will actually be managing it day to day.

   Apple Watch app → All Watches → Add Watch → Set Up for a Family Member

   1. Put the watch on and hold it near your iPhone, then tap Continue.
   2. Hold your iPhone over the animation on the watch to pair.
   3. Accept the terms, pick a text size, and set a watch passcode.
   4. Choose the family member, and enter their Apple Account password when asked.

   Who holds this: You set this from your own account, and your child cannot change it back.

3. 3

   Turn on Ask to Buy during setup

   The watch has its own App Store and a child can install from it directly. Setup offers you Ask to Buy at exactly the right moment, and it is easy to tap past.

   1. Turn on Ask to Buy when the setup flow offers it.
   2. For a firmer block later, use Screen Time, Content & Privacy Restrictions, iTunes & App Store Purchases.

   Recommended by age

   Under 7	Ask to Buy on, and installing apps set to Don't Allow
   7–11	Ask to Buy on, and installing apps set to Don't Allow
   11–12	Ask to Buy on
   13–15	Ask to Buy on
   16–17	Ask to Buy on

   Same hole as everywhere else in Apple's world: Ask to Buy does not fire when they redownload something they already had. In many countries it is on by default for under-18s and cannot be switched off. Apple Pay with a card does not work on a child's watch at all, and Apple Cash Family is United States only.

4. 4

   Choose who can reach them

   The watch's address book is a list you pick from your own contacts, not theirs, which is a genuinely good design. The limits themselves are the same Screen Time controls as on an iPhone.

   Screen Time → [your child] → Communication Limits

   1. During setup, pick the trusted people to share to the watch from your own Contacts.
   2. Then open Communication Limits in Screen Time and set the level below.
   3. Set During Downtime separately if you want a shorter list overnight.

   Recommended by age

   Under 7	Contacts Only, and Specific Contacts during downtimeOnly people you have approved can reach them. Nobody else can message, call or speak to them.
   7–11	Contacts OnlyOnly people you have approved can reach them. Nobody else can message, call or speak to them.
   11–12	Contacts OnlyOnly people you have approved can reach them. Nobody else can message, call or speak to them.
   13–15	Contacts OnlyOnly people you have approved can reach them. Nobody else can message, call or speak to them.
   16–17	Agree it togetherOnly people you have approved can reach them. Nobody else can message, call or speak to them.

   Emergency numbers your carrier recognises always get through, whatever you set. Two gaps worth knowing: Apple does not document whether a child can add or edit contacts on the watch itself, and it documents no parental control at all over Walkie-Talkie or Memoji.

   Who holds this: You set this from your own account, and your child cannot change it back.

5. 5

   Set up Schooltime

   It blocks apps and notifications during hours you choose, and unlike most controls of this kind it is honest with everyone: the child can leave it, you get told when they do, and there is a report of how long they were out. That makes it a conversation rather than a trap.

   Apple Watch app → Family Watches → [the watch] → Schooltime

   1. Turn Schooltime on and tap Edit Schedule.
   2. Set the days and times. Use Add Time for a split day, such as a lunch break.
   3. Check the unlock report later rather than reacting to each notification.

   Recommended by age

   Under 7	School hours, plus homework time
   7–11	School hours
   11–12	School hours
   13–15	School hours, agreed with them
   16–17	Their call, with the schedule agreed

   Your child can see the same unlock report on the watch, which is the right way round. Schooltime turns itself back on when they lower their wrist.

   Who holds this: You set this from your own account, and your child cannot change it back.

6. 6

   Set the safety features, and know which one is missing

   This is where the expectation gap sits. Fall Detection is 18 and over, so it does not work for your child. Apple states it only in a list at the bottom of the setup page, and a lot of parents buy the watch believing otherwise.

   1. Turn on Location Services for Find My during setup, or the watch cannot be located.
   2. Add emergency contacts and fill in Medical ID.
   3. Check Emergency SOS under Family Watches, including whether holding the side button calls emergency services.
   4. Do not count on Fall Detection. It is unavailable to under-18s.

   Crash Detection is on by default on Series 8 and later and has no stated age limit, so that one does work. Emergency contact alerts silently fail if Messages is not the chosen texting app or has been deleted. Also unavailable on a child's watch: sleep tracking, cycle tracking, blood oxygen, ECG, and international roaming.

7. 7

   Set Screen Time for the watch

   Screen Time treats the watch as one of the child's devices, so the limits follow the child rather than the hardware. If they also have an iPad, one set of settings covers both.

   Apple Watch app → Family Watches → [the watch] → Screen Time

   1. Open Screen Time, then Screen Time Settings, and set content, communication and downtime.
   2. Set a Screen Time passcode that is different from the watch passcode and that your child does not know.

   Who holds this: You set this from your own account, and your child cannot change it back.

8. 8

   Decide about health data and activity goals

   You only see their health data if they agree to share it, which is a request they can decline. Worth deciding together rather than assuming.

   1. Request health data from the Apple Watch app if you want it, and let them accept.
   2. For an under-13, set the Move goal to use move minutes rather than active calories.
   3. Talk about rings and streaks before they become a thing they chase.

   Apple publishes nothing on what activity goals are appropriate for a child, and nothing on streaks and young children, so the goal you set is your judgement rather than a recommendation. Rings can be paused for up to 90 days without breaking a streak, which is useful if they are ill.

Menus move. If something on screen does not match these steps, check the official link above.