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Screen Time not stopping YouTube or Spotify

Others have had this same issue but I didn’t see a current posting. I have my son’s screen time setup with a 4 hour app limit across all apps. I then go in and specify certain apps to be excluded under the Always Allow section. (messaging, maps, calculator, calendar, etc…)


YouTube and Spotify are most definitely included in the all apps but are not included in the always allow yet he can still view YouTube videos way past the App Limits. I have reset all settings as other have mentioned but it continues to be available while other apps show as out of time. This is a major flaw and should be remedied ASAP.

iPhone 12 mini

Posted on Aug 6, 2023 6:05 PM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Nov 5, 2023 8:33 AM

Did you have a real answer to this? I have all apps blocked besides phone text and photos after 2 hours of use but everyday roboblox and TikTok are available without restriction even though the time has already been used.

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10 replies

Jan 1, 2024 9:57 PM in response to Haugsness

This has been a problem on iPhones since the dawn of screen time. Somehow, someway, these apps (YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok and handful of others) do NOT turn off at screen time deadlines. There are countless posts on this over the last 5 years and Apple always responds with the canned response, “use the time limit feature” which is NOT what people are asking for. We want to allow our kids to use these apps until a time of day, not limit their use by minutes.


it seems that’s the whole point of screen time but these apps have found a way around those blocks (for obvious reasons, they need our kids addicted in order to make money) but when Apple provides a solution to address this, but denies that it’s broke for some apps and never tried to fix it, it’s beyond frustrating.


if you can’t block ALL APPS that run on your OS, don’t tout the feature.


They won’t admit that they know about this issue and keep deflecting and say it’s “user error”. It is NOT. They just can’t fix the problem and don’t want to admit it.

Oct 31, 2023 6:29 AM in response to SravanKrA

I appreciate detailed screenshots, but users are complaining of different use case. Screentime only counts when application is playing in foreground or when phone is being used. If you enable Apple Music, Spotify or any other music app and let it keep playing in background with device screen truned off then it does not count towards screen time limit. This is a flaw that users are complaining. Try using app when you have not reached limit, turn on music and let it keep playing it in background with screen turned off, you can keep playing it for the entire day without hitting your screentime limit.

Screenshot below shows I have limit set to 1 hour for all music apps, yet my kid is sitting in front of me and has listened to Spotify for past 3 hours with iphone screen turned off, and it has not counted towards the time limit.



Aug 7, 2023 12:31 AM in response to Haugsness

You should pay attention to two commonly overlooked aspects...


  1. Configuring device restrictions for your child's device.
  2. Setting up a screen time passcode on your own device for your child.



Set Screen Time Restrictions for your Child in your Family using Parental Control.


Please see the pic below which is self-explanatory.





Set Screen Time Passcode for your child's device through your device.


Please see the pic below which is self-explanatory.




This GIF below will depict how to set Screen Time Restrictions for your Child's Device


  1. Add your Child as a Family Member
  2. Then Start Screen Time on your Device.
  3. Now watch the GIF below




Go to Settings and tap Screen Time. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and enter your Screen Time passcode. Tap Content Restrictions, then tap Web Content. Choose Unrestricted Access, Limit Adult Websites, or Allowed Websites Only.


Use parental controls on your child's iPhone, iPad, and iPod ...



Set up parental controls with Family Sharing on iPhone

  1. Go to Settings > [your name] > Family Sharing > Screen Time.
  2. Tap the name of a child in your family group, tap Turn On Screen Time, then follow the onscreen instructions.


Set up parental controls with Family Sharing on iPhone




Aug 7, 2023 12:30 AM in response to Haugsness

Simply saying "Others have had this same issue but I didn’t see a current posting" does not prove, justify or solve your problems.


I hope you are aware that offloaded apps are not affected by Screen Time Restrictions. Once downloaded they will follow the restrictions set under the Screen Time Restrictions..


See the pic below which I tested it for you. Spotify and Youtube restrictions using Screen Time. I have tested Bothe Down Time as well as App Limits. I do not use Spotify but I downloaded it for testing purpose only.



If you are not able to see the pic then download it and enlarge to have a clear view.




Screen Time not stopping YouTube or Spotify

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