Apple rolled out the iOS 13.3 update to the public earlier this week, but some of the new features in the update have bugs.
According to a CNBC report, the new Communication Limit feature added to Screen Time, which lets parents control who their kids can talk to and when. One way it does this is by blocking children from communicating with people who aren’t in their contacts without parental approval. However, this feature doesn’t work properly if contacts aren’t stored in iCloud.
In this case, when an unknown number messages a child, the Messages app will let the kid add that number to their contacts. Then the kid can message, call or FaceTime that number. What should happen in this scenario is that the Contacts app asks for the parent’s passcode to allow adding new contacts.
CNBC also reported that using Siri on the Apple Watch allows children to call or text any number regardless of Screen Time limitations.
Apple acknowledged the bug in a statement to CNBC, noting the “issue only occurs on devices set up with a non-standard configuration.” It also pointed out a workaround people could use while until it releases a fix in an upcoming software update.
That workaround involves forcing contacts to sync with iCloud. You can do this by going to the Settings app, then ‘Contacts’ and changing the ‘Default Account’ option to iCloud.
While Apple didn’t say when it planned to release the fix, it will likely come with iOS 13.3.1 in the coming weeks.
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