First announced in June, Apple has finally unleashed its expanded suite of parental controls as the company's sparkly new iOS 26 goes to consumers globally. Included in the lineup: New ways for parents to block who their child can communicate with.
With the latest software update , new Communication Limits will require young users to get permission from parental accounts before they can connect with new phone numbers on Phone, FaceTime, Messages or iCloud. This change is an evolution of Apple's existing Child Account feature, built into the company's Family Sharing option, which places minor accounts under age-based parental controls and oversight from manager profiles.
Parents can also correct an account's age or retroactively convert their child's Apple account to a Child Account