All iPads iPad setup for kids with adults using as well?

[MitzEclipse]

Hi all

I'm on the verge of picking up an iPad for the kids. It's more for the educational apps as they don't get any other screen time. But as they get older, they'll start using it more with school/etc.

I know iPad OS doesn't support profiles (which is really unfortunate). What are your approaches to share one iPad between the family? If I log in with my Apple ID, it will have all my calendar entries, photos, notes, etc syncing - I don't want them to inadvertantly edit/delete/etc. Plus I definitely want to lock it down for browsing and have timers/etc.

So I could setup the iPad with a kids Apple ID with all the restrictions, however, when it comes to me using it, all the restrictions would still be there. Is it a matter of me logging out of their Apple ID and logging in with my Apple ID? this typically takes time to sync/etc so not a quick change.

Ideas and tips appreciated

 

[Bigwaff]

There’s no good solution for this scenario. Like the iPhone, the iPad is single user device.

 

[Isamilis]

Second this. Also, usually the Home Screen become too crowded and you will get easily stressed just because dents on here & there.

 

[MitzEclipse]

ugh iPad OS needs profile functionality.

So would that be the right approach to log in and out of iCloud if I were to switch from “kids mode” to “parent mode”?

 

[rillrill]

It really wouldn’t be hard for Apple to do this. I work at a school with iPads and they have multiple logins on the iPad. Apple of course wants you to buy more devices. Mother Nature will be happy to hear that, I’m sure.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Yep it’s a massive fail not having user profiles. Very annoying. There isn’t much you can do that gets around it - neither focus modes or realistically even screen time offer enough functionality to make it smooth. You can try with a combo of both though.

 

[MitzEclipse]

Thanks for the info.

my oldest is only 4. She doesn’t get any TV and 15 min max YouTube every few days or so

Use case is for edu apps like Khan Academy. Doesn’t make sense buy an iPad just for this.

Leaning towards the Amazon fire kids. Heard it’s slow and pretty much garbage but basically it’s basically $200 difference

But as I’m an all Apple house (just no iPads) not sure I’ll be able to tolerate Android 😂

 

[Bigwaff]

There is always used iPad on eBay. You could probably get an iPad mini 4th gen for under $100USD... tops out w/ iOS 15.7.x but if the kiddos' apps will install and run.... might be a reasonable compromise.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Thanks for the info.

my oldest is only 4. She doesn’t get any TV and 15 min max YouTube every few days or so

Use case is for edu apps like Khan Academy. Doesn’t make sense buy an iPad just for this.

Leaning towards the Amazon fire kids. Heard it’s slow and pretty much garbage but basically it’s basically $200 difference

But as I’m an all Apple house (just no iPads) not sure I’ll be able to tolerate Android 😂

My child got gifted a fire tablet for kids. I download stuff or whatever for the child. I disable the internet for them. That’s what I use. But he is very young. Once she gets to an age where they need any kind of ability to do it themselves then the only current solution I could imagine would be their own iPad albeit with parental controls.

 

[BanjoDudeAhoy]

As @Bigwaff said, I would probably look for a used one on eBay or similar platforms.
For me, the main consideration would be that if I was also a user of the iPad and my kid dropped it, that could mean no iPad for either of us.

 

[zach-coleman]

There is always used iPad on eBay. You could probably get an iPad mini 4th gen for under $100USD... tops out w/ iOS 15.7.x but if the kiddos' apps will install and run.... might be a reasonable compromise.

I doubt this solution would keep working for much more than one year. Not sure you would come out on top in the long run over buying a new base tier iPad and keeping it for 4 years.

 

[MitzEclipse]

Used is fine but then battery is a concern.

I know profiles is enabled for MDM devices. Has anyone installed MDM just for profile setup?

 

[JustAnExpat]

As others said, iPads are a single use device.

I wouldn't mess around with MDM. It's a headache to use if you aren't familiar with it.

Your oldest child is 4. I know when my child was that age the child was always dropping things. I also try to limit screen time to no more than an hour or thereabouts.

My child has a hand-me-down iPad Air 2 that the child uses for Youtube Kids, Khan Academy, etc. You can find those on eBay for about $150 USD. It uses iPodOS 15, and most applications still work for that operating system.

Battery life isn't something I would worry too much about. Use an external cell phone battery pack to keep it charge if needed. It'll also prevent them from using it for too long as well.

By the time apps no longer work (because they are too old), the children would have outgrown the iPad Air 2 anyway.

 

[MitzEclipse]

Almost bought the Amazon Fire 10 Kids Pro on Cyber Monday discount - $124 and they give a 20% trade in coupon plus $5 for a really old kindle...would have been $99. But reading the reviews from Apple community they basically say stay away.

I'll aim for the iPad 9th Gen - at Costco for $229. A bit more than used ones but will give me much more OS updates and battery life. No rush, will see what Christmas sales brings - retailers should be flushing them out with new iPads expected Q1!

 

[JustAnExpat]

Almost bought the Amazon Fire 10 Kids Pro on Cyber Monday discount - $124 and they give a 20% trade in coupon plus $5 for a really old kindle...would have been $99. But reading the reviews from Apple community they basically say stay away.

I'll aim for the iPad 9th Gen - at Costco for $229. A bit more than used ones but will give me much more OS updates and battery life. No rush, will see what Christmas sales brings - retailers should be flushing them out with new iPads expected Q1!

If you buy a new one, make sure to have a very good case to protect it from damage - and get AppleCare too.

 

[lewchenko]

I’ve been ‘trying’ to share my iPad mini with our daughter (nearly 5). Screen time does let me lock down the iPad enough to stop her doing anything really bad but doesn’t protect my data in many apps.
Plus it’s then a total pain when I pick it up and want to install / buy something and it’s locked down.

Its very sad that such a capable device doesn’t support profiles.

The solution unfortunately will be to gift her the mini (2021 model) and buy something new for myself. Not in a rush though due to lack lustre releases in the iPad segment (or none at all…)

 

[MitzEclipse]

Hi all

I gave my kids an iPad for Christmas, an iPad 10. Is there a way to Remote control the iPad so that I could stop immediate playback content or apps, but they’re playing from my iPhone or MacBook?

I saw the accessibility options but I could not get that to work. I also saw there are some third-party options like TeamViewer, but I don’t wanna pay extra

Are there any other options I’m missing doesn’t have to be fancy. Just looking for start. Stop Media or even completely turn off the iPad.

Thank you

 

[IJBrekke]

My good friend (4 kids) insists on Kindle Fires. They’re basically disposable items, they get the job done, and they have better parental controls than iPads do (ridiculous, but true). Kids are just happy to have screen time of any sort. I’m anticipating I’ll go this route with my two young kids when they get a little bit older.

Personally, I want to stay with iPads, but they’re just not designed for kids. Like, truly, Apple is actively not taking young kids into consideration in its software or hardware development. So until they do, it’s not worth trying to make it work.

 

[Bigwaff]

Apple is actively not taking young kids into consideration in its software or hardware development. So until they do, it’s not worth trying to make it work.

I have to strongly disagree with your statement and find it heavily misinformed. Both my kids had iPads and now iPhones (they are high schoolers now). Screen Time works well when configured properly. Granted there is a lot of configurations and you do need a clear understanding of how to configure Screen Time to achieve your goals, but that is true of any parental control solution, whether it be Apple or Android third-party solutions. Tons of blogs, articles, YouTube videos, etc covering the ins and outs of Screen Time. This is no way a knock against Fire tablets or Android. I'm sure parental control solutions targeted for the platforms work well.

Now you're probably going to link to forum posts and internet articles covering Screen Time defects and scenarios where it doesn't work as expected. I'm sure Android parental control solutions have their warts too. If there is a glaring negative about Apple and Screen Time, it is Apple not providing a more comprehensive parental control platform public API which allows third-party solutions to take advantage of the same iOS system internals as Screen Time. I do think competition is a good thing and Apple effectively killed third-party parental control products by not providing the same level of system level access which its own product receives. Android is of course the wild, wild west where pretty much anything goes.

 

[ericg301]

you could use focus mode to create a home screen for her apps, and another for yours. yours will still be in the App Library but that's a few swipes and taps away.