Tim Cook Questioned on Apple's 2019 Ban on Parental Control Apps Using Mobile Device Management

Apple in early 2019 removed or restricted many popular screen time and parental control apps on the App Store due to their use of Mobile Device Management, or MDM, which the company said put user security and privacy at risk.

apple screen time screen icons
During today's antitrust hearing with the U.S. House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee, Cook was questioned about Apple's decision to remove the parental control apps, which came after the release of Apple's own Screen Time feature.

Cook said what Apple has said multiple times before, that the apps that used Mobile Device Management to allow parents to limit kids access to their devices placed data at risk. "We were worried about the safety of kids," Cook said.

Cook's statement was similar to what Apple said when the apps were removed: "These apps were using an enterprise technology that provided them access to kids' highly sensitive personal data. We do not think it is O.K. for any apps to help data companies track or optimize advertising of kids."

The Congresswoman questioning Cook asked about a specific app from the Saudi Arabian government that also used MDM, but Cook said he was not familiar with the app and that he would have to provide more data at a later date. When questioned about whether Apple applies different rules to different app developers, Cook once again said that rules are applied to all developers equally.

Cook was asked about the timing of the removal of the parental control apps, given that Screen Time had launched not too long before, a question that Cook largely skirted. He was asked why Phil Schiller had referred customers complaining about the removal of parental control apps to Screen Time, but Cook referenced the more than 30 parental control apps in the ‌App Store‌ and said there is "vibrant competition" in the parental control space in the ‌App Store‌.

When pressed on whether Apple has the power to exclude apps from the ‌App Store‌ or remove competing apps, Cook returned to what he said during his opening statement, that there's a "wide gate" for the ‌App Store‌, referring to the fact that there are more than 1.7 million apps available. "It's an economic miracle," said Cook. "We want to get every app we can on the ‌App Store‌."

In tandem with the questioning on parental control apps, Cook was asked why, in 2010, Apple used the ‌App Store‌ to push publisher Random House into participating in the iBookstore, which Random House had declined to do. In a cited document, Apple iTunes chief Eddy Cue at the time emailed Steve Jobs that he "prevented an app from Random House from going live in the ‌App Store‌," because Apple was aiming to get Random House to agree to an overall deal. Cook in response said there are "many reasons" an app might not make it through the approval process. "It might not work properly," he said.

appstoredocumentation

One of the documents shared by the subcommittee

Apple's 2019 decision to limit parental control apps led the developers of those apps to call for a public API that would allow them to access the same features that are available in Screen Time after the MDM options were restricted, which Apple declined to provide.

Mobile Device Management, which the apps used, is a feature that is specifically designed for enterprise users to manage company-owned devices. Apple's position is that the use of MDM by consumer-focused apps has privacy and security concerns that have been referenced in App Store guidelines since 2017.

Rather than providing an API, Apple ultimately decided to allow parental control app developers to use Mobile Device Management for their apps, with stricter privacy controls that prevent them from selling, using, or disclosing data to third parties. Apps must also submit an MDM capability request that evaluates how an app will use MDM to prevent abuse and to ensure no data is shared. MDM requests are re-evaluated each year.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's Upcoming Macs Listed in New Report

Thursday July 3, 2025 9:09 am PDT by
AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic today shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, which should roll out over the next year or so. The report does not reveal anything too surprising, but it does serve as further evidence that Apple is seemingly working on new models of every Mac, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Apple is...
Future M5 Chip Devices

M5 Chip Rumored to Debut in These Five Apple Products Later This Year

Friday July 4, 2025 9:14 am PDT by
Apple's next-generation M5 chip is expected to debut in five new products later this year, including the iPad Pro, Vision Pro, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac. M5 chips will reportedly be manufactured with TSMC's latest third-generation 3nm process, which should result in slight performance and power efficiency improvements over M4 chips fabricated with its second-generation 3nm process. ...

Top Rated Comments

sdf Avatar
65 months ago
I feel that people who want MDM in the hands of third parties don't really understand what MDM can do.

Here's a list:
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/mdm/mdm0f7dd3d8/1/web/1

That's just modes. There are also commands that can be issued to MDM devices (including wipe device).
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Baymowe335 Avatar
65 months ago
Tim Cook destroyed them while Zuckerberg, Bezos, and Pichai fumbled far more.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bobmans Avatar
65 months ago

I live in Saudi Arabia, and Absher doesn’t use MDM, which is why his response may technically be true. Absher uses other mechanisms.
Didn't know that it doesn't use MDM but doesn't really matter.
She asked "Another app that used the same tool is called Absher, do you recall what Apple's position was regarding that application" and Tim's response was that he "is not familiar with that app". There's no way in hell that Tim Cook "is not familiar with that app".
The "I'm not familiar with that app but will look into it" is the same response he always gives when asked about Absher.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Juan007 Avatar
65 months ago

He said the exact same thing last year when asked about Absher, weird how he still hasn't heard of the app after he said he'd look into it last year ?
He’s the CEO of Apple and you expect him to know some fine details about an app from a third world country that probably generates a rounding error in revenue? Maybe he doesn’t remember the last time he blew his nose either.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bobmans Avatar
65 months ago

The Congresswoman questioning Cook asked about a specific app from the Saudi Arabian government that also used MDM, but Cook said he was not familiar with the app and that he would have to provide more data at a later date.
He said the exact same thing last year when asked about Absher, weird how he still hasn't heard of the app after he said he'd look into it last year ?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kc9hzn Avatar
65 months ago

You may be unaware, but MDM is back in the hands of same 3rd party devs who had their apps removed. Apple reversed their decision back in June. The devs wanted Apple to release a public API for Screen Time. Apple said, "how 'bout we just let you go back to using MDM?"

That "what about the kids" really didn't amount to much.
Got a link to back that up? The licensing for MDM says specifically that it’s for distributing software within a corporation. The fact that they were enrolling other people’s devices in a service designed for corporate owned devices and distributing device profiles is really shady. That doesn’t really sound like something Apple would encourage them to do.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)