September 29, 2026

Set a Downtime schedule in Screen Time

Only the apps you mark as Allowed stay available. Phone calls still work.

• Productivity
• Easy · 3 min
• iPhone on iOS 18 and iOS 26
• Fix: set Screen Time Downtime on iPhone
• Cheat sheet

How to do it

1. 01

   Open Settings > Screen Time. Turn Screen Time on if it is off.

2. 02

   Tap Downtime, turn it on, and set the hours.

3. 03

   Open Always Allowed and add the apps that should keep working, such as Maps or Phone. Phone is allowed by default.

4. 04

   During Downtime you can ignore the block for a minute, or for the day, if you have not set a Screen Time passcode.

A Screen Time passcode stops the easy override. Set one only if you want the friction. If you forget it, changing it is a recovery, not a toggle.