Apple's family guide arrived on 29 September 2026. Its new Family Sharing experience requires OS 27 or later across family devices. Announcement.
The Child Account chapter explains that a separate account supports age-based safeguards and keeps a parent's personal data separate. Parents or guardians can help manage controls within Family Sharing. The correct birthday matters, and child-account age requirements vary by country. Child Account chapter.
A hand-me-down phone can look ready long before the handover is actually finished. There is a difference between giving someone the hardware and giving them a digital space of their own.
Plan the handover before pressing ahead
Make a short list of what belongs to the adult and what the child will need. Photos, messages, work material, and payment details should not become part of the gift simply because they were already on the device.
Keep anything important to the adult safely accounted for before following Apple's current transfer or reset instructions. Do not improvise a sequence from memory when the device contains irreplaceable material.
Decide who will help with setup. Agree which adult the child should ask when an account prompt, a purchase request, or an unfamiliar message appears. Make that person easy to find without turning every small question into a formal inspection.
Give the setup a human explanation
Explain why the child gets a separate account: their things belong in their own space, and the household needs a clear way to support them. Use the actual birthday rather than selecting an age that appears to make setup easier.
Choose the first few apps together. Ask what the child wants to do, which friends or relatives they need to reach, and what can wait until later. A full home screen is not a requirement for a successful first day.
