Giving a First Phone This Christmas: Set It Up Before You Wrap It

Before you wrap it

Do these on your own phone, a few days ahead if you can.

• Start with your own accounts

  For an iPhone, Apple says Family Sharing needs to be set up and the organiser must be an adult. For Android, the parent needs to be 18 or older with a Google Account to use Family Link. Full step-by-step: see our iPhone guide and our Android phone guide.

  • Your phone or tablet
  • Your account

• Create the child's account from your own device

  Apple's steps for creating a Child Account are all done on your own iPhone or iPad. Google says the Family Link steps for creating a child's Google Account are done in the parent's own app, and that it takes about 15 minutes. That means you can do this part before the box is opened.

  • Your phone or tablet
  • Your account

• Check the age rules

  In the UK, Apple says a child under 13 can't create an Apple Account without help and consent from a parent or guardian, and must be part of a Family Sharing group. Google's minimum age to manage your own Google Account is 13 in the UK. Below that, a parent can create the account with the Family Link app.

• Update your devices first

  If you use Apple's new parental controls, Apple says every device in your Family Sharing group, including your own, needs version 27 or later of iOS, iPadOS, macOS or watchOS. Check yours before the day. For Android, check the phone is on Google's list of devices that Family Link can supervise.

  • Software update

• Put yourself in their contacts

  Apple says the Family Sharing organiser or another parent or guardian must be in the child's contacts list so that the child's requests can be sent to you for approval.

• Choose the first apps together

  With Apple's iOS 27 parental controls you can choose which apps your child can use first (a few essentials, a curated set, or hand-picked) and add more over time through Ask to Buy.

What you'll need on the day

• Your own phone, signed in

  Apple tells parents to have Family Sharing set up and to be signed in to their own Apple Account before setting up the child's device. On a new Android phone, Google says the parent signs in with their own Google Account, gives parental consent and picks the child's settings at first start-up.

  • Your phone or tablet
  • Your account

• Wi-Fi details and a little patience

  A new iPhone needs a Wi-Fi or mobile network connection to activate and continue setup, so have the Wi-Fi password to hand. On Android, Google says changes you make in Family Link, such as blocking or unblocking an app, take about five minutes to apply once the child's phone is connected to the internet.

  • Wi-Fi
  • Software update

• A credit card, if you are asked to prove you are an adult or give consent

  In the UK, Apple says an adult can confirm they are 18 or over with a credit card in their own name, a scan of a passport or driving licence, or a PASS-accredited Proof of Age card. Debit cards and gift cards can't be used. An adult who hasn't confirmed can't adjust Apple's safety settings until they do. For Google, one way to give parental consent is a credit card: it is not charged, but a temporary authorisation may be placed on it and is usually removed within 48 hours.

  • Payment method

• Your child, only if they already have a Google Account

  For a child who already has their own Google Account, such as a teenager, Google says adding supervision needs the child and their device to be with you at the time. Plan it for a quiet moment, not as a surprise.

  • Your child there

If it's second-hand

Our used and refurbished phone guide has the full checklist. These are the points that matter most when a phone is a gift. Check them before you wrap it, because a lock found on Christmas morning is hard to fix.

• iPhone: it must not be linked to the last owner

  For a used iPhone bought from anyone other than Apple or an Apple Authorised Reseller, Apple says to make sure it has been erased and is no longer linked to the previous owner's account. If setup asks for the previous owner's Apple Account details, it is still linked, and Apple says to hand it back to the seller to enter their password. If it shows an 'iPhone Locked to Owner' screen (iOS 15 or later), Apple says not to take ownership of it.

• Android: the reset lock

  Google says Factory Reset Protection ties a reset Android phone to the previous owner's Google Account or screen lock. To turn it off, the previous owner removes their Google Account from the phone before resetting. If those details can't be supplied during setup after a reset, Google says the new owner won't be able to use the phone at all.

• A hand-me-down from the family

  When reusing a family member's old iPhone or iPad for a child, Apple says the previous user should back up, sign out of their Apple Account and remove their personal information first.

On Christmas Day

• Gift cards and codes

  Don't rely on Ask to Buy to stop gift-card or code spending. Apple's own help pages don't agree on whether a child redeeming a code needs your approval, and Apple doesn't say what happens with a gift-card balance. Keep any card or code yourself until you have set the account up and tested it.

  • Payment method

• New contacts

  Apple says that when a parent controls who the child can communicate with, a message from someone new is hidden from the child until a parent or guardian in the Family Sharing group approves it. Apple also says Communication Safety is on by default for children under 18 (the age varies by country or region). Agree on day one who your child can message, and who they should tell if someone new gets in touch.

• Purchase requests

  On an iPhone, Apple says Ask to Buy is on by default for children under 13. If you don't approve an Ask to Buy request within 24 hours, or you dismiss it, your child has to ask again. On Android, Google says Family Link purchase approval only covers purchases made through Google Play's billing system, and you can choose to require approval for all content, paid content only, in-app purchases only, or never.

  • Your phone or tablet

• Content filters are not a complete block

  Google says Google Play content restrictions are not a complete block: restricted content can still show in search results or be reached through a direct link. Keep an eye on what is installed over the first few days.

• You don't have to finish everything today

  A short chat about the basics is enough on Christmas Day. Save the detailed family agreement for Boxing Day or the days after.

Ages and accounts

• Apple

  Apple says a Child Account is required for children under 13 and is available for children up to 18, with the exact ages varying by country or region. A 13 to 17 year old whose parent has set up Screen Time needs the organiser's permission to leave the Family Sharing group, and Apple adds that depending on local law they may not be able to leave until they turn 18. At 18 a young person can decide to leave or manage their own Screen Time. Ask to Buy and Ask to Browse are on by default for children under 13, and Limit Adult Websites is on by default for children under 18.

• Google

  When a child turns 13, Google emails the parent and the child to say the child can update their account. Supervision doesn't simply end at 13: Google says a parent can stop it at any time, but a child needs a parent's approval to stop supervision until they turn 18. Google's help pages don't all word this the same way, so check Family Link when your child turns 13.