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I want to lock down my sons phone to where he can only receive and make communication with four people. I thought I locked it down to where he can only communicate with the people on his contact list but he just told me that he is still receiving texts from people outside his contact list. Help!


iPhone 12, iOS 16

Posted on Oct 3, 2023 10:17 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 3, 2023 10:55 AM

Hi there,


You can configure which contacts your son can contact from his Apple devices using Screen Time Communication Limits.


First, ensure his iPhone is configured to sync Contacts with iCloud. This is a requirement for setting Communication Limits. You can learn how to enable this here: Set up iCloud for Contacts on all your devices - Apple Support


If you haven't already, create a Family Sharing group and add your child to it. You can learn how to do this here: add a child. Then, follow these steps:


  1. On your son's device, open the Contacts app and remove everyone except the contacts you want him to be able to communicate with.
  2. On your device, go to Settings  > Screen Time.
  3. Scroll down and select your son below Family.
  4. Tap Communication Limits.
  5. Configure the "During Screen Time" and "During Downtime" fields to "Contacts Only" or "Contacts & Groups with at Least One Contact".
  6. Disable "Allow Contact Editing"

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2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 3, 2023 10:55 AM in response to awkwardabbott

Hi there,


You can configure which contacts your son can contact from his Apple devices using Screen Time Communication Limits.


First, ensure his iPhone is configured to sync Contacts with iCloud. This is a requirement for setting Communication Limits. You can learn how to enable this here: Set up iCloud for Contacts on all your devices - Apple Support


If you haven't already, create a Family Sharing group and add your child to it. You can learn how to do this here: add a child. Then, follow these steps:


  1. On your son's device, open the Contacts app and remove everyone except the contacts you want him to be able to communicate with.
  2. On your device, go to Settings  > Screen Time.
  3. Scroll down and select your son below Family.
  4. Tap Communication Limits.
  5. Configure the "During Screen Time" and "During Downtime" fields to "Contacts Only" or "Contacts & Groups with at Least One Contact".
  6. Disable "Allow Contact Editing"

Oct 3, 2023 11:05 AM in response to awkwardabbott

Hello there,

i think it's already said, but if you want to limit your sons phone to just 4 contacts, you need to set Communication limits. Go to Settings > Screen Time. Tap Communication Limits, then do any of the following: Limit communication at any time: Tap During Screen Time, then select Contacts Only, Contacts & Groups with at Least One Contact, or Everyone.

The only thing is that you cant limit your son on adding contacts, but you can eventually disable them manually via Communication Limits again. Hope this helps!


If it doesn't work, I think this will help you out:

Set up Screen Time for a family member on iPhone - Apple Support


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