iOS 12 Screen Time Location Sharing Restrictions

Apple’s iOS 12 redesigned device management and parental controls by integrating them into the Screen Time feature, offering robust oversight over privacy settings, including location sharing. Through the Content & Privacy Restrictions section within Screen Time, administrators and parents can lock down Location Services to prevent users from disabling or modifying their location-sharing status. This ensures that features like "Share My Location" in Messages and Find My Friends remain active and cannot be tampered with without a passcode.

How Screen Time Controls Location Services

In iOS 12, traditional "Restrictions" were retired and moved into the Screen Time dashboard. Location sharing settings are controlled under the Privacy subsection within Content & Privacy Restrictions.

When managing location sharing, Screen Time provides two primary states:

  • Allow Changes: Applications and system services can request access to location data, and the device user can freely enable, disable, or modify permissions for individual apps and system features (such as "Share My Location").
  • Don't Allow Changes: The current state of Location Services is frozen. The user cannot turn Location Services off, change individual app permissions, or stop sharing their location through Apple services.

Steps to Restrict Location Sharing in iOS 12

To lock location sharing settings using Screen Time on iOS 12:

  1. Open Settings on the iOS device.
  2. Tap Screen Time.
  3. Tap Use Screen Time Passcode to set a dedicated four-digit PIN (if not already set). This ensures the device user cannot revert the settings.
  4. Select Content & Privacy Restrictions and toggle the feature on.
  5. Scroll down to the Privacy section and tap Location Services.
  6. Ensure Location Services is toggled on, and configure app-level permissions and system services (including enabling "Share My Location").
  7. Select Don't Allow Changes at the top of the menu.

What Happens When "Don't Allow Changes" Is Active

Once the restriction is applied, the operating system alters the interface across several menus to enforce the lock:

  • Settings Grayed Out: Navigating to Settings > Privacy > Location Services displays the toggle switches as grayed out and unclickable.
  • Share My Location Locked: The option to toggle off "Share My Location" within Settings > [User Name] > Share My Location or inside the Find My Friends app is disabled.
  • No App-Level Adjustments: Installed apps cannot prompt the user for new location permissions, nor can the user revoke access from apps that were previously allowed.

Remote Management via Family Sharing

Screen Time in iOS 12 also operates remotely through Apple's Family Sharing network. An organizer or parent can enforce location sharing restrictions from their own device without physically accessing the child’s device. By navigating to the child's profile inside Screen Time on the parent's device, the parent can configure the Content & Privacy Restrictions remotely, ensuring continuous location visibility for safety purposes.