Family Sharing feature from Applu, originally designed for convenient content sharing and child monitoring within a family, can be unexpectedly abused when a relationship breaks down. One mother described how her ex-partner, despite not having legal custody, still controls their children's accounts through the service. And it's not a pretty story.
You might be interested in
Family Sharing allows up to six family members to share apps, subscriptions, location, calendars, and other data. But it all comes down to one person—the group organizer. And it’s this centralization of control that can backfire on one parent. After a divorce, a mother became the official guardian of the children. However, her ex-husband, as the family organizer, refused to cancel the group or transfer the children to a different account. Thanks to this, a Find (Find My) determine the location of children, set limits and demand explanations for their screen time, even during days when the children were with their mother.
Gallery
The unhappy woman logically turned to Apple, which, however, proved to be powerless. Although the support expressed understanding, the organizer has all the power and the children cannot be moved without his consent. Recommendations from Applu was then quite unhappy. Support advised the woman to start a new Apple ID and on Apple products to start using it, even if it means losing the purchased applications and of course it would be necessary to back up the photos to cloudon the 3rd party, or rather on the physical medium. In short, no walk through the rose garden.
You might be interested in
According to foreign correspondents who reported this, the mother's case is not unique, quite the opposite. However, the Californian giant is clearly not addressing this problem, at least for now, and is leaving everything up to the users. The lack of shared management or the role of a second organizer poses a potential risk in broken families. Let's hope that these cases will be addressed. Apple in the future, they will not only focus, but also come up with a solution that can be used in such a situation.
I think backing up photos elsewhere, a new ID, and repurchasing apps is a small price to pay for peace of mind. But apparently not. It'll probably cost millions. On the other hand, Apple should definitely allow for exit. For example, by allowing you to log out of sharing without the administrator's consent.
For children? Exactly, that's the biggest advantage Apple ecosystem and that children are tied to the parent's (organizer's) account until they reach adulthood.
If I understand correctly, the mother has the children. Therefore, she is responsible for them as the 'main' person. And she can create an account for them (for those under thirteen) herself. So there is still no reason to stay with the father. And I insist that everyone over the age limit should have the right to leave the group. If it is to protect the children, then God must be with the androids (or whatever they have arranged there).
And can't the mother and children leave the group and create a new one on her main account? Or is the problem just that the purchases from the father's account won't transfer? And how or why on earth should he solve this? Apple.?
You cannot transfer a child without their release by the group administrator. So either create a new ID for them or wait until they reach the age of majority.
Unfortunately, it's just a demonstration of how adults can't come to an agreement and deliberately do stupid things to children.