iOS 16.4.1 screen time lag or not responsive

i have been using screen time to limit device usage for our 3 kids. My wife and I are set up as parents on family sharing. A couple years ago, on an intermittent basis, my iPhone would experience lag, delay, or slow responsiveness when I was trying to change settings or approve requests. I tried resetting turning off screen time and then turning it back on, on both my iPhone and the kids’ devices, but that didn’t work. I eventually got fed up and just figured that it would work itself out after iOS updates or after I upgrade my phone.


fast forward to the present and why I got so fed up that I am writing this post: at least 2 major iOS updates later and 6 months after I upgraded from my iPhone 11 Pro to my current iPhone 14 pro, and the problem persists. This morning I was trying to update downtime settings and it was taking a very long time. So, I picked up my wife’s iPhone 13 on iOS 16.4.1 and hers responded as expected. So the problem is with my device ONLY!


has anyone figured out what causes the slow response times on iOS screen time? How does one fix this?


do I turn screen time off and on?

do I log out of my iCloud account and then log in?

what do you suggest?

iPhone 14 Pro, iOS 16

Posted on Apr 22, 2023 5:37 AM

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3 replies

Nov 23, 2023 4:30 PM in response to mommav

I was having this problem with screen time suddenly not syncing to my phone as well as not being able to see my child’s location in find my. It was driving me crazy I signed her out and in, kicked her out of family and re added her, reset settings on both of our phones. I tried everything. Today I was going though settings on my phone and in the messages app settings in settings I saw that for some reason she was on my blocked list. I have no idea how that happened but once I unblocked her everything is now working properly.

so I just wanted to share and hope that I can help someone out!!

Apr 23, 2023 6:46 PM in response to Pot Committed

Hello Pot Committed,


There re many different possibilities as to why you might experience slower than expected performance on your iPhone. You did not mention if this only occurs when editing Screen Time settings, but in general, this article can help resolve this behavior with most software: If your iPhone or iPad is running slow. Follow this guidance:


"Check your network conditions

Many apps require an internet connection for their content and other functionality. If the network that you're connected to is congested — for example, at an event with many people using the same network — apps might take a while to open or display their content. Your device can also seem slow as it repeatedly reconnects to new cell towers when you're in a moving vehicle.

Even if your device indicates a strong signal, you might need to wait, try again in a different location, or use available Wi-Fi. If you continue to experience issues with cellular data speed, availability, or performance in multiple locations, contact your carrier.

Learn more about cellular data >


Close an app that's not responding

If an app stops responding or freezes, you might need to force it to close and then open it again.*

  1. From the Home Screen of iPhone X or later or iPad, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause slightly in the middle of the screen. On iPhone 8 or earlier, double-click the Home button to show your most recently used apps.
  2. Swipe right or left to find the app that you want to close.
  3. Swipe up on the app's preview to close the app.

* Under normal conditions, forcing an app to close is not necessary and does not make your device run faster. In fact, an app takes longer to open after a force close because it has to reload all of its data.

Learn what to do if an app repeatedly stops responding >


Make sure you have enough storage

If your device is low on storage, iOS or iPadOS automatically frees up space while installing an app, updating iOS or iPadOS, downloading music, recording videos, and more. iOS or iPadOS only removes items that can be downloaded again or that aren't needed anymore.

You can check your device's storage in Settings > General > [Device] Storage. For best performance, try to maintain at least 1GB of free space. If your available storage is consistently less than 1GB, your device might slow down as iOS or iPadOS repeatedly makes room for more content.

If you need to free up some space, follow these steps to turn on the storage-saving recommendations built in to iOS or iPadOS:

  1. Go to Settings > General > [Device] Storage and read the recommendations that iOS or iPadOS might provide.
  2. Tap Enable to turn on a recommendation, or tap a recommendation title to review the content that you can delete.

If you don't see any recommendations — or if you need to free up even more space — you can review the apps on your device. They're listed on the same [Device] Storage screen along with the amount of space that they use.

Tap an app, then choose from the options:

  • Offload the app, which frees up storage used by the app, but keeps its documents and data.
  • Delete the app, which removes the app and its related data.
  • Depending on the app, you might be able to delete some of its documents and data.

Learn more ways to optimize your storage >


Turn off Low Power Mode

Low Power Mode is an iPhone and iPad feature that extends battery life by reducing the amount of power that your device uses. In Low Power Mode, some features are turned off and some tasks might take longer to complete. If your battery icon is yellow, Low Power Mode is on.

Consider leaving Low Power Mode off if you need your iPhone or iPad to function without low-power restrictions. You can turn Low Power Mode on or off in Settings > Battery.

Get more information about Low Power Mode >


Keep your device from getting too hot or cold

iOS or iPadOS adjusts your device's performance if it's become too warm due to external conditions, like being left in a hot car or used for an extended time in direct sunlight. Move your device to a cooler location and let its temperature adjust. 

Very cold temperatures can also slow your device. If your device runs slowly after being exposed to cold, move it to a warmer location.

Learn more about acceptable operating temperatures >


Look at your battery health

All rechargeable batteries are consumable components that become less effective as they chemically age. Over time, the rechargeable batteries in all iPhone and iPad models will diminish in their capacity and peak performance and will eventually need to be replaced. iOS can show show battery health and recommend if an iPhone battery needs to be replaced. Go to Settings > Battery and tap Battery Health. Battery Health is available only on iPhone.

Check your iPhone battery >


Get more help



We hope this helps. Let us know if we can assist with anything else at all. Take care.

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iOS 16.4.1 screen time lag or not responsive

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