Grace is a new startup that aims to make it easier for parents to track and control their children's screen time and app usage on iOS devices. Although Apple provides built-in parental controls, many parents prefer an app-based solution rather than digging through Apple's settings. Grace also gives parents more control over their children's screen time routines. Parents may set start and finish timings for "Downtime" with Apple's settings rather than other times when app usage should be limited, such as school hours, family dinner time, homework time, etc.
Grace is famous for being one of the first apps to use Apple's Screen Time API, which was announced at last year's Worldwide Developer Conference. Developers can use the new API to construct an interface that interacts with Apple's built-in tools to extend their capability.
Parents must install Grace on their own devices and on their children's iPhones or iPads to use Grace. They then use a straightforward UI to set up several screen time controls, such as daily screen time limits, app time limits, in-app purchase limits, and the ability to block time-wasting apps, among other things. They can also help establish screen time schedules that mirror a family's standards for how and when children should use their gadgets.
Parents can use Apple's screen time restrictions to set time-based app limits, or "downtime," for their children. This is when your child can only use and communicate with apps you have approved. It also enables parents to set a variety of timetables for their children. This means that parents can set different time limits for other apps. Grace also has built-in filters that can strengthen website blocking rather than automatically banning over 50,000 adult, gambling, weapons, alcohol, and drug-related websites. Apple's one-of-a-kind screen timer is only dedicated to banning pornographic websites. Grace also has a quick action button that allows parents to halt the time limit ("pause") or block all apps ("lock phone") without eliminating the screen time setting entirely. Any parent who utilizes Apple's screen time programme will recognise the advantages. Parents may want to limit their child's access to the gadget to ground them, but it can also be used to communicate in an emergency, so you don't have to take it away entirely.
Grace's app was developed by co-founders Liana Khanova (Product & Design) and Salavat Khanov (Software Development), both of whom have relevant experience. Khanova previously worked on a startup aimed at decreasing children's phone addiction by allowing them to interact with AR-enabled interactive children's books. Khanov worked on 1Blocker, an ad blocker and privacy tool. They claim that their new app is self-contained and bootstrapped.
The company hopes that Apple will improve the API to allow them to compete with the built-in screen time tools. They said the API does not let users see how much time they have left and how much time they have utilized. They'd also like to see an enhanced app selector with a search field similar to the one offered by Apple. They want the API to have the same flexibility as Apple's tools.
Grace will subsequently include Lock Screen widgets to track how much screen time kids have spent and new app shortcuts for quick activities and Mac support.
