YOUR IPHONE
Spot it. Tap +15. Look suspiciously organised.
BUILT BY A DAD. STRESS-TESTED BY A CHILD.
More game time when they earn it. Less arguing when it runs out.
Spot something worth rewarding? Send minutes from your iPhone. Your child can use them now or save them for later. GGbot runs the clock on the family Mac, so you can stop hovering like a disappointed project manager.
Reward from iPhone
Count on Mac
Arguments outsourced
Started during the August holidays. Built by a dad and tested at home with his son.
THE 16-SECOND VERSION
You notice. You send +15. GGbot takes the complaints.
The minutes land on the family Mac. Your child can play now or bank them for later. You get to say why. Nobody opens a spreadsheet.
- 1See the effort
- 2Send minutes and say why
- 3Return to your coffee
Real app. Real taps. No concept UI wearing a fake moustache.
THE FAMILY CACHE PROBLEM
You remember ten minutes. They remember thirty.
Yesterday was different. Practice definitely counted. And “one last round” has somehow entered an infinite loop.
Set the rules once. GG Time keeps one balance, remembers the deal and runs the unpopular countdown.
THE HIGHLY ADVANCED PROTOCOL
See it. Say it. Send it. Stop negotiating.
-
1
See itCatch the practice, persistence or genuinely useful help.
-
2
Say why“You kept going” beats “because Dad said so.”
-
3
Send itAdd the minutes from your iPhone. Two taps, no committee.
-
4
Let them choosePlay now or save it for later. Their call.
No coins. No chore marketplace. No dishwasher IPO. Just minutes and a reason.
ONE DAD TO ANOTHER
Reward effort. Do not build a household economy.
Use minutes for the stuff worth noticing: persistence, practice and genuine help. Not every sock that reaches the laundry basket. Otherwise you have built SAP for childhood, and nobody wants that.
USEFUL “You kept practising even when it became difficult. +15.”
YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR “Two minutes for teeth. Quarterly bonus for matching socks.”
The minutes open the ears. The reason is the actual parenting.
Research footnotes for dads who open every settings panel
The short version: specific, sincere praise can help. Rewards that feel controlling can backfire. The reason you give matters as much as the minutes.
Read the reviews on specific praise, expected rewards and motivation with incentives, plus the AAP’s wider view of children’s digital lives.
GG Time itself has not been independently shown to improve motivation or eliminate family arguments. It is a small tool built around sensible principles, not a scientifically proven parenting intervention.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS
You send the minutes. Their Mac keeps the score.
Choose your child, add or remove minutes and say why. On the Mac, they can use the time now or save it. No family Slack thread required.
FAMILY MAC
Balance updated. Child chooses. Debate closed.
Parent controls also work on the Mac behind your PIN. Reasons are optional, but future-you will appreciate them.
SAVE FOR LATER
Some rewards are better in their pocket.
Send time now, or save it as a coupon in the child’s wallet on Mac. They choose when to redeem it. A wallet with expiry dates and no crypto. We checked.
Kept practising
IN THEIR WALLETAny time
IN THEIR WALLETMovie night
IN THEIR WALLETYOUR CLOCK. YOUR LIST.
You decide what counts as game time.
In Games & Limits, choose any Mac app from Applications. GG Time adds that app to the shared clock. Everything else stays out of it.
Yes, it reads the actual .app. No, “Homework Helper Pro” is not a convincing disguise.
LIMITS & GAMES
USES THE SHARED CLOCK
- MinecraftON THE CLOCK
- RobloxON THE CLOCK
- SteamON THE CLOCK
Choose a Game…Pick an app from Applications
HOW IT KNOWS
It follows the game, not just the icon.
Matches the frontmost app’s real bundle identity.
Recognises launched games across your Steam libraries.
Follows the official launcher, Lunar Client and Modrinth into their Java runtimes.
Only selected apps use minutes, and only while they are frontmost. Background-launcher theatre is free.
THE OUTSOURCED TIMER
GGbot handles the countdown. You keep plausible deniability.
Your child sees the time while playing. GGbot starts friendly, gives a five-minute warning and becomes noticeably less diplomatic at zero.
TIME REMAINS
Helpful. Slightly smug.
30 MIN LEFT “Choose your next mission wisely!”
5 MIN LEFT “Save your progress and finish like a champion.”
TIME’S UP
Negotiation service unavailable.
“Time’s up. Back away from the keyboard… nice and slowly. 😈”
Technically, GGbot is a state machine. Emotionally, it is the colleague willing to send the awkward email.
FIELD TESTED AT HOME
Hack-tested by my 13-year-old. Patched by his untiring father.
Screen-time software has an extremely motivated QA department living in the house. He found shortcuts. We turned them into tests and built a stronger shield. Thanks, son.
1BALANCE0:00
→
2LIMITED APPCLOSED
→
3OPEN IT AGAINCLOSED AGAIN
Zero means closed, not “please stop when convenient.” The limited app stays closed until a parent adds time or the next day begins.
PARENTADMIN
CHILDSTANDARD USER
GUARDIANROOT-OWNED
Household zero-trust, with snacks.
- FORCE QUIT GG TIMERESTARTEDGuardian brings it back. Limited games close during the gap.
- OPEN GAME AGAIN AT ZEROCLOSED AGAINPersistence acknowledged. Access denied.
- KILL THE USER HELPERRESTOREDThe system guardian restores the supervised helper.
- DELETE PIN OR LEDGERSTILL LOCKEDNo fresh setup. No surprise allowance.
Hardened, not hack-proof. Keep the administrator password with the parent. Apple Screen Time can remain a second hard cap for children who consider Terminal a puzzle game.
YES, WE KNOW
Why not just use Apple Screen Time?
You should. GG Time solves the bit around it.
Screen Time handles app limits, schedules and restrictions. GG Time does not replace it. Apple is also adding Time Allowances in its upcoming OS 27 releases.
GG Time handles the human bit: notice real-world effort, say why it mattered, send minutes, then let your child play now or save them.
Screen Time guards the door. GG Time handles the family deal.
WHEN BOTH CLOCKS ARE RUNNING
The stricter timer wins.
Screen Time and GG Time do not sync. Apple can block the game even while GG Time still shows minutes. GG Time cannot override it. Probably for the best.
SCREEN TIME1:00
GG TIME2:00
GAME BLOCKS AT1:00
Coupon still saved? It stays in the wallet until used or expired.
Coupon already used? The remaining minutes stay in today’s GG Time balance, do not return to the wallet, and expire at midnight.
Best default: use Screen Time as the higher emergency ceiling and GG Time for the everyday allowance. Keeping a strict one-hour Screen Time cap means approving more time in Screen Time too.
Set up both clocks without creating a time paradox →BEFORE YOU INSTALL
The useful small print.
What do I need?
An Apple-silicon Mac with macOS 14+, a Standard account for your child and your administrator password. An iPhone with iOS 17.4+ is optional for remote parent controls. Tea remains optional.
What can the apps see?
The Mac checks which app is frontmost. The iPhone uses its camera for the pairing code, Face ID or passcode for changes, and Local Network for nearby delivery.
Where does the data live?
Balances, reasons, settings and history stay on your devices and in your family’s private iCloud share. GG Time runs no separate family-data server.
How do I connect the iPhone?
After the Mac install, create a five-minute pairing code in Parent Access and scan it in GG Time Parent. iCloud carries remote changes; nearby delivery is the fallback. Get iPhone access through the family pilot.
Is the Mac installer signed?
Yes. Release 1.2.9 is signed with Developer ID, notarised by Apple and published with a checksum. Updates wait for the parent, as they should.
Read the family installation guide → Read the plain-language privacy details →
FAMILY PILOT PRICING
Free while the children find our bugs.
The Mac app, Parent iPhone companion and pilot updates cost nothing during the family pilot. Future pricing will be published before anything changes. No surprise billing side quest.
READY PLAYER PARENT?
Keep the games. Delete the timer argument.
You decide what earns time. GGbot counts it. Your child gets a choice. You get to stop being the human alarm clock.
Signed & notarised · macOS 14+ · Apple silicon · free during the family pilot