I would like to lock my kids iphone remotely and it has a passcode so she just keeps unlocking it anyway to override without erasing it?

So, the only thing I get out of this forum is don't purchase Apple Devices for your children. They don't have the functionality that a modern day parent needs to control your child's use.

It's not that I can't control what she is doing. Problem is I can't control how much she gets distracted from doing what she is supposed to be doing because of the phone. Hence, it would be a nice function to be able lock it remotely.

So, the only way to lock it remotely is if you don't enable the passcode on the device? That is another reason not to purchase apple devices. Best alternative is to switch to an Android device.

Keep your parenting advice to yourself.

If this was only allowed by the parent on a family sharing plan then it would be a great tool, with little way for someone else to use it to prank.

I would also like to be able to set a time when the kids can't login into the device so that I don't need to remember to lock it every night.

Actually it would be super useful.

Be able to lock a kids phone while they are home would be a great way to get them out of the bathroom, or insure they don't use the device when they aren't supposed to.

Your theory of evil doers locking phones remotely is weak. They could just as easily wipe them now.

Actually, Android got rid of that. Now if the phone already has a passcode lock, it can't be overridden by Android Device Manager. Because that's a huge security flaw.

Android allows you to remotely lock a device with a new password. This is secure and the only person that can lock it is the account holder, so unless you've been dumb enough to give your account details to other people then there is no problem.

You used to be able to lock it remotely and put in a different passcode to unlock before IOS 10 came out, but ever since then my daughter has been able to just unlock it using her passcode. Has anyone tried resetting to factory defaults so you can go back to older version of IOS.

Sometimes technology is not the best parent. You could "lock" it by just taking it from her when she shouldn't be using it. Or let her discover that there are consequences to disobeying parental guidance.

You cannot go back to older versions. And I don't know what phone you had, but it has never been possible to set a remote password on an iPhone that already has a passcode.

Father of Apple Kids wrote:

So, the only way to lock it remotely is if you don't enable the passcode on the device? That is another reason not to purchase apple devices. Best alternative is to switch to an Android device.

Keep your parenting advice to yourself.

At the expense of having my post deleted by the hosts, it sounds like you need the parenting advice if you can not control what your daughter is doing.

.... and by all means switch to Android.

Demo wrote:

.... and by all means switch to Android.

Then of course, the problem would be protecting the daughter from the over 300 types of malware and spyware available for Android devices, vs none for iOS.

There's more than one way than just thru the Apple ecosystem. I have this same issue with my daughter too - so I control a couple of different ways.

1. Install "FamilyBase" if you're a Verizon Customer. Not sure if other service providers have an equivalent application. The "FamilyBase" application allows you to set day and time limits on usage (voice, texting, data usage, etc..) while preserving ability to always contact emergency numbers like parents, 911, etc..

2. When at home and on Wifi (Apple Time Capsule) - I set time limits too - it's very easy and you can find the IP addresses by using Airport Utility application. This let's you selectively disable wifi for certain devices in your house for certain time periods. I shutdown my daughters PS4, Phone, and MacBook all the same time while keeping the parents devices enabled. Just google this for your router - I'm sure most all have this.

Switching to Android just brings other issues in my opinion. Not everyone likes Apple - I can understand.

I can't believe apple is this much careless about parental control. In windows, parents can set time limit and time range for the kids' devices. Apple family account *****. I have been trying for 2 weeks to limit my kid's access to some resources and set active/inactive hours on her device. Still not able to do it.

One of the hosts may have thought you were connected with the app's developers, and that your post was spam to promote it. Note that it's OK to discuss a product you have a financial interest in, as long as you make that clear in your post. Likewise, if you don't, it's probably a good idea to say that to avoid suspicion.

Martin Joseph wrote:

Actually it would be super useful.

Be able to lock a kids phone while they are home would be a great way to get them out of the bathroom, or insure they don't use the device when they aren't supposed to.

Your theory of evil doers locking phones remotely is weak. They could just as easily wipe them now.

You are thinking too narrowly. Every action has consequences. Apple has teams that design features, and I'm sure they thought through all of the consequences of allowing a phone to be locked remotely. As have other vendors; Android phones could be locked remotely at one time, but that feature has been changed to work like Apple's.

The more general answer is you cannot replace parenting with technology. Speaking as a parent emeritus who raised 3 children successfully (my youngest is now 35), the way to insure that children don't use devices when they are not supposed to is to sequester the device when they shouldn't be using it. Or create a rule that says there are times they shouldn't use it, with consequences if they disobey the rule. Rules like "don't take your phone into the bathroom". A reasonable consequence for repeated violations might be to take away the phone, and replace it with a dumb flip phone for emergencies.

Your post is unclear. Are you asking how to prevent multiple incorrect passcode entries from erasing the phone? If so, and without knowing the iOS version:

Settings > Passcode > Erase Data > OFF