Apple’s Family Setup features are sleek, innovative and reliable for parents who want to keep an eye on their children and teen’s whereabouts. Family setup helps family’s share location, makes phone calls and sends messages using apple watch.
Family setup from Apple for its devices like iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, particularly valuable tool for children and the elderly without smartphones, it ensures a reliable means of contact and safety tracking.
Parents who are looking for an Smartwatch for their kids can check my comprehensively covered guides on best kids apple watches and best smartwatch for kids. I also covered and tested gadgets for kids including camera for kids, iPhone for Kids, gps trackers, drones for children and many other electronic devices and toys for outdoor playing.
Key Facts:
- Streamlined Setup: It is very easy to setup Family Setup on your Apple devices. Using your iPhone and Apple ID, the Watch app facilitates the creation of Apple IDs for family members. Setting up family setup on an Apple Watch pairs it with iPhone’s and iPad’s, whichparentss and guardians can use to track their activities, connect with them and keep their kids safe.
- Remote Management: Family setup empowers you to configure schooltime modes, emergency SOS functions, and even enable Apple Pay for your young one’s.
- Balancing Safety and Privacy: While Family Setup offers robust tracking and safety mechanisms, it’s crucial to address potential privacy concerns. The continuous sharing of locations demands an understanding and acceptance from all involved, particularly children.
- Digital Distractions: The Apple Watch offers entertainment options that might prove distracting for children, including games and access to social media. Features like schooltime mode can mitigate this, yet open discussions regarding responsible device usage are imperative.
- Battery and Performance: Both the Apple Watch SE and Series 8 boast a day’s worth of battery life with moderate usage. However, consistent usage of tracking functionalities can expedite battery depletion.
Parents can also use real time location tracking apps or family tracker apps which are loaded with features including SOS, Fall-detection, Geoblock Geofencing and many more security features.
How does the introducing family setup feature work and what are its potential dangers?
Apple introduced the Family Setup feature in both the Apple Watch SE and the Apple Watch Series 8 versions. This feature allows family members to stay connected through phone calls and text messages without needing an iPhone.
It’s particularly useful for kids or elderly individuals who don’t own a smartphone, yet need a way to be reached or tracked for their safety.
Setting up this feature is a straightforward process. You need to have your own iPhone and Apple ID, then through the Watch app, you can create an Apple ID for your family members and pair their Apple Watch to your iPhone. Once set up, you can manage the Apple Watches from your phone, set up schooltime mode or emergency SOS, and even enable Apple Pay for them.
Potential Dangers
While the Family Setup feature provides great tracking capabilities and safety features, it’s not without its potential dangers.
It’s essential to ensure that your family members – especially children – understand that their location will be continuously shared. They should be fully aware and comfortable with this level of monitoring.
Additionally, the Apple Watch offers a lot of fun features which can be distracting for kids, such as games and social media access. The schooltime mode can help in this regards, which minimizes distractions during study hours. However, it’s crucial to have open discussions about responsible usage of such devices.
Battery Life and Performance
In terms of battery life, I found that both versions of the Apple Watch lasted about a day with moderate use, which includes tracking features, phone calls, and text messages. It’s worth noting that the battery life may vary depending on the usage.
Also, After using Family setup continuously for a week with tracking features I found that it can significantly drain the battery.
Parvinder Singh is a seasoned IT developer and network engineer with over 5 years of experience. He is also a skilled tech columnist, offering insights on the latest trends and developments in the tech industry.