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

Top-ranking reply

janiemac13

Level 1

8 points

Posted on Sep 18, 2018 3:58 PM

Mine did the same thing. During the initial welcome pages of iOS 12 it just spontaneously displayed a message saying “Screen Time Passcode Set.” After 5 tries on the “Change Screen Time Passcode” screen in Settings, I got it to accept an older passcode I’d used to put restrictions on my phone back when my kid didn’t have one. Somehow it resurrected that code and supplied it for the new feature. Clearly a hiccup in iOS 12 that will break that feature for some people until Apple pushes out a fix (or until you set up your new XS!). Cuz personally, that feature (by itself) would never be worth the pain of a full restore on my 256GB phone. But I can confirm that, for me, it was indeed an old restrictions passcode that got put in there during setup without my having anything to do with it.

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171 replies

Sep 19, 2018 4:47 PM in response to anypats

anypats wrote:

It's not a bug. If you ever had a passcode for Restrictions then that passcode is now your Screen Time passcode.

That wasn't my experience. I had a Restrictions passcode on both my iPhone and iPad. When I updated to iOS 12 my Restrictions passcode was removed, and I had no Screen Time passcode.

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).

Dec 29, 2018 11:23 AM in response to Joe Sixpack

I used the https://pinfinder.net/ link that campsbayrich suggested to discover my old pin code. It worked and the pin code was not one that I ever remember setting, but if I did, it must have been many years ago. It was a really dumb move by Apple to automatically enable the screen time pin code.

Gersh94

Level 1

0 points

Mar 4, 2019 5:33 PM in response to NutmegAppleID

After almost a week, my escalated issue was solved with the help of the engineering team. Since this was for my son's ipad, I was able to go into it through my iphone and set a master passcode under my screentime option.

askbarnabas

Level 10

104,220 points

Sep 18, 2018 7:01 AM in response to Tomasi0905

Setting up as new should remove everything. If you are restoring from a backup you are not doing anything.

Oct 7, 2018 10:15 AM in response to Backyar

A factory reset makes the phone as if it was new. How does that mess up your phone? And you could always just see the link in the Solved post at the top of every page in this thread.

Philly_Phan

Level 7

20,737 points

Oct 28, 2018 6:25 PM in response to Joe Sixpack

It's the Restrictions passcode.

Joe Sixpack wrote:

[Insert nasty comments about Apple here]

Why?

pr_apple

Level 1

4 points

Jan 1, 2019 9:08 AM in response to Joe Sixpack

I was able to fix this issue by taking out the child's account from the family plan and re-adding it. When you do this, the screen time gets reset and you can set it up again. hope this helps.

Jan 20, 2019 6:57 PM in response to Joe Sixpack

I also have no recollection of ever setting a password for Restrictions. Saw your post after already 8 failed attempts and tried '1111' which worked! Maybe a coincidence, but thanks for your post.

Sep 17, 2018 8:18 PM in response to Joe Sixpack

Wow, HUGE bug of iOS 12. I never setup screen time, yet it is enabled and with a password... If completely deleting my device and starting from square one... that better not be the answer. Also, what does that mean for my iPad, do I have to do the same with that one, which also expects a password I never created?

anypats

Level 7

21,357 points

Sep 18, 2018 6:29 AM in response to campsbayrich

What update are you hoping for? They won’t release an update that will clear the code. For the millions and millions of people using Restrictions and now Screen Time would be livid if an update cleared the code and now their kids are no longer restricted. You said yourself that you set it and forgot it. Apple has said it has no way of knowing what you set so the only option is to erase the device.

Joe Sixpack Author

Level 2

183 points

Sep 18, 2018 2:27 PM in response to anypats

Sure, but if Restrictions is not on to begin with, then Screen Time should not default to on when upgrading. Apple screwed up here and ought to provide another solution.

Joe Sixpack Author

Level 2

183 points

Sep 18, 2018 4:37 PM in response to LACAllen

Toggling on and off works if you know the pass code, but did you ever try what I described? To clarify:

1) Set up Restrictions with a passcode on iOS 11

2) Turn Restrictions off

3) Upgrade to iOS 12 (using the Automatic rather than the Manual method)

4) Check to see if Screen Time is on or off

According to anypats Screen Time will be off.

The automatic and manual methods might yield different results. I used the automatic method when I upgraded.

Sep 20, 2018 12:26 AM in response to Joe Sixpack

huhuhu! ididn’t enter any passcode on my screen time when i updated to ios 12..please help me.i try to entered my remembered passcode but it didn’t work..now its 10x failed and try again after 60mins.!

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.

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What is Screen Time passcode in iOS 12?