My 8-year-old son uses an iPad that's tightly restricted: he can watch approved shows and play selected games, but he can't install apps without permission and doesn't have unrestricted internet access. The iPad uses his own Apple ID under our Family Sharing setup. I recently discovered that he can open iMessage and send messages, and I'd like to disable it entirely. However, the Messages setting is grayed out, and I can't find an option to change it through Family Sharing. What's the correct way to turn off iMessage or prevent him from using it?
3 Answers
My own Messages app isn’t signed in on the iPad, so I’m not sure why this one is proving difficult. I’ll try checking Send & Receive and the account-change restriction.
You can sign out of iMessage directly on the iPad. Open Settings, go to Messages, tap Send & Receive, select the Apple ID shown at the bottom, and choose Sign Out. You can also use Screen Time restrictions through Family Sharing to prevent Messages or account settings from being changed.
Check Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions. If Allow Changes to Accounts is set to Don’t Allow, the Apple ID and iMessage sign-out controls may be locked. Temporarily allow account changes, sign out of iMessage, and then restore the restriction afterward.
Where exactly is the sign-out option located?