What is Screen Time passcode in iOS 12?

It's not a bug. If you ever had a passcode for Restrictions then that passcode is now your Screen Time passcode. Many people don't remember setting a Restrictions passcode especially if they were just playing around with what options the Restrictions had and then never went into them again.

Regarding your iPad, go into the Restrictions and make sure there isn't a passcode. If there isn't, then you shouldn't have any problems upgrading to iOS 12 on the iPad and there won't be a passcode for Screen Time.

This is by design. If there was a Restrictions passcode on iOS 11 it transferred the code to Screen Time in iOS 12. I know some people claim they didn’t have it on but most people are trying old codes that they may have used and they’re getting in. Could there be a possibility that something happened on some devices? Yes, there’s always a possibility but in this case it is very, very remote. Those that have passcodes on Screen Time almost guaranteed had Restrictions turned on (even if nothing was actually restricted) when they were on iOS 11. Some people just forgot that it was turned on or a friend, sibling, parent, etc. turned it on.

I had the Same problem yesterday. Long time ago i’ve must set restrictions on in iOS 11 because after 15 tries it finaly Guesed the pincode password. IT was one I used a decade ago to unlock My phone or restrictions back when iPhone s Still had a 4-digit passcode/unlock screen. So it’s quite stupid for iOS 12 to Suddenly push that old password trough to screen time passcode. Also when I Did the update to iOS 12 restrictions was defenintly Off ! Good luck to everyone having the Same problem. You Just need to keep trying All your old 4 digit passwords you used over the last decade. I hope for everyone Apple pushes an update trough to reset the screen time password with your Apple id password or something simular.

Hope this helps someone: iOS 12 used the 4 digit passcode for my iPad and applied it to Screen Time!

No, I have never set up any restrictions on this phone. I have never used that code on this device.

So if you’re stuck like I was, try any 4 number code you’ve used on any iOS device associated with that iCloud account. Good luck.

The only way Screen Time is turned on immediately after updating to iOS 12 , is if you were using Restrictions before updating and had already set a passcode for it.

In which case, Screen Time uses that passcode. If the 0000 passcode is working for some, its because they themselves set that at some point in restrictions. There's no other way for that to be there, since the passcode needs to be keyed in twice for confirmation, and is only ever stored on the device or a backup made when Restrictions were in place.

People can claim all they want they did not set one, and it magically got set, but in fact it had to be set at some point by a human. There is no other way for it to work.

0000 seems like a passcode most would set to test out restrictions, and then forget all about it. There's also 1111 and other simpler things like that.

After updating around 10 devices to iOS 12, and only getting Screen Time activated on 3 that already had restrictions turned on, I can confidently say, that's the only way Screen Time gets activated after the update.

Hello Joe,

I'm not sure if you've solved the problem. I also had the same issue.. but after some research online, the Screen Time Passcode is often set as a default to the Restrictions Passcode. I had a friend set up a Restrictions Passcode on my iPhone, asked him for the code and this happens to be the Screen Time Passcode also!

Yes, that has been explained many many times over in this 10 page thread already.

Many still claim they never set a restrictions passcode.

I also had this problem. Would have sworn that I had never set any kind of previous restriction code. Following above advice, I did the following:

(1) opened iTunes on my desktop computer,

(2) connected my iPad to the computer,

(3) selected the iPad under ‘device’, and

(4) under ‘summary’ I performed an encrypted back-up of my iPad on iTunes.

(5) Then on the computer I downloaded a freeware program called pinfinder at https://pinfinder.net.

(6) Ran this program on the computer and it immediately identified a 4-digit code that I did not remember setting, but it was a number I recognized.

(7) Entered that number as the passcode for Screen Time and IT WORKED!

tnxgod wrote:

i too am 100% sure of the 4 digit password. it was the simplest password because it was just screen time. but when this was denied i tried to key in adjacent numbers as i often unintentionally punch the adjacent number. So is there a way to fix this mess?

The only way is to restore the phone and set it up as New.

You can restore it to factory conditions and set up as new to get rid of the passcode.

On mine it appears to have defaulted to my restrictions password. Was able to turn it off once I had dredged that up from my memory!!

Erasing doesn’t work you need the screen time passcode.

You don't erase, you restore using iTunes. Very different.

See >>> Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings - Apple Support

How can or could restrictions to something that was introduced to my iPhone have been on before it was installed on the phone? No restrictions were active EVER. Screentime to my knowledge was introduced only in iOS 12.

Screen Time was introduced with iOS 12. However, Restrictions or Parental Controls as they are also known have been around since iOS 5. Settings->General->Restrictions. At some point in the past the passcode was set there for some reason.

Screen Time will use the passcode set for those Restrictions if one was set, or for Guided Access, if one is set, but no restrictions passcode was set.

The passcode cannot set itself magically. Either you or someone with access to your iPhone set the passcode at some point.

Certainty s in the way setting the passcode works. You need to navigate to a certain location in Settings, and enter the same passcode twice to confirm. There is simply no other way this gets set.

And before you start with conspiracy theories, Apple cannot set it remotely.

If its asking for a passcode it was set by a human at some point.

And yes, its very very common for people to forget setting up something. Even if you think you never did, its highly likely you did.

So, it's true, or not ? Does screentime turn on by itself ? or you just messed up and dont remember ?

Screen time does not turn on by itself no. It will only be on after updating to iOS 12, if Restrictions were turned on, on the device before updating to iOS 12.

It's very common for people to turn on Restrictions for some reason, and then forget about it entirely.

The only other possibility I have seen, is if they had Guided Access turned on and had a passcode set for it. Some people report Screen Time will then be activated, with the Guided Access passcode.

Restrictions = screen time.