Screen Time not working

The limit is set, the time has passed, and the app opens anyway. In most cases, Screen Time does exactly what it was told — and what it was told isn’t what you thought. Seven causes, in the order to check them, most common first.

The seven causes

1. “Block at End of Limit” is off. This is cause number one. Without that toggle, a limit that is hit only shows a notification, and the app stays open. Settings → Screen Time → App Limits → the limit → turn the toggle on.
2. Someone tapped “Ignore Limit for Today”. Maybe you, without thinking. The effect lasts until midnight. Without a Screen Time passcode, nothing prevents it — the fix is on the “Ignore Limit” button page.
3. The app is under “Always Allowed”. That list wins over any limit and over Downtime. Settings → Screen Time → Always Allowed → remove it.
4. The limit is on a category, and the app isn’t in it. A “Social” limit only covers the apps Apple files under that category. Open the limit and check the app is ticked by name, or search for it in the field at the top of the list.
5. You’re using the website, not the app. An app limit doesn’t cover the same app’s website in Safari. That is blocked separately: Content & Privacy Restrictions → Web Content → Limit Adult Websites → “Never Allow”.
6. The usage comes from another device. If “Share Across Devices” is off, each iPhone or iPad counts on its own, and the limit only applies where it was created. Settings → Screen Time → turn it on everywhere, same Apple ID.
7. Screen Time has dropped off. After an iOS update, limits sometimes stop applying for no visible reason. Apple’s fix: restart the iPhone, then, if that isn’t enough, turn Screen Time off and back on. That last step erases limits and history — write them down first.

What isn’t a fault

• The limit resets at midnight. An app limit is daily. What was blocked in the evening is open in the morning, and no setting makes it permanent.
• The count only follows the foreground app. A video in Picture in Picture over another app, audio with the screen off: that time isn’t always counted for the app producing it. That is Apple’s definition, not a defect.
• “One More Minute” is only offered once a day. If the option is missing, it has already been used.

If everything is set right and it still gives way

Then it isn’t Screen Time giving way, it’s the model: a duration limit that can be ignored with a tap pits your evening will against your morning will, and the evening one wins. Tempo uses the same API as Apple — iOS enforces the block — but with no daily limit to set and no button to ignore it: the app is shut while your screen-minute balance is at zero, and that balance only comes from a sensor, a workout or steps, at the exchange rate you chose. In the free version, spending is capped at 60 screen minutes a day. The full mechanics are in the blocking guide.

Frequently asked questions

The limit blocks on my iPhone but not on my iPad, why?

Because “Share Across Devices” is off in Screen Time: each device then has its own limits. Turn it on on each one, with the same Apple ID, so that limits and the count are shared.

Screen Time doesn’t count time in one app, is that normal?

The count follows the app in the foreground. A video in the background, audio with the screen off, or an app shown in Picture in Picture over another don’t always count as that app’s screen time. It can’t be fixed: that is Apple’s definition of it.

Should I turn Screen Time off and on again?

That is Apple’s recommended fix when limits stop applying for no visible reason, often after an update. It erases all your limits and history; write them down first. Restarting the iPhone is worth trying first.

Does Tempo depend on Screen Time?

Yes: Tempo uses the same API as Apple, and iOS enforces the block. The difference is that there is no daily limit to set and no button to ignore it: the app is shut while your screen-minute balance is at zero, and that balance only comes from a sensor.