A mother with court-ordered custody of her children has described how Apple’s Family Sharing feature can be exploited by an abusive ex-partner. The issue lies in the feature’s design, which gives sole control to the organizer, leaving the other parent with limited authority. Despite her court order, she was unable to transfer her children to a new family group, and Apple support could not assist with the situation.
Kate, a woman who requested anonymity for her safety, shared her experience with the feature. Her ex-husband was designated as the family group organizer, which allowed him to track their children’s locations, monitor screen time, and impose strict limits during her custody periods. She noted that when they separated, he refused to disband the family group. Without his consent, the children couldn’t be transferred to a new one.
“I wrongly assumed being the custodial parent with a court order meant I’d be able to have Apple move my children to a new family group, with me as the organizer,” says Kate. But Apple couldn’t help. Support staff sympathized but said their hands were tied because the organizer holds the power.” Although users can “abandon the accounts and start again with new Apple IDs,” the report notes that doing so means losing all purchased apps, along with potentially years’ worth of photos and videos.
This case highlights the potential risks of digital services in personal relationships and the need for more flexible and equitable parental control features. The mother’s experience has raised concerns about the design of Apple’s Family Sharing, which could be weaponized by individuals with malicious intent. The incident has sparked discussions about the balance between parental control and user rights in digital platforms.