New Application Parental Controls to let Apple put adult content on iPhone

Mon, 05/04/2009 - 12:52pm — Seth Weintraub

Apple will soon have an excuse to slang those controversial potty-mouth NIN apps to all of your kids. In version 3 of the iPhone and in iTunes 8.2 (image below) you can now select parental control for apps and choose the age of the iPhone owner. The choices are 4+, 9+, 12+, 17+. When version 3 of the iPhone is released, Apple will allow more adult-themed applications to go thru the app store, albeit with NC-17 ratings.

iLounge via Macrumors notes that:

Makayama's Newspaper(s) application was originally rejected due to inappropriate online-content (images of topless women[noice]) from the UK's The Sun tabloid. Apple informed the developer that Parental Controls have been announced for iPhone 3.0 and that it "would be appropriate to resubmit your application for review once this feature is available."

We like that Apple is isolating 4-8 year old crowd as an age group. What would constitute something off limits for a four year old, but ok for a nine year old? We are thinking Santa Claus and Tooth Fairy denial apps. Just kidding! - to our younger viewers.

And for us more mature audiences? 17+ huh? Does that mean the iPhone 3 will finally fulfill its destiny as...nah.

Nevermind that the average 9-12 year old has a better understanding of their Mac than their parents and could probably enable parental controls on them.

( Filed Under:

iPhone - iPod

)

Comments

will gta be released on the

Mon, 05/04/2009 - 3:38pm — 9to5Mac Noob (not verified)

will gta be released on the iphone? fingers crossed...

it seems to me that the age

Mon, 05/04/2009 - 5:06pm — 9to5Mac Noob (not verified)

it seems to me that the age categories would serve two purposes... one being the restriction of certain content to appropriate age groups, but secondly it would give developers a reason to make a game for just a four year old or to have another app that may be more appropriate for the 9 year old. Clearly, the age doesnt actually matter... it's whatever the user puts into the menu. but just a though.

so when the category says 12+

Tue, 05/05/2009 - 7:14am — 9to5Mac Noob (not verified)

so when the category says 12+ doesn't that mean 12 and older as in 12-100 or whatever? i guess i'm just being weird here. besides, if a kid (lets say 15 or something) has/owns his/her own iPhone, (iPodTouch more realistically), then can't s/he set his/her own age on the device? unless you have an account with Apple and they force the device to set your actual age (like if you have your actual birthday on your Apple ID (Apple account) then Apple would make you log into your account and it would set your age on the device). i'm saying that it would be weird to introduce parental controls into the OS when parents themselves probably won't be able to set them on their child's device.

Bring on the adult apps!

Wed, 05/06/2009 - 1:32pm — iporn girl (not verified)

I'm curious how 'adult' Apple will allow the permitted apps to be. Doubting it'll be what all of us iphone users want. I think the parental controls are a great way to keep parents, conservatives and shareholders happy. I'm pumped to see what kind of mature content they'll allow. Bring on the pr0n!