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Change App Category for Screen Time

Hello,


I have set a screen time limit on my social network apps but I use WhatsApp for work. WhatsApp is currently bundled in with social networking. Is there away to remove it from those apps so it doesn’t contribute to the social network screen time? I have WhatsApp set so I can always access it, but because I use it so much even if I dont use any social networks my screen time always exceeds my limits.


Thanks

iPhone 6, iOS 11.4.1

Posted on Oct 3, 2018 3:57 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 17, 2018 8:50 AM

This is the same issue I have. How does SKYPE for Business count as social Media? I'm trying to allow this feature to help me organize my life and it's adding stumbling blocks. lol


I agree that it would defeat the purpose for every app to be able to be able to have their category changed on a whim... (like being able to place Facebook under productivity)... but it should be quite obvious that skype for BUSINESS isn't a social thing. LinkedIn should also be placed into productivity.
And So should educationally based games.


Maybe those apps with blurred lines could have a way to change?

7 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 17, 2018 8:50 AM in response to mm391

This is the same issue I have. How does SKYPE for Business count as social Media? I'm trying to allow this feature to help me organize my life and it's adding stumbling blocks. lol


I agree that it would defeat the purpose for every app to be able to be able to have their category changed on a whim... (like being able to place Facebook under productivity)... but it should be quite obvious that skype for BUSINESS isn't a social thing. LinkedIn should also be placed into productivity.
And So should educationally based games.


Maybe those apps with blurred lines could have a way to change?

Oct 3, 2018 4:41 AM in response to SiHancox

Thanks for your reply. I have done that but it doesn’t stop WhatsApp contributing to the screen time for social networks. Today for instance, I have not been on any social media like Facebook or Instagram but have been locked out of all apps that come under the social networking category because of the time spent just on WhatsApp.

Oct 30, 2018 10:43 AM in response to mm391

You can get around this by setting up individual app limits, and from there categories, for yourself. Go to the screen time section of the settings app, then tap the name of the device you want to set the limit on. From there, you can scroll down to the most used, and click on an app you'd like to limit (for example, Instagram). Scroll to the bottom, and tap "Add a limit". Once you've done that, the app will appear in your list of limits for that device.


If you'd like a group of apps to collectively share the same time limit (for example, 1 hour per day on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat together), you can do that too! If in the previous step you added a limit to Instagram, you can click on "Instagram" in the limits section, then tap "Edit apps". From there, you can add whichever other apps you want limited in that category.


(My phone is in French right now so the English version of the things toi click might be slightly different, but it should be similar enough)

Change App Category for Screen Time

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