Apple Watch Web Browsing

Question

Apple Watch Web Browsing

I have an Apple Watch SE being used under family setup. I have some screen time restrictions on my device. However, my family cannot find the setting to unrestricted web searches on my Apple Watch. Whenever I click on a web link from mail or messages, the webpage appears to load with a blank screen, but the screen stays black even after the webpage finished loading. Whenever I ask Siri to search the web, she says “I can’t get results for that. Web searches are restricted for this device.” I wonder how, under family setup, my ‘admin’ would be able to change that setting, because I am able to browse the web fine on other devices associated with my Apple ID. For example, on my iPad, I am able to access apple.com through safari no problem. But if I were to click on a link on my Apple Watch that leads to apple.com, it wouldn’t be able to access it.

Apple Watch SE, watchOS 7

Posted on Jan 11, 2021 4:16 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Joseph_S.

Community Specialist

Jan 13, 2021 2:48 PM in response to anonymouswatch

Hello anonymouswatch,

We'd like to help with the issue you're experiencing on your Apple Watch. We appreciate the details you have provided so far regarding this issue.

Take a look at the "Prevent web content" and "Restrict Siri web search" sections of the following resource to see if these settings are enabled on the iPhone that was used to set up the Apple Watch: Use parental controls on your child's iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Let us know if that helps!

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Answer 2

Dookie2x

Level 1

22 points

Jan 22, 2021 8:27 PM in response to Joseph_S.

Hi, I'm having the same trouble with one of the Apple Watches I have setup with Family Setup (I have two for two of our kids). Our oldest discovered that they could browse the web using URLs through Messages or Mail and now sends themselves messages with URLs to browse on it. Our younger child has tried (in fact our oldest sends sibling messages with URLs they'd like to visit themselves which in effect taunts the younger one since they're unable to browse). Both watches were setup the same way. I've compared settings back to back and see no differences in Screen Time restrictions on my iPhone for each of their accounts.

The only difference of note is that on my younger child's watch, under Always Allowed section of Screen Time for them, I can select additional apps to allow, where as, for the older child there are no apps to select and theirs is the one that works fine. No other differences that I can tell from comparing Screen Time settings on my iPhone for them.

Is it an age limitation perhaps? One is >13 and the other is <13 years old, or is it a bug issue? Both have "Limit Adult Websites" as the web content restriction and both have Siri>Web Search Content enabled as "Allow".

From Screen Time settings of the watch that can't browse web content:

From one that CAN browse web content:

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Apple Watch Web Browsing

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