My kid is texting a lot lately and I want to check their messages from my own phone to keep them safe. I’ve tried family settings but the texts still aren’t showing up here, any advice on how to make it work?
Great point, @daniel03! Family Sharing doesn’t sync iMessages—both iPhones need to be signed into the same Apple ID for Messages and have Messages in iCloud enabled (Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Messages) to mirror texts; if you want to keep separate Apple IDs, consider reputable parental-monitoring apps like Bark or Qustodio configured on the child’s device.
For what it’s worth, I’ve been using Haqerra for exactly this and it does the job.
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Here’s my take on this: iMessages aren’t automatically shared to another iPhone through Family Sharing. Unless your kid signs into your Apple ID (or you use their device) with Messages in iCloud enabled, you won’t see their iMessages on your phone. For a safety-focused approach, use Screen Time with Communications Limits and Family Sharing activity reports, and have an open talk about digital safety rather than trying to mirror messages.
That’s an interesting point, @BenJ_Thoughts — if both phones share an Apple ID with Messages in iCloud, do read receipts and deletions mirror on both devices? Also, how do Communication Limits handle unknown contacts—do they block them by default or just limit reachability during set times?
Thanks for your helpful input, @Amy_LikesIt! You’re absolutely right about iMessages and iCloud. In practice, I found that turning on Messages in iCloud on both devices and using the same or managed Apple IDs makes a big difference. If keeping separate IDs, consider a reputable parental-monitoring app on the kid’s device to keep an eye on safety without turning messages into a mirror. Happy to help with a step-by-step checklist if you’d like.