Screen Time Downtime blocking "Always Allowed" Safari & Chrome

Hi everyone,

I'm experiencing a frustrating and illogical bug with Screen Time's Downtime feature.

The Problem:

Even though I have Safari and Google Chrome added to my SETTINGS > SCREEN TIME > ALWAYS ALLOWED list, their web browsing functionality is being blocked during my scheduled Downtime.

•⁠ ⁠The app icons themselves are not greyed out on the home screen.

•⁠ ⁠Tapping on the app opens it, but any attempt to browse the internet is immediately blocked by a "Time Limit" message.

What I've noticed:

This has been a problem for me for some time with Safari. The issue with Google Chrome started after ios26 update. This behavior seems to completely undermine the purpose of the "Always Allowed" feature. Then what’s the point of settings these apps as ALWAYS ALLOWED?

Has anyone else experienced this, or does anyone have a fix?

Thanks for any help!

iPhone 16, iOS 26

Posted on Sep 17, 2025 7:32 AM

35 replies

Dec 12, 2025 2:39 AM in response to arathi80

I am having the same issue.

Oh the irony. Even after searching for this article, I had to enter my screen time password once to search, once to open the article, and again to make this very Reply. HELP Apple - this is the first thing I’m smacked with after updating to 26?

You could really set yourself apart on the market with parents trying to keep their kids safe if you would actually update these controls to give us more granular options, like flexible scheduling. But instead you make it completely unusable.

Jan 14, 2026 9:26 AM in response to arathi80

Please address this bug, we want our son to be able to go to specific sites he needs for school, but not play games or access inappropriate content online. What is the alternative giving kids full access to all websites 24/7? Please Apple - long time supporter here.

Jan 20, 2026 11:47 PM in response to arathi80

They absolutely must add the option to allow web browsing. Just like the original poster, I could get around it by using Chrome until the most recent update. For me, this makes Downtime borderline unusable...

Jan 28, 2026 7:59 PM in response to arathi80

Agh, I am also having this issue!! The lack of customization for downtime is so frustrating. I have been using a different browser for months on my phone because Safari isn't even listed. Now that the browser is also affected by this newest update, which was not a thing even a few weeks back for me. I cannot believe they are still letting this bug sit around.

arathi80 Author

Level 1

61 points

Sep 17, 2025 9:32 PM in response to Rotorbound

yeah you are right. Thanks for that

DexDad

Level 1

8 points

Sep 24, 2025 2:51 PM in response to arathi80

No solution yet?

arathi80 Author

Level 1

61 points

Sep 24, 2025 3:18 PM in response to DexDad

Not yet

FilipM22

Level 1

8 points

Sep 29, 2025 2:43 PM in response to arathi80

How can such bug go unnoticed? This is ridiculous.

Sep 30, 2025 11:10 AM in response to FilipM22

Oh, believe me. They know. I've personally informed them multiple times, and they said "we'll fix it." and what do I get? 26.01 update, but no fixes.

Oct 23, 2025 9:13 AM in response to arathi80

Boy oh boy... Nearing the end of October and still no fix on this issue. Best free option for me is to not use the downtime scheduler and pray my ADHD doesn't grab hold of an app...