How to use Screen Time to keep your iPhone usage within healthy limits

We all spend a lot of time on our phones, and it's possible – just possible – that some of us spend too much time. Back in 2018, we published an article explaining how to use what was then Apple's brand new Screen Time feature, which was designed to help people keep their screen time in some sort of reasonable proportion.

SummaryDaily AverageDowntimeApp LimitationsScreen PasscodeContent and Privacy Restrictions

Back then (this was around the time iOS 12 was released ), you could use Screen Time to check how much time you were spending on your phone, use an App Limits feature to limit your (or your children's) daily time spent on various types of apps, or use its Downtime feature to disable access to all applications (except a few).

Since then, and especially since the release of iOS 13, Screen Time has been extended, making it easier to lock apps and/or limit your screentime. (No additional features have been announced so far for the upcoming iOS 15, but we'll add them here if there are any.)

To start using Screen Time, go to "Settings"> "Screen Time". Here are some of the things you can do.

Daily average

At the top of the Screen Time app, you can see a summary of your activity during the day. Click "See All Activity" to see a breakdown of the specific apps you've used and how long you've used them.

Downtime

Downtime lets you set times when you want to force yourself to rest your eyes and avoid staring at the screen. It does this by locking down the apps you're most likely to spend time with. These blockages aren't absolute - as you'll see later, you can undo downtimes when you need them.

Start by choosing when you want to start your time away from your phone.

• Tap "Downtime" and turn it on.
• Select the days (it can be every day or only certain days) and times you want to avoid being swallowed by your favorite iPhone apps. During these periods, only the specified applications that you have pre-selected (as well as phone calls) will be allowed. For example, you can disable Facebook and Twitter during work hours, but keep the Messages app for texting. (We'll see how to choose apps to disable in a moment.)
• You will receive a warning before downtime begins. If you need to continue working on an app, don't worry:you'll have the option to request one more minute, be called back in 15 minutes, or skip the limit for today.

Keep in mind that Downtime and other Screen Time features can be applied to all of your devices that use iCloud. So if you set it on your iPhone, for example, it can also apply to your Mac or iPad. To share your settings across your devices, go to the main Screen Time screen and turn on "Share Across Devices".

Now that you've chosen when you want a downtime, you'll probably want to select which applications must be allowed to remain active.

Back in the main Screen Time screen, select "Always Allowed". Here you can choose which apps you will always have access to during downtime.

• You will see two sets of apps:Allowed apps and Choose apps.
• To select an app you'll always want to access, even during downtime, tap the app name in Choose apps and it will appear in the list of allowed apps.
• If you want to ban one of the allowed apps, tap the minus sign next to the app, then tap "Remove".

There are other ways to customize downtime. Say you want to be alerted to text messages from specific people – you plan to focus on a project and don't want to hear from any of your friends, but you still want to receive text messages from your family members. You can do it.

• On the same "Always Allowed" page, tap "Contacts" at the top of the page.
• Under "Allow Communication", select "Specific Contacts" and choose which contacts you want to allow, even during downtime.

Note that the "Communication Allowed" page can also be accessed from the main Screen Time page.

Application Limits

Another way to control your app usage is to limit how long an app can be used (rather than what time of day you can use it). For example, if Twitter tends to be your personal black hole, you might choose to spend no more than, say, two hours on Twitter each day.

To set your application limits:

• In the Screen Time screen, select "App Limits"> "Add Limit". Enable "App Limits" and tap "Add Limit".
• You will see a list of categories, such as "Social", "Games", and "Entertainment". Tap on a specific category and it will open to show a list of all your apps that are in that category.

• Select the apps you want to restrict or select an entire category to choose all apps in that category.
• Tap "Next" in the top right corner.
• Select the maximum daily app usage time. When you reach your limit, you'll be interrupted by a screen that allows you to either apply the limit (just press the "OK" button) or shrug your shoulders and select "Ignore Limit".
• If you choose the latter, you can get an extra minute, ask to be called back in 15 minutes, or decide to skip the limit for today.

Note:If for some reason you don't want to use an app at all except on rare occasions, you can set the screen time to 23 hours and 59 minutes. The app will then be out of range unless you go back to "Settings"> "Screen Time"> "App Limits" and turn off the limit.

Access code to the screen

If you want to keep certain apps out of reach of your kids — or roommate — you can create a passcode that will be needed to make changes to Screen Time. The passcode is also useful if you think you need an extra barrier before undoing one of your limitations.

• Go to Screen Time and tap "Use Screen Time passcode".
• Set a four-digit passcode, then re-enter it when prompted.
• Enter your Apple ID and password so you can use it if you forget your password.

And that's it. If you want to change or remove your passcode, return to Screen Time and select "Change Screen Time Passcode".

Content-and-privacy-restrictions

The final selection in Screen Time isn't as much about when you use your iPhone as what you see or hear on it. Select "Content &Privacy Restrictions" if you want to allow or restrict explicit content, keep TV shows or movies to certain levels, set an age limit for apps, limit allowed websites, and set a certain number of different limits for games (such as multiplayer games, connecting with friends or private messaging).

Most of this information is for parents who want to monitor what their children see and hear online, but if you'd rather avoid accidentally crashing into "adult" websites, it might be useful. There are also a number of privacy features, such as stopping Apple advertising or disallowing apps from changing your microphone settings, Bluetooth sharing, and other features.