Use Screen Time for a basic limit, Downtime for a scheduled evening block, or an iPhone app blocker with a nightly routine when a quick browse for something to watch turns into a viewing session, without canceling your Prime membership.
You can block Prime Video on iPhone without canceling your Amazon Prime membership. Use Screen Time App Limits for a daily allowance, Downtime for a scheduled block, or a dedicated blocker when Prime Video needs to stay unavailable after a set time each night. Each method restricts access differently, so choose the smallest one that closes the loophole you actually have.
The trap with Prime Video often starts before you even pick something to watch. Opening the app to "see what's on" turns browsing rows of titles into its own activity, and once something catches your eye, deciding to watch feels like the natural next step rather than a decision you consciously made.
1. Open Settings, then tap Screen Time. If needed, turn on App & Website Activity. Tap App Limits, then Add Limit.
2. Select Prime Video. Open the Entertainment category, select Prime Video, tap Next, choose the daily allowance, then tap Done. Selecting Prime Video on its own avoids sharing a limit with other apps you still need.
3. Know what happens when the limit is reached. iPhone shows a Screen Time limit screen, but an App Limit can be ignored by default. That matters if you opened the app "just to browse," since by the time the limit triggers, you may already be twenty minutes into something you started watching.
Check that the App Limit applies to Prime Video itself. Open Settings > Screen Time > App Limits, tap the rule, and confirm Prime Video is selected and the days are correct. A category limit can behave differently from a limit on one specific app.
Do not confuse an override with a failed limit. If you see an Ignore Limit option, the limit has triggered as designed. It is an expected iPhone override, not proof the app was never restricted. See how to stop ignoring Screen Time limits if that override has become automatic for you.
Check the workaround you are actually using. Muting notifications or hiding the icon doesn't block Prime Video, and a downloaded title stays watchable offline unless the app itself is restricted.
Downtime blocks most apps during a scheduled period. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Downtime, choose Scheduled, and set the days and hours. Since the trigger here is often "just browsing" rather than a planned watch, covering the whole evening removes the opening move entirely, rather than trying to catch the moment browsing turns into watching.
Turn on Block at Downtime for a real scheduled block. Apple lets Downtime show a reminder by default; with Block at Downtime enabled, restricted apps cannot open during that period. Apps in Always Allowed can remain available, so review that list if Prime Video is not behaving as expected.
Focus Mode is not a Prime Video blocker. Focus can silence notifications; it does not stop you opening the app to browse.
| Approach | Good for | Weak point |
|---|---|---|
| Delete Prime Video | Removes immediate access on this iPhone. | Your Prime membership stays active either way, so this only addresses the app, not the underlying subscription. |
| Screen Time app limit | Basic limits and awareness. | You can choose Ignore Limit, especially once you've already started something and are past the "just browsing" moment. |
| Fella | Blocking Prime Video automatically at a scheduled time each night. | Built for one 5-minute emergency unlock per session, not open-ended access. |
A dedicated blocker is useful when the problem starts at "let me see what's on" rather than a deliberate decision to watch. A default-off rule removes that opening move entirely, so there's no browsing session to accidentally turn into a viewing session. If you are still choosing a tool, see our iPhone app-blocking options.
With Fella, add Prime Video to a routine that starts a blocking session automatically at your chosen time. You don't need to remember to start it yourself each evening; it stays unavailable by default once the routine begins.
Use the emergency unlock only for a practical need. Each blocking session includes one 5-minute emergency unlock. When the five minutes end, Prime Video locks again automatically, so it won't cover finishing a title already in progress.
That is the trade-off. Fella is for a hard scheduled cutoff, not flexible per-title limits or a way to browse past your own bedtime rule.
People who open Prime Video "just to check" and end up watching something anyway. If browsing rows of titles routinely turns into a viewing session you didn't plan, that's the pattern Fella is built to interrupt.
People who want a consistent bedtime without relying on willpower each night. A scheduled routine removes the need to decide to stop at the exact moment you're deciding whether to start something new.
People who've already tried app limits. If "Ignore Limit" became a habit of its own, a harder scheduled default is the next step.
Use Screen Time App Limits for a daily allowance, Downtime for a scheduled block, or a focused app blocker like Fella to keep Prime Video blocked by default at a set time, with one 5-minute emergency unlock per session.
No. Fella blocks the Prime Video app on your iPhone specifically. It does not cancel your Prime membership, affect Amazon shopping, or change your watchlist and viewing history.
Yes. Fella supports routines that start a blocking session automatically on chosen days and times, useful for a recurring evening cutoff rather than remembering to start a block manually.
Fella gives you one 5-minute emergency unlock per session. When that window ends, Prime Video locks again automatically, so it isn't designed for extended access, only a brief practical need.
Yes. Fella blocks the app itself, so downloaded content stays inaccessible while the app is blocked. It remains available during your one 5-minute emergency unlock per session.
Yes. Use App Limits for a daily allowance, or Downtime for scheduled hours. A reached App Limit can be ignored by default. Fella is a narrower blocker with one 5-minute emergency unlock per session.
No. Hiding an app changes where its icon appears, and muting notifications removes alerts. You can still open Prime Video from Search or the App Library unless you use an App Limit, Downtime, or an app blocker.
