How to Turn Off Screen Time on an iPhone

Screen Time is a powerful iOS feature designed to monitor your digital habits, block distracting apps, and enforce parental controls on a child’s device. However, if the feature is constantly bombarding you with “Time Limit Reached” pop-ups, draining your battery by tracking every single website you visit, or preventing you from downloading a necessary app, you must shut the engine down completely.

Turning off Screen Time is a relatively simple process if it is your own personal device. However, if the phone is locked down by a parent or an employer, the process becomes significantly more complicated.

Method 1: Turn Off Screen Time (Personal Device)

If you set up Screen Time for yourself just to monitor your own habits, you can disable the entire system with a single toggle.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down slightly and tap on Screen Time (the purple hourglass icon).
3. Scroll all the way down to the absolute bottom of this menu.
4. Tap the red text that says Turn Off Screen Time.
5. A pop-up will appear warning you that your history will be erased and all limits will be destroyed. Tap Turn Off Screen Time again to confirm.

The entire engine will shut down. The iPhone will instantly stop tracking your app usage, and all app timers and content restrictions will evaporate.

Method 2: Turn Off Screen Time (With a Passcode)

If you or a parent specifically locked the Screen Time settings with a 4-digit PIN code to prevent accidental (or intentional) tampering, you cannot use Method 1. The phone will demand the passcode before it allows you to shut the system down.

1. Navigate to Settings > Screen Time.
2. Scroll to the bottom and tap Turn Off Screen Time.
3. The screen will turn grey and a numeric keypad will appear, demanding the Screen Time Passcode.

Crucial Note: This is not the passcode you use to unlock your iPhone from the lock screen (unless you intentionally set them to be the exact same number). It is a dedicated 4-digit code created specifically for Screen Time.

4. Enter the 4-digit passcode.
5. Once authenticated, tap Turn Off Screen Time to finalize the shutdown.

Method 3: How to Bypass a Forgotten Screen Time Passcode

If you set up Screen Time three years ago and completely forgot the 4-digit code, you are not permanently locked out of your own phone. Apple implemented a recovery system tied to your Apple ID.

1. Navigate to Settings > Screen Time.
2. Instead of trying to turn it off immediately, tap on Change Screen Time Passcode.
3. Tap Turn Off Screen Time Passcode.
4. When the keypad appears demanding the code, look at the bottom of the screen. Tap the blue text that says Forgot Passcode?.
5. A new screen will pop up asking for your Apple ID and Password. Enter the credentials associated with the phone.
6. Once Apple verifies your identity, the passcode will be instantly stripped from the device.
7. You can now scroll down and tap Turn Off Screen Time without any resistance.

What if the Phone is Managed by Family Sharing?

If the iPhone is part of an Apple “Family Sharing” group and the Screen Time settings are actively being enforced by a “Parent/Guardian” account, none of the methods above will work. The “Forgot Passcode” trick is deliberately disabled to prevent children from bypassing parental controls.

The only way to turn off Screen Time on a child’s device is for the Parent to open the Settings app on their own iPhone, navigate to Family Sharing, select the child’s name, and turn off Screen Time remotely.