How to bypass Screen Time photos restrictions using the system photo picker in iOS and iPadOS?

The key is that "Do Not Allow Changes" does not mean "Do Not Allow Access."

On iPhone, Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → Photos → Don't Allow Changes only prevents modifying the Photos library. For example, it prevents:

• Deleting photos.
• Editing photos.
• Changing Photo Library settings.

It does not prevent viewing existing photos or selecting them in the system photo picker (PHPicker).

This will prevent access to Photos

Use Settings → Privacy & Security → Photos and set the app's permission to None

If Content & Privacy Restrictions are enabled in Screen Time and Allow Changes → App Privacy is set to Don't Allow, then the child cannot change an app's Photos permission from None to Limited or Full Access without the Screen Time passcode.

What is your actual concern about a user viewing their own photos on the device?

As stated the Screen Time Setting for Photos is to not allow changes. That is a concern where parental controls may be needed for an app that has access to the photo library. For example, you may not want an app to be able to access the entire photo library and want to restrict its access to a subset of photos, that is the purpose of the screen time setting. It is stated clearly on the Screen Time page where that setting resides:

"Disallowing changes locks the settings shown below and prevents new apps from using your photos.

Photos stored on your iPhone may contain other information such as where and when the photo was taken and the depth of field."

That is exactly what that setting is doing. Blocking the Photos app with App Limits does not affect other apps that have access to the photo library and it is not designed to, you would need to add a limit to that particular app if you want its usage restricted by time and/or prevent the app from accessing the photo library where it will be enforced when you use the Screen Time setting to not allow changes.

Not allowing changes to Photos with Content & Privacy Restrictions is a completely different function the using an App Limit on the Photos app. If you want to restrict access to the photos app from an app, you would do that in Content & Privacy Restrictions, and if you want to limit the usage of the Photos app, then you would do that with App Limits/Downtime.

If you are looking for an additional feature that prevents photos access entirely through screen time for some reason, beyond using the Photos app, you can send a feature request here:

Feedback - iPhone - Apple

Feedback - iPad - Apple

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skyairmj wrote:

• The goal is to prevent children or other people from viewing camera roll

Did you read the reply from SravanKrA?

The "Don't Allow Changes" restriction that you told us that you set is not meant to do this, and is not the right tool for doing this. If that restriction allows viewing photos – but not adding, editing, or deleting any – then iOS isn't exhibiting a "bug" and what you are doing isn't "bypassing Screen Time photos restrictions".

Another example is that an App Limit on the Photos app, does not mean you can't send a photo from your Photo Library using the Messages app. If you wanted to restrict access to the Photo Library, that would be done with the Messages app. The Photo Library is not an app that includes any App Limit, its access is controlled by the app that requests permission to access the Photo Library and that is done with the Content & Privacy restrictions.

Another example is that an App Limit on the Photos app, does not mean you can't send a photo from your Photo Library using the Messages app. If you wanted to restrict access to the Photo Library, that would be done with the Messages app. The Photo Library is not an app that includes any App Limit, its access is controlled by the app that requests permission to access the Photo Library and that is done with the Content & Privacy restrictions.

It seems that it was already explained to you in your duplicate post, but hopefully this additional information will bring a little more clarity into what the App Limit does and the purpose of using the Content & Privacy Restriction. Duplicate posts may be deleted and you will lose any information that has been provided on that post.

It is not clear where you set these restrictions on Screen Time (Did you select your Child under Secreen time). See the pic below