Confirm the account owner, family role, recovery path, parent passcode, app and purchase requests, web access, contacts, location expectations, time schedule, and a complete child-side test.
Why this decision matters
Most setup failures are connections between systems: the wrong Apple Account, a request arriving on the wrong device, a school app blocked during Downtime, or a parent passcode the child knows. Checking in sequence catches these interactions.
A practical starting sequence
Identity and recovery
Confirm the child uses their own account, is in the correct family, and has parent-managed recovery details.
Daily permissions
Test an app request, purchase rule, new contact, website, location view, and extra-time request.
Handoff rehearsal
Have the child call a parent, follow the charging plan, explain a limit screen, and identify where to ask for help.
What the child experiences
The checklist should leave the child able to describe the phone in plain language: what is always available, what needs approval, and what happens when time is up.
Passing a checklist does not prove the phone is permanently safe or ready for every future app. It proves the intended starting configuration is working today.
When to review it
Repeat the checklist after a device replacement, family-account change, major OS update, or unexplained change in request behavior.
Get the printable version
The free First Phone Setup Checklist gives you a device-neutral planning sheet before you begin.
Current official sources
Interfaces and defaults change. These first-party sources were checked for this page; verify the live device before publishing or relying on an exact menu path.
- Apple: How Family Sharing works
- Apple: Use Screen Time for a child
- Apple: Approve what kids buy with Ask to Buy
- Apple: Share locations with family