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Conceptualizing a Shared iPad in 2024

Key takeaways:

  • I am devising a plan to enable the use of a single iPad by my whole family as a shared device, a la the shared computing experiences I grew up with.
  • iOS (and by extension iPadOS) has made a number of improvements over the years that make sharing a device more palatable.
  • There are still a few missing features that would be commonplace on any other platform that has individual user profiles.
  • The internet is strangely silent on this topic.
  • Sharing is caring, especially with three kids.

The Apple TV in our house is our gaming console, among other things; we have controllers, a 4K TV, games, and willing participants to enjoy it.1 It’s not perfect, but we went this direction because it afforded mom and dad a little extra sleep in the mornings and a shared experience for the kids to latch onto. They can choose their profile, watch their videos, and play their games, but best of all, they can work together to make decisions about how they spend their time.

They periodically fight about what to do when this shared screen time is happening, but that is skill building around negotiation, frustration and disappointment, and more generally sharing. I will admit that modern technology has pushed us toward never sharing our devices and it shows, especially in their lack of skills to navigate disagreement. Each kid has their own device and there’s really no way to consistently share a device as I was forced to at a young-ish age when my family got our first shared computer.

When we first had kids and the second-generation iPad (the one from 2011), user accounts or profiles was one of the talking points of what was missing from the platform. People don’t talk about that anymore; we have sufficiently evolved to believe that individual devices are just the nature of modern technology, but I’m not made of money and I don’t want to manage this many devices until I have to. This got me thinking about a shared family computer (in this case an iPad) with fresh eyes.

Before I get to the concept, I will state that there are challenges that I know I will not be able to overcome, so instead, I have been working on a set of ground rules:

  • Each family member will have an allotment of time on the shared device initially while we sort out need and problems that occur while sharing.
  • How to approach apps that don’t have multi-profile support will be a family decision, i.e. we will talk about it, think games with single-profile progress saves or apps that require an individual login.
  • The prioritized and intended use of the shared iPad is web browsing/research, creative pursuits, and communication/connection. Other use cases will require discussion, especially if it requires more time than a family member's allotment.
  • Individual family members will take care not to change things about someone else’s “profile”.
  • Certain apps will need to be off limits because they are owned by my AppleID.

So here’s the concept:

  • A single iPad signed into my AppleID as head of family sharing and owner of most apps. This shouldn't be too much of an issue for now because the kids' AppleIDs aren't yet used for much.
  • Each person’s biometrics are registered with the device for sign-in and/or the passcode will be shared. FaceID is not made for this type of use, perhaps obviously.
  • Each person has a focus mode created for them, which includes the following:
    • Lock Screen of their design
    • Home Screen(s) of their design
    • Use filters to show their preferred information in given apps, in particular Mail, Safari, and Music.
  • Each person has a Shortcut with their name on it that launches their focus mode and logs the time the "logged on" to make sure that they are being equitable with their device use. I may add more to what the Shortcut does as necessary, but the bulk of the work is being done by the Focus Mode.
  • The main home screen is made up of widgets with common information and the icon with their name that kicks off their shortcut.

In this vein specifically, I am looking forward to one new feature of iPadOS 18: locked and hidden apps. This feels like it jives with the ideas presented here.

The concept falls down in quite a few ways; I am not blind. However, given the intended uses and the ages of my children at this point, I think the pitfalls are manageable. The biggest one that I will have to navigate is the apps like Notes or Reminders that aren't intended to be shared unless explicitly across AppleIDs.

The functionality of Filters would be great for these apps, but they are not supported at this time. I could envision an approach whereby you have a Shared Notes folder or Reminders list with each family member and the Focus mode filters to that information. Alas, I am trying to do something that is counter to the whole ethos of modern, non-Mac Apple devices.

So perhaps I should explain the various reasons why I am doing this, instead of something easier like just purchasing a Mac. First and foremost, this is about teaching my children about technology within a controlled environment. Apple's mobile platforms, for all their foibles, are controlled, controllable, and generally safer for experimentation than other platforms. I can feel comfortable with my kids installing apps, visiting websites, and approaching common use cases without concern for their stumbling into the need to know complex cybersecurity problems.

I have realized too that regardless of my feelings toward minimizing technology in my personal life, my role as a parent is to prepare my children for this world and this world requires use and understanding of technology. In fact, society falsely assumes technological literacy in anyone younger than 40. As such, my hope with this experiment is to work through the basics of modern technology with them, including the myriad of use cases, common sense cybersecurity, and general troubleshooting and problem solving.

On top of that parental altruism, this concept is about challenging myself to figure this out in a repeatable way, while filling in a seeming gap in the current internet conversation and bucking the trend of individual devices without intentionality or concern for the impact of that trend. As I move through this process, I will document it, as well as any unexpected pitfalls or problems.

I think it is time that I get this website back to its roots. I chose the name of this site because I am an engineer in background who likes to connect with others through the written word. Writing has always been an outlet for me to share thoughts and foundations that I can share with my kids in the future. If for no other reason than their benefit, I still think that is a valuable pursuit.

  1. The one thing about using an Apple TV as a console now is the lack of an M-series processor for these console-level games now being released for Apple devices. Come on, Apple! ↩