Screen Time and Safari

Seriously guys the “solution” or reason safari stays active during downtime has been explained several times on this thread. When Downtime is active safari stays accessible. *However* it is restricted from loading any websites by the user. Please see the attached screenshot.

No need to download chrome, or other workarounds. This is how it’s meant to operate.

I have just turned on downtime, clicked on safari and tried to load several websites. As expected nothing loads. I tried google.com, YouTube.com, and even the apple.com site. None of them loaded. So I don’t understand where the problem is?

By the way if you are setting this up for a child and you want to replace the “ignore limit” option with “ask for permission to extend limit” option you need to set up downtime under family sharing.

Glad I’m not the only one, I was starting to think I am a complete moron trying to sort out how to downtime safari the past few weeks. It appears there’s no “category” to the Safari app, thus it won’t fall in line with any catagory shut down OR the “all apps & categories” like it should. Using a separate limit specific to Safari seems to work (besides the webpage(s) already running), except it’s an additional time added to the limit set for everything else. Back to nightly celly confiscations, defeating the downtime features’ purpose. Not cool Apple. How do we go about getting this addressed?

Until Apple sorts out this issue, this is a workaround which basically consists in removing Safari and having Firefox [or other browser] as a web browser on the iPad/iPhone which is considerd then as an App and can be disallowed:

1. Settings -> screen time -> content restrictions -> Apps -> allow all apps or 17+

2. Content restrictions -> Allowed apps -> Switch off Safari

3. In Apple store download Firefox [or other browser] and install

4. In Screen Time -> Always allowed -> make sure Firefox/other browser is amongst the list of applications that are not allowed during downtime

You will have to always allow apps 17+ for Firefox to remain usable, however if you have set up their iPad/iPhone so that the children must ask your approval whenever they download an application this should ensure that they do not download applications that are not suitable for them.

However, if you find any problems with these settings in that they can then access content that they should not, please let me know as I am using these at the moment with my daughter.

Thank you.

Hope this helps!

Laura

I was having same issue, but figured it out. Hope this helps...

1. Open“Settings” on IPhone
2. Click on “Screen Time”
3. Scroll to the bottom and Turn off “Screen Time”
4. Now Turn “Screen Time” back on
5. Close Settings and open “Safari” for a few seconds(Like 10-15seconds is fine)
6. Go back to Settings and click on “Screen Time”
7. At the top click on “IPhone”
8. Scroll down to where it says Most Used and to the right it will either say “Show Categories” or “Show Apps & Websites” in blue lettering.
9. Click on either “Show Apps & Websites” or “Show Categories” until you’re reading “Show Categories”
10. Safari should be under one of your most used so click on “Safari”
11. Scroll to bottom where it says “Add Limit” and add whatever limit you want to have set while using the Safari App.
12. Click the “Add” button on the top right

That’s it, hope this was helpful for someone.

I couldn't get Screen Time to work on my daughter's phone (I couldn't block Safari or YouTube app). But then I turned off Screen Time, cycled the power on the phone, and then re-did all the Screen Time settings. Now it works fine. YMMV. Obviously the software is pretty buggy.

I agree that this is a major loophole. Despite having downtime set from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM and a 3 hour limit for all apps I found our son was able to use Safari/YouTube for 5 hours from midnight to 5:00 AM. Despite not being one of the allowed/not allowed apps I found that I am able to set a specific limit for Safari. Hopefully that will work. More importantly hopefully Apple will fix all of the holes in Screentime.

I was having same issue, but figured it out. Hope this helps...

1. Open“Settings” on IPhone
2. Click on “Screen Time”
3. Scroll to the bottom and Turn off “Screen Time”
4. Now Turn “Screen Time” back on
5. Close Settings and open “Safari” for a few seconds(Like 10-15seconds is fine)
6. Go back to Settings and click on “Screen Time”
7. At the top click on “IPhone”
8. Scroll down to where it says Most Used and to the right it will either say “Show Categories” or “Show Apps & Websites” in blue lettering.
9. Click on either “Show Apps & Websites” or “Show Categories” until you’re reading “Show Categories”
10. Safari should be under one of your most used so click on “Safari”
11. Scroll to bottom where it says “Add Limit” and add whatever limit you want to have set while using the Safari App.
12. Click the “Add” button on the top right

That’s it, hope this was helpful for someone.

Safari is always allowed even though the time restrictions (shut down phone at 8 pm etc) or the time limit (shut down after 1 hour)

clicking on safari doesn’t trigger the screeen time limits. Not only that, my kid learned that she can use safari to play YouTube videos (rather than the app) and the limit doesn’t kick in until after she finishes the video and tries to watch another. Then she just closes safari, clicks a new video and watches that one. (Lucky i have an honest kid who showed me lol)

JamesMCook, For an inelegant workaround, you could download the Chrome browser and let your kids use that instead of Safari.

For an inelegant workaround, you could download the Chrome browser and use that instead of Safari. Block all access to Safari.

My son quickly discovered that 1. Safari is available always and 2. videos opened into full-screen mode from Safari, if left open, will continue indefinitely during downtime and after he has already used up his allotted time for videos for the day. Screen Time is great in concept, but there are so many loop holes that it's useless. I turned Safari off today using this tip and will try installing Chrome, but I'm wondering if the same full-screen video cheat will be a problem.

For my sons phone with all apps blocked after 3 hours and no apps but phone allowed safari just keeps working. Very stupid if apple is serious about protecting from over use of the phone.

it was worse before iOS 12.1.2, but there is still some work to be done on this screetime implementation.

I think I found it! For my case, I wanted to limit Chrome use. This is what I did:

1. Settings
2. Screen Time
3. iPad name (first option on top) click arrow pointing right
4. Under "Most Used", click the app
5. Under "Limits", add time limit

I hope this works for you.