Real ID and Parental Controls Questions

We've been receiving numerous questions about Real ID in the Customer Service forum. While this is not unexpected and we are more than happy to answers your inquiries, we want to make sure that you know where you can learn more about this new service. More information about Real ID can be found here:

Real ID Main Page
http://us.battle.net/realid/index.html

Real ID FAQ
http://us.battle.net/realid/faq.html

We would also like to remind all players that Real ID is a completely voluntary and optional service. Real ID may not be for everyone. If you do not wish to make use of the additional in-game features provided by Real ID, you don't have to.

In order for two players to become Real ID friends, each player will need to add the other as a Real ID friend, something which cannot be accomplished unless the full name and registered email address of the player is known. If two players do not mutually add each other as Real ID friends, neither will appear on the other player's Real ID friends list. Due to this functionality, you can opt-out of the service by simply refraining from adding another player as a Real ID friend.

You can also turn off Real ID friend requests, which will disable message prompts whenever another player adds you as a Real ID friend. To turn off Real ID friend requests, follow these quick steps:

• While in-game, bring up the Game Options menu (default: Esc).
  
• From there, click on "Interface" and then on "Battle.net."
  
• Uncheck "Real ID Friend Requests."

If you would like to add other players as Real ID friends, but are currently unable to do so in-game, it's possible that Parental Controls have already been set up for your Battle.net account and Real ID was disabled as a result. For more information on how to manage Parental Controls and re-enable Real ID, please refer to the next post in this thread.


Should you have any questions or concerns related to Real ID that are not covered in this thread, please do not hesitate to create a new topic. Comments, suggestions, and recommendations regarding this new service, however, are best directed to our Suggestions Forum.

While we recommend that players use the in-game options that are available for Real ID management, we understand that some will prefer to manage this service through Parental Controls. Before setting up Parental Controls, though, we do ask that you read through all available documentation including the Parental Controls FAQ to ensure that you are aware of how the system works and may affect your or your child's game play:

Parental Controls FAQ
http://us.blizzard.com/support/article/PCFAQ

If you would like to set up Parental Controls, please visit http://us.battle.net/parents to get started.

• Under “Getting Started is Easy,” click on the “No – Set up Parental Controls Now” option. This will prompt you to enter the “Child’s Battle.net Account Name,” “Child’s Battle.net Account Password,” and the “Parent’s Email Address.”
  
  
• For the child’s Battle.net account and password, enter the credentials for the account on which you wish to enable Parental Controls.
  
  
• Next, enter the parent’s email address, or the address through which you would like to manage Parental Controls. Please ensure that the email address you provide is active and that you have access to it, as the ability to manage Parental Controls will be dependent on this address.
  
  
• Once all information fields are filled, click “Set up Parental Controls.” This will send an email to the parent’s address that will include a link granting access to Parental Controls for the noted child’s account.

If you have already set up Parental Controls, but are unable to log in, please visit https://us.battle.net/account/parental-controls/retrieve.html to generate a recovery email. Please note that this feature will send recovery steps to the email address originally set up to manage Parental Controls. In many cases, this email address and Battle.net account email address will differ, and in the event that you no longer have access to your Parental Controls email, please contact Account Services for assistance (http://us.blizzard.com/support/article/contactbilling).

Once Parental Controls are set up, you can manage access to Real ID by toggling the “Enable Real ID” check box.