If this is still bugging you (as it is me), I'd recommend adding your voice here:
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Downtime not blocking some apps
- Thread starter rexone
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
For anyone still struggling with this, as I have been, I have found a fix:
1. Turn off Screen time on the child's device. You can do this from the parental device or the child's device.
2. Using the child's device, turn on screen time. Set up a Screen Time password and the various settings.
Now Netflix is blocked, and Safari / Chrome / etc will not open websites in Downtime. Same goes for YouTube and Instagram etc.
Note: Screen Time for the child will show as 'Off' on the parental device.
Do not turn on Screen Time from the parental device.
If you turn on ScreenTime from the parental device, it will somehow permanently unblock Chrome / Safari / Netflix / YouTube and others for the child. Do the above steps again to fix it.
Yes Screen Time doesn't work and is broken. This fail should be simple for Apple to fix.
1. Turn off Screen time on the child's device. You can do this from the parental device or the child's device.
2. Using the child's device, turn on screen time. Set up a Screen Time password and the various settings.
Now Netflix is blocked, and Safari / Chrome / etc will not open websites in Downtime. Same goes for YouTube and Instagram etc.
Note: Screen Time for the child will show as 'Off' on the parental device.
Do not turn on Screen Time from the parental device.
If you turn on ScreenTime from the parental device, it will somehow permanently unblock Chrome / Safari / Netflix / YouTube and others for the child. Do the above steps again to fix it.
Yes Screen Time doesn't work and is broken. This fail should be simple for Apple to fix.
EDIT
I'm still having issues here. Even if I set it up on the child's device and select 'this is my child's device' when setting it up, when downtime is active, all apps show 'Ignore this limit'.
All my child has to do is press 'ignore this limit' then they can play games all bloody night. How bloody farking braindead.
I found a fix.
When setting up Screen Time (do this on your child's device), turn off the setting 'Share Across Devices'. This should remove the 'ignore this limit' option in Downtime. You'll have to do this for each one of your child's devices. Also check back on this setting when you are done. It has a habit of turning itself back on again.
Screen time is overly complicated for what should be simple needs. And its complexity makes bugs difficult to track down because it is hard to determine whether its a bug or intended behavior based on the current myriad of conflicting settings.
It took me hours to figure out what was going on.. o searched every forum and o FINALLY found a solution! Idk if it’ll work for everyone but if you all tried all the above solutions and it STILL failed… what worked for me was 1. Reset all settings by going to general > reset > reset all settings. No worries your iPad will still be signed in and have all your apps!!! It just ensures the kiddo didn’t change a setting your unaware of. 2. (The important step!) when you set up screen time again, DO NOT select “share across devices”!!!! Turning this setting off (or never turning it on) literally solved my issue. No idea why but it worked!
This is SO ON PURPOSE. Apple could easily fix this and it's downright evil. I am trying to protect my child and Apple is deliberately standing in the way of that. Standing in the way of all of the parents trying to do what's RIGHT. I have wasted countless hours, over many months, on this problem only to find that after hours of getting things set up correctly, redoing everything... the apps do not remain blocked, things i have toggled off find their way toggled back on again. IF I HAD ONE WISH, EVERY APPLE DEVICE (and all the others too) WOULD BE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN. This is DELIBERATE, make no mistake.
I have toggled "share across devices" OFF and it goes dark after toggling itself back on again. Now I can not change it AT ALL. It is PERMANENTLY ON with no option for me to turn it off again.
I totally agree. I have screen time set at 8pm but whats app still works. 'Share across devices' is off but it doesn't make any difference. I can see from this forum that this problem has been going on for years and Apple has not solved it. Maybe many parents are not aware of it but those WHO are and care about their kids must feel very angry to see that these multinational companies who have so much power over our kids are getting away with anything and can continue to ignore our concerns. I can think of so many better things to do in my life than trying to prevent apps bypassing my settings...
This is SO ON PURPOSE. Apple could easily fix this and it's downright evil. I am trying to protect my child and Apple is deliberately standing in the way of that. Standing in the way of all of the parents trying to do what's RIGHT. I have wasted countless hours, over many months, on this problem only to find that after hours of getting things set up correctly, redoing everything... the apps do not remain blocked, things i have toggled off find their way toggled back on again. IF I HAD ONE WISH, EVERY APPLE DEVICE (and all the others too) WOULD BE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN. This is DELIBERATE, make no mistake.
This is SO ON PURPOSE. Apple could easily fix this and it's downright evil. I am trying to protect my child and Apple is deliberately standing in the way of that. Standing in the way of all of the parents trying to do what's RIGHT. I have wasted countless hours, over many months, on this problem only to find that after hours of getting things set up correctly, redoing everything... the apps do not remain blocked, things i have toggled off find their way toggled back on again. IF I HAD ONE WISH, EVERY APPLE DEVICE (and all the others too) WOULD BE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN. This is DELIBERATE, make no mistake.
I just got through struggling with this.
13 year old son had screen time turned on, with a passcode, blocked at downtime, yet some apps were off (Safari) and other game apps were accessible. Sharing across devices was turned off. Eventually I had to reset and restart and redo all the Screen Time restrictions and now it's working as expected, finally.
But I would really like to be able to grant more screen time remotely. I think that's only possible if it is a child account under age 13 linked to your parent one. Is that true? My son's apple ID now is for 13 year old so it wouldn't let me put it as a child account. I suppose I could make a new one but wanted to check if there is any way for him to keep his existing appleID and have it be a child under mine.
Agreed this whole thing is so convoluted for no reason. Hate it.
13 year old son had screen time turned on, with a passcode, blocked at downtime, yet some apps were off (Safari) and other game apps were accessible. Sharing across devices was turned off. Eventually I had to reset and restart and redo all the Screen Time restrictions and now it's working as expected, finally.
But I would really like to be able to grant more screen time remotely. I think that's only possible if it is a child account under age 13 linked to your parent one. Is that true? My son's apple ID now is for 13 year old so it wouldn't let me put it as a child account. I suppose I could make a new one but wanted to check if there is any way for him to keep his existing appleID and have it be a child under mine.
Agreed this whole thing is so convoluted for no reason. Hate it.