If you (or your kids) are glued to your smartphone, and you want to scale back, Apple's Screen Time feature can help. It can be used to track how much time you spend on your phone or tablet, and discover which apps you use the most. Then, to help you kick your smartphone habit, you can set up time limits on specific apps or disable certain features entirely.
Screen Time monitoring and restrictions can also be synced across multiple devices so you can see how much time you spend on all your Apple devices collectively. Apple also adds new features all the time, so go to Settings > General > Software Update to see if your OS is up to date.
If you are 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.
Set Up Screen Time
To enable Screen Time, go to Settings > Screen Time and tap Turn On Screen Time. Read the information at the Screen Time screen and tap Continue. You are then asked if this device is for you or your child. If it's for you, tap This is My iPhone.
Screen Time will now monitor how much time you spend with individual apps, features, and settings on your phone. You can then choose to set up a passcode to secure your Screen Time settings and request additional time with an app if the set amount expires.
To set this up, swipe down the screen and tap Use Screen Time Passcode, then enter your passcode. Enter your Apple ID and password to use as a recovery method in case you ever forget your Screen Time passcode.
If you have more than one Apple device—iPhone, iPad, or Mac—and want to monitor your Screen Time information across them all, you can enable the Share Across Device option. You will need to enable two-factor authentication for your Apple ID, if it's not already activated.
Additionally, if you previously chose to set a passcode, you will need to enter it before enabling the sharing across devices feature.
How to View Your Activity
After Screen Time is enabled, your activity will be tracked. You can view this activity under Settings > Screen Time to see the average amount of time you spend using your device for today and each day of the week. Tap See All Activity to view the daily and weekly results.
You can swipe down the screen to see your most used apps and notifications. If you tap a specific app, it will show you the daily average usage and when during the day you use the app the most.
Set Downtime Hours
You can now set limits on which apps and features you can access and for how long. Open to Settings > Screen Time and tap the Downtime entry to create a time frame during which time only certain apps will be allowed, similar to Apple's Focus modes. Tap the From time and then the To time to set the time limits for all days.
You can also tap Customize Days to schedule different times for each day of the week. To block all apps and activity on your device at downtime, turn on the switch next to Block at Downtime. You can also activate Downtime immediately if you tap the Turn On Downtime Until Schedule link.
If you want certain apps to always bypass the Downtime block, you can set that up by tapping Always Allowed. You can then tap the plus (+) icon next to an app to allow it or tap the minus (-) icon and choose Remove to delete an app from the Always Allow list.
If you set up Downtime on your device, a message will pop up when five minutes are left before you're blocked from using the selected apps on your phone. After the time is up, you can add more time by entering your Screen Time passcode and requesting access to additional time.
Set App and Website Limits
Separate from Downtime, you can also choose App Limits to set how long you are allowed to use specific apps in the span of a day. To set this up, tap Add Limit and select an entire category that you want to limit.
You can also open a category to view a list of associated apps that fit into that category, so you can pick only the specific apps you wish to limit. Conversely, you can also choose All Apps and Categories to set the same limit on all apps, regardless of category.
You can also limit your time on individual websites. From the Choose Apps screen, swipe down to the bottom of the categories list and tap Websites, then choose Add Website. You can then enter the URL for any websites you want to limit.
After you make your selections, tap Next and set the amount of time you are allowed to use the apps and websites you selected. You can choose a different duration for each day by tapping Customize Days. If you wish to make different limits for individual categories, you must set them up separately. Tap Add to finalize your selections.
Set Communication Limits
You can also set limits to determine how long you can make phone calls, use FaceTime, send text messages, or otherwise communicate with iCloud contacts. From the main Screen Time screen, tap the Communication Limits option. You then set who has permission to contact you while Screen Time is activated.
Tap During Screen Time to choose who can get through to you when Screen Time is active. Tap During Downtime to choose specific contacts who can reach you during downtime hours. You also have the option to block everyone but your contacts.
If you choose Specific Contacts, tap Add Contacts from the menu below. You can then select the contacts you wish to add, and only those people will be allowed to call.
Set Content and Privacy Restrictions
If you want to allow or disallow specific content, privacy settings, or any other changes, tap Content & Privacy Restrictions from the main Screen Time menu. Turn on the switch next to Content & Privacy Restrictions to proceed. You then have three options to customize:
- iTunes & App Store Purchases: Tap this entry to allow or disallow the installation or deletion of apps, as well as any in-app purchases. You can also require a password to make in-app purchases on an app you have already downloaded.
- Allowed Apps: Select this option and then toggle individual apps to enable or disable them.
- Content Restrictions: Choose this option if you want to allow or ban specific content from the App Store, web, and other sources.
You can also turn to the Privacy section to limit the data that is shared from certain apps, such as Location Services. Tap each entry to allow or disallow the feature. Before any of these changes can go into effect, they must first be approved. Look to the the Allow changes section, then tap each change to allow or disallow it.
How to Set Up Screen Time For a Child
If you are setting up your child's iPhone and want to create limits for their account, the easiest way to do that is directly on their iPhone or iPad. Go to Settings > Screen Time and tap Turn On Screen Time. At the screen asking if this device is for yourself or your child, tap This is My Child's iPhone.
However, you can also do this from your own phone if you previously set up Apple Family Sharing. Under Screen Time should be a section that shows all your family members. Tap the name of the child for whom you want to set up Screen Time and then tap Turn On Screen Time.
You are then asked to set which content the child can access. Set the age range for the child and tap each category to set more specific limits. When finished, tap Turn on Restrictions.
At the next screen, tap Turn On Communications Safety to protect the child from sensitive photos. Next, set Downtime schedule and determine how much time your child should be away from the screen. Pick specific Start and End times and then tap Turn On Downtime.
You can then choose the app categories for which you want to set limits. Tap Show All Categories to see everything. Swipe to the bottom of the screen and tap Set next to Time Amount to choose the amount of time your child will be given to access apps in the chosen categories. You then enter a passcode to make Screen Time go into effect.
From here, drill down into the settings for Downtime, App Limits, Communication Limits, Always Allowed, and Content & Privacy Restrictions to make changes or further modify a child's account.
If you set up App Limits on your child's device, a message will pop up when any selected apps have five minutes left before they are blocked. They will see the Time Limit screen if they try to open the app. By tapping Ask For More Time, they can request one more minute or open to the passcode screen so you can lift the limit.
If you are worried about how much time you or your child spends using certain apps, you can monitor usage directly from Screen Time. The main screen displays the amount of time spent on each category. Tap See All Activity to drill down and see the amount of time for each app, either for the week or for the current day.