Prepared for Apple App Review and Entitlement Evaluation Teams · Last updated: October 14, 2026
HoverMother is a privacy-first parental governance and digital wellbeing platform operated by App4That Holdings. Designed exclusively for parents and legal guardians of minor children, it provides:
FamilyControls, ManagedSettings, and DeviceActivity frameworksDeviceActivityReport extension using opaque ApplicationToken identifiersHoverMother is not a children's app and is not a covert surveillance tool. Children do not create accounts or browse the platform. HoverMother never uses MDM profiles, VPN packet inspection, root certificates, or message/photo scanning.
Child device transparency: the HoverMother companion app on a child's device is clearly labeled “HoverMother”. A parent links it with a one-time 6-digit pairing code from their dashboard (no parent password is ever entered on the child's device). Once linked, the app shows a “Protected by HoverMother” screen listing exactly which limits are active and what is shared, and the child can unlink at any time (the parent is notified).
Accounts: only parents have accounts. The companion app on a child's device has no login of any kind. Parents can permanently delete their account and family data from Settings at any time.
HoverMother is currently in the Development Stage (pre-release) awaiting Family Controls API entitlement provisioning so we can complete internal hardware testing and begin our invitation-only Closed Beta in Tennessee via Apple TestFlight. To assist Apple reviewers in evaluating our intended parent UX today, a fully interactive demo dashboard populated with synthetic sample data is publicly accessible — no account or credentials required.
To explore the demo:
All data shown is synthetic mock data. No live child device data is collected or displayed during demo sessions. To test the full signed-in experience, use the reviewer credentials provided in App Store Connect → App Review Information (a real parent account with a sample family).
HoverMother relies strictly on Apple's native FamilyControls framework and Apple Family Sharing. Pairing cannot be performed silently or covertly; it requires authenticated parent interaction on the child's physical device:
Verified Apple Ecosystem
Both parent and child devices must belong to an authentic Apple Family Sharing group managed by the parent or legal guardian.
AuthorizationCenter Prompt
The app invokes AuthorizationCenter., triggering Apple's official system sheet.
FaceID / Apple ID Approval
The parent authenticates via Apple ID or Screen Time passcode directly on the device to grant verifiable parental consent.
ManagedSettings & DeviceActivity
Limits run 100% locally in on-device app extensions. No MDM profile, VPN, or network proxy is installed or required.
Authorization can be audited, modified, or permanently revoked at any time directly in iOS Settings > Screen Time.
HoverMother's iOS application requests the following restricted entitlements and implements Apple's privacy-preserving extension architecture. Each requires explicit parental authorization and can be revoked at any time in iOS Settings:
Family Controls Entitlement (AuthorizationCenter & FamilyActivityPicker)
com.apple.developer.family-controls
Authorizes parental controls via Apple's native Screen Time API for verified child accounts in an Apple Family Sharing group. Parents select allowed or restricted apps and categories using Apple's native FamilyActivityPicker, which returns opaque ApplicationToken, ActivityCategoryToken, and WebDomainToken identifiers so raw app bundle IDs remain protected on-device.
ManagedSettings Framework & Local Shield Extensions
ManagedSettings + ShieldConfiguration / ShieldAction Extensions
Applies parent-configured app category shields, bedtime locks, and web content restrictions locally on the child's device via ManagedSettingsStore. Custom shield overlays allow the child to see why a limit is active or send an native "Ask for More Time" request without exposing underlying app telemetry.
DeviceActivity Framework & Sandboxed Report Extensions
DeviceActivity + DeviceActivityMonitor / DeviceActivityReport Extensions
DeviceActivityMonitor runs in a background extension on the child's device to enforce scheduled windows (such as Homework Study Focus and Bedtime Downtime) and threshold alerts locally. Visual usage charts are rendered strictly inside Apple's network-isolated DeviceActivityReport extension—HoverMother servers never receive, transmit, or store raw Screen Time browsing or app usage histories.
Location Services
CoreLocation (Opt-in Family Location Sharing)
Enables transparent family location visibility and safe-place arrival/departure alerts (e.g., School and Home) only when explicitly enabled by the parent for that child profile. Can be toggled off at any time and is retained for no more than 30 days.
Push Notifications
Apple Push Notification service (APNs)
Delivers high-level schedule notifications, "Ask for More Time" requests, and safe-place arrival/departure alerts to the parent device.
The MOTHER AI assistant uses Google Cloud Vertex AI (Gemini) to answer parent-submitted parenting questions. When a parent submits a query:
Review Contact
App Store review inquiries: support@hovermother.com
Privacy & data inquiries: privacy@hovermother.com
Legal & compliance: legal@hovermother.com
Operator: App4That Holdings