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Screen Time App Limits keep disappearing

Why does this screen time and app limits functionality not work? The ones I set are over-written, even tho I have block app turned on, half of the time they disappear and I have to restart the list. What is going on?


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iPhone XS, iOS 16

Posted on Nov 30, 2022 10:38 PM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Jan 23, 2023 9:11 PM

100% same exact problem here! Apple, please fix this glitch! All my kids have to do is push the one more minute option, and boom, 8 hr a day on Instagram just like that. I have reset the app time limits like 20 times now and it is getting very tiresome.


This bug has made parental controls completely useless. Please fix so they work as they are supposed to!

148 replies

Jul 16, 2023 2:30 PM in response to swissschokolade

I noticed this bug a week ago when the time my daughter spent on the phone increased significantly. I asked how she did it and she said she didn’t do anything, just noticed she has more time and she enjoyed it. I changed the screen time password thinking that she guessed it but it happened the same. I was sure she is doing something to remove the screen time and tonight I had a rough conversation with her and I accused her of lying. It didn’t crossed my mind, not even for a second that this might be a software bug. After she went to bed I started to search for ways that kids can bypass screen time and I found this issue being reported from last year and it’s still not fixed. Unbelivable! Fix the problem!!!

Jul 17, 2023 3:11 AM in response to CocoSB

I make a point of keeping all our devices updated now as that can hinder the workings of time limits.

This morning my sons routine had changed and he went off to school early. I realised I needed to change his time limit urgently but would it work... NO!

It said the time had changed but it refused to go off. I tried changing it on his own iPad at home but that didn't work either. In the end I had to give him the pass code to change it himself on his own phone!

Absolutely unacceptable from APPLE! APPLE's reputation for having reliable products is not the case here!

Jul 27, 2023 7:03 PM in response to swissschokolade

Latest thing. App limits randomly disappears, BUT, it then also randomly reappears.

So I might throw a limit on there one afternoon or evening for the teens, then when I go to remove its not there.

Then randomly the next day or so, I will get a message from them asking for screentime, because the app limit has reappeared and kicked in again.

So freaking dodgy. Am over it.

Aug 28, 2023 5:56 PM in response to Pops3000

This! So I only started to use it after this thread was created. It worked great for month or so. Then it did the same thing! After an update recently. I somehow even ended up with my phone on full screen time instead every day! No way to turn it off as who is “supervising me” it was annoying. It has disappeared but not my kids app limits. Until today they somehow are still there vs disappeared 5 times lol maybe my teenager stopped asking for one more minute and that’s why. I went to go set it again and was surprised to see the settings still there lol they should def fix this. I’m on the verge of dipping apple and getting a $25 flip phone for call and text only lol

Sep 10, 2023 11:03 AM in response to swissschokolade

It seem, according to the fact of having this issue more than a year... our dear apple friends don't care about customers. This f....g feature is essentially important for kids screen time control, but it never worked and doesn't work as it must. Already tired to set it up again and again many times a day...


Also, many questions to the vendor including very poor software quality, whom you hired to develop and test it? As usual somebody as chip as possible? so paying less you get same sh...t quality.


Quite ready to through out mine and kids phones and never by apple again

Sep 20, 2023 6:21 AM in response to swissschokolade

Same thing here and I’ve spent so much time on the phone with Apple and sent over screenshots and videos. This has been happening for months on multiple devices and multiple kids account. And it’s just not Apple lints but also inappropriate content for school aged kids.

The only way I solved this for right now is to have downtime on for 23 hrs and 59 mins. It’s the only way the kids don’t have unlimited app time and they have to send requests for time.

I hope Apple fixes this bug because it’s been going on for way too long!

Oct 1, 2023 1:03 AM in response to Airfire

I have given up with this unreliable function. I need to protect my teen from being glued to TikTok and other social media so now I just use downtime and have to turn the whole phone/ipad down. Which is a massive pain when she needs to do homework because then I have to allow 4 different website requests. It’s such an unnecessary time consuming job that causes stress and headaches. I had all my hopes pinned on the app limits being fixed with this new update as it’s being going on for so long. This is so bad APPLE!

Oct 22, 2023 10:08 PM in response to Ufzc3mj8

So there was another major IO's update, plus few more minor ones. This thread is here for almost a year and apple just doesn't care AT ALL. All I can see they're doing is deleting comments here... Hey apple, deletion of complaints from your clients is not solving any issues! on a contrary it is forcing me to think about android more and more with each day! it actually really seems that android is the only possible solution for this issue. So if you care about your kids - get an android! That's what apple shows to us.

Screen Time App Limits keep disappearing

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