One Month of Beta: What Parents Told Us (and What We Built)

A little over a month ago, we invited the first group of families to try Shelta. We wanted to know: would the setup be too confusing? Would parents actually stick with it? What we got back was better than we hoped for: honest, detailed feedback from real families that completely shaped what Shelta became this month.

One of our first pieces of feedback. A family was traveling over the holidays and their kid's iPad couldn't connect to the hotel WiFi. Shelta's web filtering was blocking the hotel's login page. That's exactly the kind of real-world scenario we need to hear about.

So we built Travel Mode. One tap in your dashboard temporarily pauses web filtering so those login pages work. Everything else stays locked down. When you're back home, flip it off and full protection kicks back in. It even handles the case where the device is offline and automatically applies the change once it reconnects.

This came up a lot. At launch, setting up a device meant going through every option one by one. That's fine if you know exactly what you want, but most parents just want a good starting point for their child's age.

Now you can choose from three age-based templates: one for younger kids (5 to 8), one for tweens (9 to 12), and one for teens (13 to 16). Each one sets up sensible defaults for things like which apps are allowed, whether they can browse the web, and how much freedom they get. You can always adjust anything afterward. Think of it like choosing a recipe and then seasoning to taste.

Several parents asked about this. They liked Screen Time for daily limits and bedtime schedules, but wanted Shelta for the stronger protections that Screen Time doesn't offer. It's a great combination.

The answer is now yes. There's a toggle in your dashboard that lets Screen Time work alongside Shelta. We also added a reminder to set a Screen Time passcode your child doesn't know, so they can't change those settings on their own.

Kids are creative. One child was using an Apple Watch to get around restrictions on the iPad. Another figured out how to hide apps on their home screen using a new feature in iOS 18. This is exactly why we built Shelta the way we did. When a parent reports a new trick, we close that gap.

You can now prevent Apple Watch pairing, block kids from hiding or locking away apps, control who they play games with online, and stop them from taking screenshots of private conversations. Staying ahead of these workarounds is core to what we do.

This was a big one. The original content blocking only worked in the web browser, which meant kids could still stumble onto things through other apps. Our beta families were right to flag it.

We added filtering that works across the entire device. Not just the browser. It blocks adult content in every app, turns on safe search for Google and YouTube automatically, and prevents kids from using tools to get around it. This is one of the most important updates we've shipped, and it came directly from parent feedback.

We heard this more than once. Parents were looking at a list of settings and weren't sure what some of them actually did. So we added plain-language explanations to every single setting. Tap or hover on any option and you'll see what it does and a real-world example of why you might want it. No jargon, just clear answers.

Making setup smoother

This is where we spent the most time this month. Some parents ran into hiccups during setup. The iPad wouldn't get recognized. The process would stall if the cable wiggled loose. Small things, but they add up. We went through every one of these and fixed them.

Setup now handles interruptions gracefully. If something goes wrong, the error messages actually tell you what happened and what to do about it. We also discovered that restoring from an iCloud backup during setup can undo Shelta's protection. The app now walks you through choosing "Set Up as New" and explains that your child's photos, contacts, and app purchases all sync back through iCloud automatically.

What's coming next

We're working on a Shelta app for your iPhone so you can manage everything from your pocket. We're also building scheduled rules (different limits for school nights vs. weekends) and activity reports so you can see how your child is actually using their device.

We're also opening up the beta to more families this week. If you've been on the waitlist, keep an eye on your inbox.