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Level 2

183 points

What is Screen Time passcode in iOS 12?

I just upgraded to ios12. Screen Time was enabled by default. I want to turn it off. It demands a pass code. Obviously, I never set a pass code for Screen Time, since it didn't exist prior to the upgrade.

1) Restrictions, aka Parental controls, was not on when I upgraded. It's possible I messed around with it in the distant past and set a pass code at some point.

2) My screen lock pass code is 6 digits, while the Screen Time pass code is 4 digits, so the ST pc default is not the same as the screen lock pc.

3) I have tried several obvious (to me) pass codes, including 0000. Nothing works. I am now up to a 5 minute wait between tries.

[Insert nasty comments about Apple here]

[Re-Titled by Host]

Posted on Sep 17, 2018 6:09 PM

Best reply

campsbayrich

Level 1

13 points

Posted on Sep 20, 2018 2:45 AM

For those who are still struggling with this, and who don't want to restart their phone from new, I've figured out a method identify what your restrictions passcode is.

You can use https://pinfinder.net/ to look at your phone backup to identify the restrictions password. Unfortunately, it only works on iOS11 backups, so if you don't have that on your system, you will first need to downgrade your device (back to iOS 11), then make a backup, and run pinfinder on that backup.

To locate your backups, follow the instructions at Locate backups of your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support.

In order to downgrade your device back to the previous iOS, follow the instructions at https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/how-to-downgrade-from-ios-12/.

It's a bit of a workaround but it will do the trick.

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171 replies

Sep 20, 2018 6:20 AM in response to campsbayrich

Pinfinder worked perfectly. Thanks a lot. Sure enough it was a random pin I would have never used or guessed. I needed to restore an old backup (iOS 11) from time machine but it worked in a few minutes. I think there must be a bug in IOS12.

Sep 20, 2018 7:01 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

It isn't a bug per se, but I think it's fair to say that they probably shouldn't have automatically turned on screen time with the passcode from iOS11, when people didn't have anything restricted/didn't have restrictions turned on. The vast majority of people who are impacted played with restrictions etc, but didn't have anything restricted, and I doubt it was Apple's intention to punish us for forgetting a password that wasn't being used.

Sep 20, 2018 7:10 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

The cracking program only works on iOS 11 backups. I had to restore an iOS 11 backup, then run pinfinder on that backup to get he pin. I can say without any doubt that I never set the pin it recovered. I can also say that no one else had access to my phone. I cannot say with complete certainty that I never played with restrictions in the past but the pin it recovered (that worked) wasn’t one I would ever use.

Sep 20, 2018 7:29 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

I thought that too. Yesterday I downgraded the phone to iOS 11, restored the backup and restrictions were off. It seems like during the iOS 12 upgrade it just randomly put in a passcode. It wasn’t a passcode I would have ever chosen.

Sep 20, 2018 7:32 AM in response to Mattbell3

That doesn't explain why you were able to extract the passcode from a backup made before iOS 12 existed. It's possible that you had enabled, then disabled restrictions, but the passcode was still in a backup made before you disabled it.

Sep 20, 2018 7:36 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

Ok so then at some point prior to iOS 12 the code was set somehow. I don’t understand how it was set to a random pin I would have never chosen. No one other than myself ever had access to the phone.

Sep 20, 2018 6:24 PM in response to campsbayrich

This completely messed up my phone. I did as you said by downloading the appropriate iOS 11 from the website. When I went to downgrade, a window popped up saying that my phone's options were now to factory reset and install the *latest* version of iOS OR to update to the *latest* version of iOS. I clicked the eject button, thinking I could escape this ****, only to be left with a phone that wouldn't start up at all. I found a way to get it into recovery mode and now have to factory reset, as it is the only choice. I have read in other forums that the only way to now do this is to factory reset, which I'm now forced to do regardless. For anyone reading, just go with the factory reset option unless Apple releases an official fix (probably in the next update).

Sep 21, 2018 11:13 AM in response to anypats

This is definitely a bug. I have never, ever used restrictions -- ever. And Screen Time is now set up without my consent and uses a mystery PIN that I cannot unlock. Having to reformat my phone does not seem like an acceptable solution to this bug.

Joshi711

Level 1

4 points

Sep 22, 2018 6:40 AM in response to Joe Sixpack

Looks like Apple pushed a patch silently. I was able to turn off screen time without entering my passcode.

Now, if I try to turn it ON again, it asks me to set a passcode.

Note: Not sure if they made a change in the OS upgrade as well for not to turn it ON by default.

miksem

Level 1

4 points

Sep 22, 2018 7:15 AM in response to Joshi711

i don’t think apple can push changes without updating iOS , in My case I can create a new passcode as you said but as soon as I start doing changes under screentime system would not accept my newly created passcode and after 10 tries I’m locked for 60 minutes and at this point I have to restore my phone thru dfu mode and iTunes just to be able to disable screentime restrictions.

Sep 25, 2018 11:06 AM in response to Joe Sixpack

Same here. I just installed iOS 12 and I have a few issues and would love some insite

1. screen time has been added and didn’t add a password and its asking for one

2. I can’t move my icons and can’t get them to jiggle to put icons not used in folder

3 can’t remove restrictions and can’t download music with Explicit music bought on different phone this phone has been removed from my apple id.

Sep 26, 2018 4:16 AM in response to Joe Sixpack

I have the same problem.

I never set a Restrictions or ScreenTime passcode. I am 100% certain of this. My screen lock code is a 5 digit code, and upon installing io12 there is a 4 digit code set for Screen Time.

I tried every 4 digit code that I have ever used for anything, and nothing worked. I am not up to a forced 60 minute wait between attempts. This is the dumbest move ever on Apples part. They need to release an update that resets al Screen Time codes and lets us set them up anew.

Sep 28, 2018 11:18 AM in response to askbarnabas

I have the same issue. Please suggest to Apple to make the thumbprint or face recognition or master password be able to override any secondary passcodes. Otherwise we have millions of users unable to engage or disengage features of their phones. That is a whole lot of frustrated Apple users.

Sep 28, 2018 11:22 AM in response to fred from fredsville

fred from fredsville wrote:

I have the same issue. Please suggest to Apple to make the thumbprint or face recognition or master password be able to override any secondary passcodes.

I hope you are kidding. The whole purpose of restrictions is to provide parental controls on a child's phone. What you are suggesting would mean that any kid could change the restrictions imposed by a parent the same way they log in to their phone.

Oct 3, 2018 2:20 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

Actually no I'm not. If the iphone can store a specific extra pass code for this app, then reasonably it can store an extra fingerprint or face image as well. Actually, it would be more secure if the app used a fingerprint or face image so that the kids can't guess at the code or otherwise use a pin finder app to find the pin.

What is Screen Time passcode in iOS 12?