Not every app is right for every child
Social media and AI apps are where a lot of childhood now happens. Some of it is harmless. Some of it isn't: endless feeds built to keep kids scrolling, strangers in group chats, and a chatbot that will happily write tomorrow's essay.
Alpaca helps you decide what reaches your child's Mac. This update makes it easier to say yes to some things and no to others, and it gets you set up faster.
Say no to TikTok, yes to Pinterest
Until now, it was mostly all or nothing: block every social media app, or none of them. Now you choose.
You can switch off these nine apps one by one:
- Threads
- Tumblr
- Bluesky
- BeReal
- VK
- Discord
They sit right next to TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter) and Snapchat.
- Want them all gone? One switch still turns off every social media app, Discord included.
- Threads has its own switch. Turning off Instagram doesn't turn off Threads.
- Turning off just Instagram, Facebook, X or Snapchat now works on its own, without switching off everything else.
New choices arrive by themselves: when we add more apps to choose from, they'll appear in Alpaca on their own. There's nothing for you to update.
Decide when AI is right for your kids
Every family sees AI a little differently.
Some parents want their children to learn things for themselves: to read, think it through, get stuck, and work it out. That's how knowledge really sticks. Other parents are perfectly happy for their kids to ask ChatGPT for help with homework, much like we once reached for the encyclopedia.
There's no wrong answer, and Alpaca doesn't choose for you. With one switch, you can turn off ChatGPT and other popular AI apps on your child's Mac, then turn them back on whenever it suits your family. Maybe AI stays off on school nights and comes back for a weekend project you do together. You decide.
Much faster to install
Alpaca is now much smaller, so it downloads and installs much faster.
Once it's installed, Alpaca tells you what it's doing:
- You'll see "Protection starting" while it gets ready.
- No internet yet? It waits and tries again by itself.
- You'll get a message when protection is ready.
You can switch protection on straight away. There's no need to wait.
Easier on your home internet
Alpaca now only downloads something when there's an update, so it uses much less of your home internet in the background.
Fewer everyday websites blocked by mistake
We fixed a problem that sometimes stopped everyday websites from opening. The things you chose to block stay blocked.
Your family's privacy comes first
Alpaca checks websites right on your Mac. We don't see the websites your family visits, we don't keep a list of them, and we never sell your data.
If someone starts signing up but never finishes, we delete that account after about a day. We don't hold on to information nobody uses.
A few small fixes
- Clearer messages when signing in. If you type the wrong password, Alpaca now tells you so, instead of showing a confusing error.
- The "confirm your account" email now works on Android phones, if that's where you open it.
Works on newer and older Macs
Alpaca runs on both newer and older Macs. The download page shows whether yours is supported.
Get the update
Already using Alpaca? It offers you the update by itself. Just click Update.
New to Alpaca? Try it free for 14 days.
Questions? We're happy to help on our support page.
Learn more
- Alpaca for Mac — Getting Started — a step-by-step setup guide
- Download Alpaca — add your family's iPhones, iPads and Android phones too
- Pricing — plans for iPhone, iPad, Android and Mac