Screen Time password issue (I already did my research -- this is new!)

I need several apps on my iPhone for college, however, my parents restricted my ability to download any app rated 17+ on the app store with Screen Time when they set up my phone 5 years ago.


Now, I need to download these apps, but they are rated 17+. My parents do not remember the Screen Time password, we cannot override the restriction. We tried resetting the password the obvious way -- by clicking 'Forgot Your Password?' and entering the Apple ID and password. The problem is that the phone says that we are incorrectly entering the Apple ID and password, which is confounding, as my parents share an Apple ID, so it is the only one they could have used to set up Screen Time in the first place. We put in the Apple ID and password multiple times, to no avail.


Does anyone know of a solution to this issue? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Posted on Aug 5, 2023 5:14 PM

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Posted on Aug 5, 2023 5:21 PM

Your parents should not be sharing a password, but that isn’t your issue. It will be for them at some point.


It’s possible when they set it up they did not enter an Apple ID and password; it is optional. But now your only option is to restore the phone to factory settings, and not restore a backup (because the Screen Time passcode is saved in the backup→Restore your iOS device to factory settings - Apple Support


To make this a little less painful, go to Settings/[your name]/iCloud and turn on all the sync switches, because these will continue to work after restoring to factory settings. Be sure to wait long enough for everything to sync before restoring the phone to factory settings.

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Aug 5, 2023 5:21 PM in response to ineed_help_now

Your parents should not be sharing a password, but that isn’t your issue. It will be for them at some point.


It’s possible when they set it up they did not enter an Apple ID and password; it is optional. But now your only option is to restore the phone to factory settings, and not restore a backup (because the Screen Time passcode is saved in the backup→Restore your iOS device to factory settings - Apple Support


To make this a little less painful, go to Settings/[your name]/iCloud and turn on all the sync switches, because these will continue to work after restoring to factory settings. Be sure to wait long enough for everything to sync before restoring the phone to factory settings.

Oct 8, 2023 7:55 AM in response to Mohammadmashriqi

I don’t understand your post, although I am sure it has nothing to do with screen time passcodes. I suggest you create a NEW post by clicking Ask the Community at the top of this page, and provide enough information so another user can understand your issue. Here is guidance on how to do that→Writing an effective Apple Support Communities post. If English is not your first language try posting in the language you are most comfortable with. ASC has users from all over the world, and there are some excellent translation apps around also.

Screen Time password issue (I already did my research -- this is new!)

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