With the releases of iOS 13 and iPadOS came a cool new way to play games on your mobile devices with Apple Arcade. The subscription service gives you access to tons of games without worries of ads or in-app purchases.
This is a great feature for anyone who enjoys game time on their devices. And for many parents, it’s an affordable way for kids to play games that you can trust and set limits for.
If you’ve just jumped onto the Apple Arcade bandwagon and want to let your child enjoy the fun or even limit your own play time, here’s how to set up Screen Time with Apple Arcade games.
Your Apple Arcade subscription comes with access for up to six family members using Family Sharing.
When you first subscribe to Apple Arcade, the Family Sharing option can be turned on immediately and you’ll see the prompt. If you choose to allow access at a later time, just follow these steps.
Open your Settings and select your Apple ID.
Tap Family Sharing.
Under Shared Features, tap to turn on Apple Arcade.
Family Sharing for Apple Arcade
Set an age restriction for games
If you use Screen Time for your child already, you may have set some restrictions on the types of apps they can use.
For instance, you can make sure your child can only use apps that are right for their age. But if this isn’t something you’ve set up yet and want to do it now to make sure the games they play from Apple Arcade are age-appropriate, follow these steps.
Open Settings and select Screen Time.
Tap your child’s name under Family.
Choose Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Tap Content Restrictions and enter your Screen Time passcode if prompted.
Under Allowed Store Content, select Apps.
Choose an age limit for apps your child can use.
Age restrictions for apps
This is ideal for families with children of varying ages because you have options for ages 4+, 9+, 12+, and 17+. You can use the correct age setting for each child.
Limit play time with Screen Time
The final piece is setting up a fitting amount of play time for those Apple Arcade games. And again, this might be something that you have already set up for your child, but if not, just do the following to limit their time with games.
Open Settings and select Screen Time.
Tap your child’s name under Family.
Choose App Limits and make sure the toggle at the top is enabled.
Tap Add Limit.
Mark the circle for Games and tap Next. You can choose individual games that are already installed by tapping the arrow next to Games.
Set the time you want to allow for your child to play games on their device. Note that this setting will apply to all games and not just those from Apple Arcade.
Optionally, you can tap Customize Days to set a different time limit for each day of the week.
When you finish, tap Add.
Set Screen Time for games
Remember that you can edit the restrictions on times, days, and games or apps anytime you like by just following the same Steps 5 through 8 above. For example, you might want to allow your child extra play time on a vacation or their birthday.
Enjoy fun games, within reason
The ability to limit the amount of time your child (or even you) spends playing games is a good discipline. After all, if games take your child away from homework or chores, or keep you away from work or responsibilities, the results can be detrimental.
Now, let’s enjoy some of those great games with Apple Arcade, within reason!
Are you going to subscribe to Apple Arcade for your family and set up some Screen Time limits? Or perhaps you already have? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Sandy worked for many years in the IT industry as a project manager, department manager, and PMO Lead. She then decided to follow her dream and now writes about technology full-time. Sandy holds a Bachelors of Science in Information Technology.
She loves technology– specifically – terrific games and apps for iOS, software that makes your life easier, and productivity tools that you can use every day, in both work and home environments.
Her articles have regularly been featured at MakeUseOf, iDownloadBlog and many other leading tech publications.
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