How to Use Screen Time in iOS 12: App Limits and Better Parental Controls

This guide will show you how to use Screen Time in iOS 12. This is a great new feature for your iPhone and iPad that will keep track of where you spend the most time on your device. It’s also an incredibly detailed and powerful tool that will change how you handle parental controls on your kids’ devices.

On the surface, Screen Time shows you where you’re spending your time broken down by activity type, app, and even the web pages you visit most often. You can view it on your iPhone or receive an email with details sent to you for review; that makes it one of the most powerful parental controls you can use on a gadget and one of the best ever on an iPhone or iPad.

In addition to showing you exactly what you or a child is spending time on, you can set limits on apps and even web pages. This allows you to set a strict limit on Facebook or YouTube, while still allowing a child to do homework or chat with friends.

How to Use Screen Time

No Screen Time app. The entire experience lives in the Settings app and emailed reports.

1. Open Settings and tap on Screen Time.
2. If it’s not on, you should enable it now.

You will immediately see your usage so far today, which may not seem very useful. The main part of the screen shows your activity divided into different categories such as Social Networking, Games, Productivity and more.

You can see when you use the phone most often and which apps you use most often. Screen Time shows today’s view, or you can tap up to see 7 days.

Scroll down the apps and you’ll see when you get them most often. You can also tweak and tweak notification options if they’re too intrusive.

To see more detailed usage information and options to add limits. You can do .

You can return to the Home Screen Time page. This will let you lock limits for kids or you can give your passcode to someone else and lock your iPhone usage.

Screen Time also includes , which lets you schedule time away from the screen where most apps are blocked. The recommended time frame is night, so Apple sees it as a tool to start your preparation for bed.

In Screen Time settings, under you can also set which apps are always allowed and set content restrictions for parental controls. This section allows you to block content based on ratings, block actions such as sharing my location, advertising, and even prevent the user from making changes to the volume and other settings. This is the holy grail of parental controls.

How to Set App Limits with Screen Time

Set an App Time Limit with Screen Time.

Screen Time App Limits is one of the most attractive options if you need to limit your own use, or if you want to control how much time kids spend in apps like Fortnite or even games.

You can set App Limits by app categories or within a specific app. I prefer to limit it by apps as it allows better control, but when time is up you can block entertainment or social networks to keep a strict limit without playing the bad guy.

1. go
2. Limit and tap on it. , then the one you want to block. You can also do this in this section.
3. The user can spend in the application. This resets at midnight local time.
4. If you want to allow more time on certain days such as the weekend and change the time allowed for those days.

When the app time limit is about to expire, the device will show a warning and when the app is finished it will show a white screen as a warning that the limit has been reached. You can extend the time limit by 15 minutes or ignore it for the day.

If this is for a child, you will want to set a Passcode on the main Screen Time page. Otherwise, they may expand or ignore the limits you set.

How to Use Parental Controls in Screen Time

Use Parental Controls in Screen Time to limit access to websites, movies, apps, music and more.

If you’ve already set App Limits in the section above, you’re about to master parental controls on iPhone and iPad. Make sure you set a Screen Time passcode or your child can change the settings and remove any limits they want.

1. You can also go to and tap on it to lock things further.
2. .
3. Tap a section to see more options. You can control which apps are allowed, what they can do in the app store, if they can share their location, and many other options.
4. Tap iTunes & App Store Purchases. Change the options, including whether the kids can do it or not.
5. to check ratings for movies, music, books, podcasts, TV Shows and apps. This will restrict apps based on app rating. You can also use this section to toggle Siri access and even the use of Multiplayer games using Game Center.
6. Under it, you can control the app’s access to personal information and other settings such as sharing your location, seeing ads, and more.
7. In this section, you can lock various account settings such as Password changes, account changes, cellular data changes, volume limits, TV providers and more so kids don’t accidentally make a big change.

This is the best place to go for parental controls on iPhone or iPad. If you set it up with a passcode and sync across devices, the settings will be mirrored on the child’s iPhone and iPad so there’s a time limit, not two.

How to Use Downtime in iOS 12

Downtime in iOS 12 helps you prepare for bed by limiting iPhone or iPad use.

Downtime is part of Screen Time in iOS 12 that helps you prepare for sleep by limiting your access to apps that start at a certain time and end later. This is best used when you want to disconnect or stop playing games at night.

When you look at your phone at night, your brain receives the message that it’s not time to sleep yet. You should be able to get a better night’s sleep by limiting your phone use.

2. Tap on
3. to be active.
4. .
5. Tap on it.
6. .
7. This includes Phone, Messages, FaceTime, and Maps by default, but you can remove all but the phone. You can also add apps. I added Audible because I listen to it to fall asleep.

That’s all you have to do. It automatically opens at the right time and eventually closes. If you know your Screen Time Passcode, you can skip it, but if you use it for a child, only the apps you choose will be able to use it during that time.