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How to Use Apple's Screen Time on iPhone or iPad

Are you spending too much time on your iPhone and iPad? With Screen Time, you can set screen time limits for yourself or your child and develop some healthy device habits.

Lance Whitney
by Lance Whitney 

Are you or your kids glued to your smartphones? Do you want to scale back? Apple's Screen Time feature allows you to see how often you or your kids use the phone, where you spend your time, and which apps you use the most.

To help kick your smartphone habit, you can set up different options to block certain apps or limit the time you spend with them on your iPhone or iPad. Since the feature is cloud-based, it can show you how much time you spend on all your iOS devices collectively.

In iOS 13, Apple updated Screen Time with some new and improved features. You can now better limit your access to certain content by combining specific apps, app categories, and websites. Your children's screen time can be viewed as weekly reports with graphs and compared week over week. If you upgrade to iOS 13.3 or higher, you can manage who can contact you or your kids via phone calls, FaceTime, or messages.

If you're ready to tackle tech addiction, or just keep a closer eye on how much time you spend staring at your phone, here's how to get started.

Update Your Device

First, make sure you're running iOS 13.3 or higher. To check, open Settings > General > About. Scroll down the About screen to the entry for Version. If you see 13.3 or higher listed, you're set. If not, tap the Back arrow to return to the General screen and tap the entry for Software Update to download and install the latest version of iOS.

Enable Screen Time

To enable Screen Time, navigate to Settings > Screen Time and tap the Turn On Screen Time option. Read the information at the Screen Time screen and tap Continue. The next screen asks if this device is for you or your child. If it's for you, tap This is My iPhone.

Set Screen Time Passcode

Screen Time will now monitor how much time you spend with individual apps, features, and settings on your phone, starting with the Settings app. Swipe down the screen. Tap Use Screen Time Passcode if you want to secure your Screen Time settings and finagle more time with an app if the set amount of time expires. Type and retype a passcode.

Monitor Multiple Devices

Next, turn on the switch to Share Across Devices if you have more than one iOS device and want to record and view your Screen Time information across them all. You'll need to enable two-factor authentication, if it's not already activated. If you set a passcode, you're prompted to enter it to enable sharing across devices.

Set Downtime

Now you can set limits on which apps and features you can access and for how long. Tap the entry for Downtime and turn on the switch. You can create a time frame during which only certain apps will be allowed. Tap the From time and then the To time to set both for all days, or tap Customize Days to schedule different times for each day of the week.

Set App Limits

Back at the Screen Time menu, tap App Limits > Add Limit. At the Categories screen, you can either leave the default setting for All Apps & Categories, or select individual apps to limit. Tap an app category to see all the apps inside. You can then choose either the entire category or specific apps.

Set Website Limits

Swipe down further and tap the option for Websites. Tap Add Website and type the URL for the website you want to include.

Set Time Limits

After your desired apps are selected, tap Next. At the Time screen, set the number of hours and/or minutes after which the apps in the categories you chose will be blocked from further use. You can choose a different duration for each day by tapping the option for Customize Days. Create different limits for different categories by setting them up separately. Tap Add to finish and view your settings.

Communication Limits

At the main screen, tap the option for Communication Limits. Here, you can control communications from other people via phone calls, FaceTime, text messages, or iCloud. You can then set who has permission to contact you while Screen Time is activated.

Tap During Allowed Screen Time to choose who can get through to you when Screen Time is active. Tap During Downtime to decide who can reach you during downtime hours. With Screen Time, you can block everyone but your contacts; Downtime gives you the ability to choose specific people.

If you choose Specific Contacts, tap Add Contacts from the menu below. You can then choose the contacts you wish to add and only those people will be allowed to call.

Always Allow Certain Apps

At the main Screen Time menu, tap the entry for Always Allowed. Here, you can fine-tune your limits to allow certain apps to bypass the block. To add an app to the allowed list, tap its plus sign. If you want to remove an app from the Always Allow list, tap the minus sign and tap Remove.

Set Content and Privacy Restrictions

Back at the main screen, tap the entry for Content & Privacy Restrictions. Here, you can allow or disallow specific content, privacy settings, and other changes. Turn on the switch for Content & Privacy Restrictions.

Restrict App Purchases

Tap the entry for iTunes & App Store Purchases from the Content & Privacy Restrictions menu. You can allow or disallow installing apps, deleting apps, and in-app purchases. You can also require a password to make in-app purchases on an app you've already downloaded.

Allow Specific Apps

If you want to enable or disable specific apps, tap Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps and toggle apps on or off. If you want to allow or ban specific content from the App Store, the web, and other sources, tap Content & Privacy Restrictions > Content Restrictions and pick what you'd like to allow or block.

Privacy Settings

If you want to limit the data that’s shared from certain apps, you can control your settings in the Content & Privacy Restrictions menu under the Privacy section. Tap each entry to allow or disallow it.

Allow Changes

Once you make changes on the Content & Privacy Restrictions, those changes must be approved before they go into effect. In the Allow changes section, tap each change to allow or disallow it, and you're done.

Enable Screen Time for a Child

Now, let's say you want to create limits for a child's account. The easiest way to do this is on your child's iPhone or iPad. Turn on Screen Time and tap Continue. At the screen asking if this device is for yourself or your child, tap the button for This is My Child's iPhone.

Set Downtime for a Child

At the next screen, pick the Start and End times for Downtime. Tap the button to Set Downtime.

Set App Limits for a Child

At the screen for App Limits, keep the setting for All Apps & Categories or tap the specific categories you want to include. Tap Set. Choose the hours and/or minutes for the app limit. Tap Set App Limit.

Set Parent Passcode

At the Content & Privacy screen, tap Continue. At the Parent Passcode screen, enter and re-enter a passcode. Screen Time then goes into effect.

Modify Screen Time Settings

From here, you can drill down into the settings for Downtime, App Limits, Communication Limits, Always Allowed, and Content & Privacy Restrictions to make or modify further changes for your child's account.

Downtime Warning Message

If you set up App Limits on your device or your child's device, a message will pop up when any selected apps have five minutes left before they're blocked. After the time is up, you can add more time by entering your Screen Time passcode and requesting access for an additional period.

App Limit Warning

If you set up App Limits on your device or your child's device, a message will pop up when any selected apps have five minutes left before they're blocked. After the time is up, you can add more time by entering your Screen Time passcode and requesting access for an additional period.

Monitor App Usage

If you are worried about how much time you or your child spend using certain apps, you can monitor usage directly from Screen Time. The main screen displays the amount of time spent on each category. Tap the chart to drill down and see the amount of time for each app, either for the week or for the current day.

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About Lance Whitney

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