Child Mode

Set up on the same device

1. 1

   On the device you are lending, open Kinsera and choose Child Mode from parental controls.

2. 2

   Authorize Family Controls as a guardian. To make Kinsera harder to delete, set up the child's device through Family Sharing with guardian authorization; individual authorization does not provide that protection.

3. 3

   In Apple's picker, select 1 to 50 specific apps. The mode does not support categories or website lists.

4. 4

   Choose a duration from 5 to 180 minutes and tap Start Child Mode. Unselected apps and web domains are covered by system shields.

5. 5

   When the interval ends, the device enters a locked state and needs the guardian to end the session or approve more time. Closing Kinsera does not clear Managed Settings.

Use the guardian's phone to control another

1. 1

   Link the device through Kinsera's family connection: the guardian creates a private one-time invitation. The URL is not bound to an Apple Account before redemption; anyone who receives it can claim it first. Send it directly to the intended client. Both devices must have Apple's authorization.

2. 2

   In the guardian dashboard, select the client profile and device, choose apps and duration, and send the session.

3. 3

   The client applies the selection and publishes a receipt. Kinsera reports it as applied only after an accepted receipt arrives.

4. 4

   The child can request more time from the shield. The guardian approves or denies it; approval extends the same app list.

Timer and lock at the end

Data involved

• Apple's selection is kept as an opaque token on the protected device so the policy can be enforced. Kinsera does not need to resolve it to app names to apply shields.
• In a cross-device session, the opaque selection travels in the encrypted selectionPayload field of the start command, inside that device's CloudKit share. Time requests contain a random identifier, duration, date, and state. The receipt contains the technical application result.
• The app does not send child names, app names, bundle IDs, domains, messages, or browsing history to analytics. If configured, the connected family flow can sync protection state, battery, and location; each is optional and carries its observation time.
• Privacy lets you export the current connection as JSON. The file may include synced location, battery, protection state, and request, command, and receipt history, while excluding participant identities and the opaque selection token. A guardian can permanently delete one device connection only after its exact client returns an accepted session-end receipt and the share has exactly one accepted client with no pending invitation; deleting the zone removes its records and share for everyone. A participant can leave the share after the session ends and guardian controls are unlocked; that participant loses access while the guardian's copy remains. These flows are implemented in development and still need physical validation and release. Uninstalling the app does not guarantee CloudKit data is removed.

Read the full Privacy Policy.

Limits and important notes

• The feature is in integration and validation. Do not treat the current App Store version as supporting it until a published release includes the flow and the checks listed here are complete.
• iOS controls shield enforcement. Device Activity's end callback is not a real-time alarm guaranteed to fire at the exact second; the system may deliver it when the device is used again. Kinsera reconciles expiry on foreground and keeps the session locked pending the guardian's decision.
• Remote control needs connectivity and CloudKit delivery. If the client is offline or suspended, the guardian sees a pending command, not confirmed enforcement; the client processes it when delivered and checks expiry when it becomes active.
• The allowlist shields apps and web domains at the Screen Time level. It cannot remove features inside an allowed app: chats, an embedded browser, links, purchases, or share buttons may remain available.
• This is not an iOS kiosk and does not pin one app to the foreground. iOS retains its system-surface behavior. Single App Mode pins one app and requires a supervised device with an App Lock profile, which can be installed through MDM or Apple Configurator.
• Protection against uninstalling depends on guardian-approved Family Controls authorization for a child account in Family Sharing. Individual authorization does not prevent Kinsera from being deleted. No app can protect against the device owner controlling its passcode, account, or erase/restore process.
• Child Mode supports 1 to 50 individual apps and 5 to 180 minutes. It does not support categories or a guardian-selected list of allowed domains.