Apple Introduces Ask To Browse For iPhone, iPad, And Mac: Check Eligible Devices, Availability, And How It Works

Tech giant Apple has announced a new feature named Ask to Browse. The new feature is a part of its broader set of children’s safety tools which will be rolled out later this year to iPhone, iPad, and Mac users. The feature will be available with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27, and is developed to give parents more control over the websites their children can access. The company unveiled the feature alongside several updates to its parental controls, consisting of Time Allowances, communication approvals, and a redesigned Screen Time dashboard. 

How Ask to Browse Works 

Ask to Browse is a new parental control tool that needs children to seek permission before accessing a website that has not already been approved by a parent. 

The feature works in a similar way to the company’s existing Ask to Buy system, which needs parental approval before a child can download an app or make an in-app purchase. With Ask to Browse enabled, a child attempting to visit a new website through Safari will need to send a request to a parent or guardian. The parent can then choose whether to allow or deny access. 

When a child tries to open an unapproved link in Safari, the system stops the action right there and sends a real-time permission request to the parent’s device. The parent must approve the website before the child can visit it. It works across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. For now, it is only confirmed to work on Safari, and there is no clarity yet on whether third-party browsers will be supported. 

More Safety Tools Coming With iOS 27 

Ask to Browse is just one part of a bigger package of child safety updates Apple is bringing this year. 

Parents will be able to manage who their children can connect with on Messages, FaceTime, and Phone. They can also enable a setting that requires children to get permission before connecting with a new contact. 

On top of that, Communication Safety is being updated to blur gore and violence in Messages and FaceTime calls by default for users under 18. It will automatically blur content when gore or violent material is detected in images and videos, just like it already does for nudity. 

Apple has also completely redesigned the Screen Time dashboard. The new layout focuses on average device usage and is less cluttered. Parents can now set Time Allowances across broader categories like Games, Entertainment, and Social Media, instead of managing each app one by one. 

To back these limits with proper research, Apple teamed up with the American Academy of Pediatrics. This partnership brings age-based guidelines into the setup process, and these recommendations change as the child grows older. 

When Will It Be Available 

All these new features will be available after installing the Screen Time update in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27, expected to roll out this fall. Features are subject to change before the final release. 

For parents who want to get a head start, Apple already allows the creation of child accounts that block adult websites, allow only age-appropriate media, and apply age-based restrictions in the App Store. 

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