Screen Time is a feature that helps you monitor the amount of time you spend using your Apple devices. It also allows you to set limitations on apps and restrict unwanted content, but there may come a time when you'll want to disable it.
Read on to find out how to turn off this built-in feature on your iPhone and Mac.
How to Disable Screen Time on Your iPhone
To stop using Screen Time on your iOS device, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap on Screen Time from the list of settings.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page, search for Turn Off Screen Time, and tap it.
- A popup will appear at the bottom of your screen saying that all of the settings and restrictions that you made using this feature will be disabled as well. Confirm your decision by tapping Turn Off Screen Time again.
If you enjoy using this feature on your phone but only want to turn off the notifications, head to Settings > Notifications > Screen Time and toggle off Allow Notifications. After you turn off notifications, you will still be able to check out your Screen Time data, and the feature will continue to perform as usual.
If you want to continue using this feature but disable some of the restrictions or limitations that you added, head to Settings > Screen Time. Here you can turn off Downtime, disable App Limits, remove Content & Privacy Restriction. To do this, just select the Screen Time setting you no longer want to use and toggle it off. But keep in mind that you will be able to make changes only if you know the PIN that was used when setting up Screen Time in the first place.
How to Disable Screen Time on Your Mac
Here s how to completely turn off the Screen Time feature on macOS:
- Launch System Preferences from the dock.
- Click on Screen Time.
- At the bottom left-hand corner, click on Options and then Turn Off.
If you still want to receive app usage statistics but want to disable some of the Screen Time settings, head to System Preferences > Screen Time and choose the setting that you want to switch off. Here you can disable Downtime, App Limits, and Content & Privacy Restrictions.
If it s not Screen Time that is bothering you but the notifications, you can turn them off just as you can on an iPhone. You can switch off Screen Time notifications by opening System Preferences > Notifications. From the list of apps, search for Screen Time, and click on it. Then toggle off Allow Notifications from Screen Time. Here you can also modify the way you receive the Screen Time notifications.
How to Remove Screen Time Without the PIN
Unfortunately, the only way to disable Screen Time limitations on your iPhone or Mac without knowing the PIN that was used to set it up is to hard reset your device. You'll really have to hate Screen Time to use this option since all of the data stored on your device will be lost.
Switch Screen Time Back On Whenever Needed
Screen Time is a handy feature for tracking how much time you or your children spend using an iPhone or Mac. But sometimes you may want to take a break from this feature. You can easily switch it off and back on whenever you like. Just head to Settings > Screen Time on your iPhone or to System Preferences > Screen Time on your Mac and select the needed option.
