Screen Time
Use Downtime in Screen Time to restrict apps during scheduled hours. Set a daily or custom-day schedule, review what stays available, and use App Limits when you need a time budget instead.
For a scheduled restriction, use Downtime. It is Apple’s Screen Time feature for restricting apps during a window such as work hours, study time, or before bed. Focus can reduce notifications, but it does not block app access by itself.
Before you begin, decide whether you need a scheduled window (Downtime) or a daily allowance (App Limits). They solve different problems.
Go to Settings > Screen Time > Downtime. If Screen Time activity is not set up, iPhone will first ask you to enable it.
Turn on Scheduled. Choose Every Day for one recurring window, or Customize Days to set different start and end times for weekdays and weekends.
In Settings > Screen Time > Always Allowed, check the apps that may remain available during Downtime. This matters if you want to restrict social media on iPhone while keeping essential communication or navigation available.
Enable Block at Downtime when it is available if you want the scheduled window to be a firmer restriction rather than a warning you can simply continue past.
A Screen Time passcode helps prevent someone who does not know it from changing the schedule or related Screen Time settings. It is especially useful on a child’s device or when another trusted person manages the restriction.
| Tool | Best for | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| Downtime | Blocking or restricting apps during a recurring time window. | It does not give each app a separate daily time budget. |
| App Limits | Giving selected apps or categories a daily allowance. | It does not create a scheduled block for a particular time of day. |
| Focus | Silencing notifications and reducing visible distractions. | It does not actually block an app from opening. |
Use App Limits for an allowance. For example, set 30 minutes for Instagram or a social-media category, then enable Block at End of Limit where available. Read how to set App Limits on iPhone for the full steps.
Use Focus as support, not as the block. A Work or Sleep Focus can silence notifications that trigger checking, but the apps are still on your phone and can still open. Pair it with Downtime or App Limits if access needs to be restricted.
Schedule Downtime for the hours when you want social media and entertainment apps out of reach. Keep only the apps you genuinely need in Always Allowed, then use a Focus to reduce notification noise as well.
Set an evening Downtime window and review the allowed apps before you rely on it. This is a practical way to make Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and similar apps less available before bed without deleting them.
Use Customize Days if you want a later schedule on Friday or Saturday. Test the schedule once after saving it so you know the correct apps are restricted and essential apps are still available.
Screen Time is useful for setting boundaries, but its restrictions depend on the exact settings you choose. If an App Limit shows Ignore Limit, it has triggered and iPhone is presenting an override; that is different from a limit failing to track.
On a self-managed device, a schedule may not be strong enough if you repeatedly change settings or continue past the warning. For troubleshooting, see Screen Time limits not working. For an App Limit-specific checklist, see why App Limits do not work.
Fella is not a scheduling tool. It does not offer time-of-day schedules, so use Downtime if scheduled restriction is what you need.
Fella is for a different situation: you want selected distracting apps blocked by default, not only during a planned window. Each blocking session includes one 5-minute emergency unlock for necessary access, then the selected apps lock again.
See Fella’s iPhone app blocker or how to block apps without deleting them.
Go to Settings > Screen Time > Downtime. Turn on Scheduled, set the days and times, review Always Allowed apps, and enable Block at Downtime when available.
No. Focus can silence notifications and adjust your Home Screen, but it does not block app access by itself. Use Downtime for scheduled restrictions.
Yes. Choose Customize Days in Downtime to set different start and end times for different days.
Downtime restricts apps during scheduled hours. App Limits set a daily allowance for selected apps or categories.
No. Fella keeps selected apps blocked by default rather than on a time-of-day schedule, with one 5-minute emergency unlock per blocking session.
Fella blocks the apps that pull you away,
and gives you one 5-minute unlock per session.
