Screen Time not working after update

I had the same issue and thought that it started after upgrading to ios14.4. But I was wrong.

The approvals for the additional screen time requests of my doughter didn't work anymore if I accepted on my iPgone. It was also not possible to access her screen time settings and log from my iPhone anymore. There was just an endless spinning wheel.

I followed many tutorials trying to fix it, re-installed my iPhone, the iPhone if my daughter and also her iPad. No success.

But today I found the solution: Some time ago, she added me to the "blocked contacts" list of facetime. The consequence was: (1) If I called her via facetime it didn't ring on her side anymore, and if she called via facetime my phone was ringing, but no connection could be established (2) she didn't receive any iMessages from me anymore, but I could still receive from her (3) the screen time parental control was broken.

After removing me from her Blocked Contacts list of facetime everything works fine again.

I don’t know if this will help anyone but I’ve been struggling for months with screen time suddenly not working after it had been working just fine. After researching and reading site after site, I finally found something that worked for me. If any of your kids are using low battery mode, the amount of time an app is being used will not be reported and therefore screen time will not work. Switching the phone back to regular battery mode instantly fixed my problem. Hopefully it helps some of you.

One thing I have found to work although it might not be convenient, is managing your child’s phone via his or her device directly. On my daughters phone, which is the exact same model and year as mine (iPhone XR) I experience no issues. It’s only when I attempt to do it via my phone that all the settings I had in place delete. As well as the freezing and crashing. Hope apple has moms on their design team working on this. Lol.

Setting up a screen time no longer works in downtime, you have to set up through App Limits which will give you control once again. My daughter IPad and phone was providing her access at 10PM instead of 7AM. Difference is you only can provide hours per time you would like all apps to shut down

I’m having the same issue as well. I have 5 kids who were all set up on screen time controls. After the last eat update all settings were reset and each time I take the time to reset them to my preferences they go back to being undone. I can actually watch screen time turn back off as soon as I turn it on.

now all my kids are unprotected.

Interesting.

I have iPad Air 2, Macbook pro 2015 and new iPhone 12. For my personal account, screen time sharing across these 3 devices works just fine. However, I am using them as work tools, I do not need to monitor myself.

Then I have Macbook air, where I have got an administrator account and my child is another user account (child account) to whom I've set up family sharing etc.

Even this device reports OK within my pesonal account, typically 0s, since I am not using it.

But for the child account, who is in sensitive age, where I actually need the overview, screen time just shows blank field: "As this device is used, screen time will be reported here".

All devices are updated to latest available firmwares.

Tried to toggle with Screen Time On / Off on all devices, particularly on the problematic Macbook air. I have the impression it worked after that for a day or so, but then went again back to blank screen and no reporting.

I cannot intervene child's Macbook air every day asking my teenager for the access in order to toggle, reset or do whatever to get the screen time working. It is a sensitive thing, I do not want to be a policeman.

So, I need to say

• the screen time is not working where I need it most - to monitor teenager (family member screen time sharing)
• the screen time works fine where I do not need it as much - to monitor my own habits and activities (personal screen time sharing)

Please please report this to Apple. Someone posted the link where you actually report to them all issues which I did after it was posted. With all your technical specifically laid out issues maybe they will notice and fix it. I reported too but mine wasn’t as near as formal and laid out as yours

The same thing has been happening to me on my iPhone for what I now realize has been months. I have the iPhone 11 Pro software version 14.4 (up to date.) I assumed that it was still working and when it was stuck on “thinking “mode it was just a poor Internet connection . however I realized that it was not when my son spent nine hours on his iPad last Sunday after I just happened to check his device. Clearly there are other issues here, including him sneaking and using the device which we are addressing. I’ve tried everything including erasing and resetting my phone twice. It Does not work it just gets frozen on the screen thinking which currently means it is not syncing with my children’s phones, I I can’t see the screen time nor can I make adjustments to it. Both of their phones are updated as well. My husband has the XR and his screen time does work. Apple needs to fix this ASAP it is dangerous for children do you have unlimited access to the Internet, screen time, etc. with the zero ability for parents to control. I’m thinking about escalating this to some type of reporting agency outside of Apple. The public definitely needs to know there is currently no way to monitor your child on an Apple device

Currently experiencing the same issue. Allowed apps don’t save as always allowed.

my screen stays stuck when. I press the screen time option in the settings section.

none of my specific settings are sticking.

my option to allow my daughter to install or delete app also doesn’t work.

i have many others I can’t name off the top of my head

TWO issues I see with screentime...

Since the update to 14.0.1, my child can access and change screentime setting like App Limits, Always Allowed Apps, and Content & Privacy Restrictions.

ALSO, setting up screentime resulted in wifi connectivity issues. Her phone was so slow to connect thru wifi, she always had it on cellular data connection. It seems that choosing Don't Allow on Location Services is causing this issue for us.

I'm having the same problem and have seen zero information. When my kids request more screen time, I can't access approval from the notification at all- it just goes black and crashes. I am able to get to it from the settings route, but it takes forever. I've tried turning phones off and back on and it still doesn't work.

Unfortunately I am experiencing the same issue. My child is using Macbook and an Android phone. So I am directly comparing Apple Screen Time with Google Family Link. Although I am using Family Link iPhone app, I must admit Google Family Link shows much more reliable performance and also data.

Yesterday, I restarted the Macbook and Screen time started working so I hoped I am back on track. High hopes, today is frozen again and not showing any usage data.

With child protection, Apple is pulling the short straw and should work on it.

Our screen time seems to be working fine. However out always allowed apps that i manually add aren’t working. My stepchild keeps asking like everyday for basic cameral/album app. It’s getting annoying. Hope they fix this ASAP.

Screen Time was working just fine on all devices until I updated DD's macbook air to Big Sur. Now, she can't use the internet, all Screen Time settings get frozen stuck on "Allow" or multiple "Allow" settings (adult content, explicit content, multiplayer, etc.). This is entirely unacceptable and dangerous. It needs to be fixed ASAP Apple!

Same here. Now it’s been 2 and a half months since this was originally posted. Is there ever going to be a fix? I like being able to contact my child during her downtime hours but if I have to turn it off completely, then there is no point in her having a phone. MUCH better controls through her Samsung tablet. Screen time limit is just that - time is limited. Not per app but as a whole. Frustrating