iPhone 3.0 Beta 5: App Store Gets Age-Based Restrictions for Parental Control
More new finds in iPhone 3.0 Beta 5: it seems like those Restriction Settings — allowing parental control over apps based on ratings — we heard rumored in the wake of Reznor-gate have been surfaced in the latest beta.
Options include:
- Don’t Allow Apps
- 4+
- 9+
- 12+
- 17+
- Allow All Apps
It’s still unknown, however, whether Apple will take it upon themselves to determine ratings, leave it up to developers, or use a hybrid model where devs pick a rating and Apple approves or returns it for re-rating.
Regardless, we hope — when it’s finally released to the public this summer — it puts an end to the sillier rejections we’ve seen.
May 7th, 2009 at 2:35 am
sorry but this feature was already here in Beta 4
May 7th, 2009 at 2:43 am
that’s not a new thing mate
May 7th, 2009 at 3:11 am
NOM NOM NOMMMM!
May 7th, 2009 at 7:19 am
wOOt!
May 7th, 2009 at 8:51 am
You’re going to buy an 3 or 4 year old an iPod touch? Really?
Thing I could have done with that kind of luxury when I was that young.
May 7th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Actually, kids love the iPod Touch. Anything that will keep a 4 year old out of your hair for an hour or two is worth its weight in gold. I even have kids headsets from Best Buy which can be volume limited. And, I don’t even have kids. I just always carry a Touch around and it’s the first thing they ask me about whenever I see them.
May 7th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
You show me a four year old with an iPod Touch, and I’ll show you a cracked screen.
May 7th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
My 3 year old Son knows perfectly well how to unlock the screen on my iphone, navigate across 6 home screens and find TapTapRevenge. After he is done playing there, he will press the home button, and navigate to another home screen where he finds MotoChaser. Not to mention that he loves browsing pictures in the photo app..
I would love for parental controls to be enabled for ALL apps, also the built-in ones. this way, I can keep him from accidentally sending emails to all my customers
May 7th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
My 4 year old has used my iPhone to play games or watch movies for almost 2 years. The screen is cracked in the lower corner… from me dropping it, not him
May 7th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Your son has been 4 years old for almost two years?
May 8th, 2009 at 12:10 am
Actually, I think when you submit an app, you select the appropriate demographic… depends on the content of the app – they have checkboxes for all the types of potentially offensive etc. content – so developers have been doing it all along. And I’m pretty sure there is a way for users to complain if an app appears inappropriate, and I’m sure Apple would review the particular rating for that individual app.
May 8th, 2009 at 12:38 am
Is it me or the screen is labelled wrong?
If I choose “allow apps rated 12+” it means to me “allow apps for people aged 12 or over, but not apps for people younger than that”.
Which would be the reverse of my expectation for parental control: you want to disallow apps rated 12+.
May 8th, 2009 at 12:43 am
If you choose 12+, it allows you all apps rated 4+, 9+, and 12+. Apps rated for 17+ would not be included in that. Although under that system I don’t see the difference between choosing 17+ and choosing to allow all apps. It seems like those would be the same.
May 8th, 2009 at 7:51 am
Yeah, this is in the beta 4 I’m running now, and I’m pretty sure I saw it in beta 3 as well.
May 10th, 2009 at 12:20 am
Yes, iphone should take some actions toward this goal.
May 11th, 2009 at 3:01 am
I think this feature will decrease the outrage against apps such as baby shaker. But wonder if Apple also thinks so.
May 11th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
http://www.freemacking.com/iphone.html For a tutorial on how you can get your free iPhone. Click Link
May 13th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Parental Controls are very annoying (have to deal with Windows Parental Controls.) If you block it they’ll find a way to go around the block, Other kids have iPod Touch or iPhone so you block one person there are other ways to get to the app.
May 28th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Can we PLEASE get time restrictions on apps!!! When my daughter goes to be, she is awake all hours on chat room apps. I have had to take her iphone away when she goes to bed. I wish I could just turn time restrictions on as I have for her iMac. Her iMac goes off just before she goes to bed, meaning I don’t have to shout at her for half an hour to get ready for bed.