Imagine going to all that effort to set up Screen Time to control your or your child’s use of time-consuming apps like YouTube or Spotify, only to find that these settings don’t stop them. Frustrating is an understatement, but unfortunately, this is an experience experienced by many iPhone and iPad users.
We’ll show you some troubleshooting steps to help you resolve this issue quickly, and you might also want to learn why this issue occurs in the first place so you know how to avoid it in the future.
Why doesn’t Screen Time pause YouTube or Spotify?
There are several reasons why this issue may occur, such as improper Screen Time or Downtime settings. It could be a software issue, or in some cases, your child’s device may not be configured correctly. It could also be that the time and date settings are not set properly.
How to fix Screen Time on your iPhone or iPad
1. Set a Screen Time passcode from your device
Time required: 5 minutes
Many people set up Screen Time to stop their kids from spending time on distracting apps, but you might need to set a passcode on your child’s device. Of course, you need to make sure your child doesn’t know these details, or they’ll be able to turn everything off again. Here’s how:
On your child’s iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Screen Time.
Scroll down to the Lock screen time settings.
Set a passcode on your child’s device.
Re-enter your passcode and enter your device’s Apple ID login details.
2. Set device limits for your child
You should also double-check that your child’s device restrictions are customized the way you want them. Here’s how to do it:
Open Settings and go to Family under your Apple ID. Go to Screen Time. Go to Content & Privacy Restrictions. Toggle Content & Privacy Restrictions on. Tap Store, web, Siri, Game Center content. Go to Web content. Select Approved websites only. Make sure neither app is in the list of allowed websites. Note
If you’re setting up Screen Time from your iPhone or iPad, you’ll also need to make sure sharing across devices is enabled.
3. Check if the app is offloaded
If you offload an app, Screen Time restrictions don’t apply, so if you don’t block the web address, users might be able to access a restricted app from their browser.
Some iPhones and iPads can also automatically offload apps that you haven’t used in a while – this depends on your settings – so it’s worth checking to see if an offloaded app isn’t causing the problem.
Go to Settings > General > iPhone/iPad Storage. Select YouTube and Spotify individually to check the settings. If the app is offloaded, tap Reinstall App.
4. Check the date on the calendar
One of the strangest (or clever, depending on how you look at it) ways to get around Screen Time restrictions is to change the time and date on your calendar to a date in the past, so it’s worth making sure automatic time and date is enabled on your devices.
To do this, follow these steps:
Open the Settings app and go to General > Date & Time. Toggle on Set Automatically if it’s not already on. It’s also important to make sure your location setting is turned on so your device knows where you are.
5. Try adding or removing app restrictions
In some cases, adding or removing limits for specific apps can help Screen Time work properly again. Here’s how to do it:
Go to Settings > Screen Time > App Limits. Select Add Limit. Add limits to YouTube and Spotify. After adding these time limits, swipe left to remove them. A pop-up window will appear asking you to confirm that you want to remove these limits.
6. Check the software version
If your device doesn’t have the latest software installed, it might not be able to perform various tasks as usual, so we recommend that you check the software on your iPhone or iPad and upgrade it if necessary.
First, letโs look at how to check.
Go to Settings > General > Software Update. Wait for your device to load the latest software. If it’s up to date, you’ll see a message like this:
If you need to update your software, follow these steps:
Select Update Now when the option appears. Accept Apple’s user agreement. Enter your passcode if prompted, then wait while the latest iOS or iPadOS version is installed. Note: Sometimes you might have trouble updating your software. If so, follow our steps to fix errors when updating iOS (the steps also work for iPads). Also, check out how to fix iPhone stuck on Hello screen after update.
7. Check and adjust your web content settings
If that doesn’t resolve the issue, adjust your web content settings so that both apps appear in the list of restricted apps. To do this, follow the steps in Configure device restrictions for your child, but apply it to your own iPhone or iPad.
If you don’t want to scroll up again, here’s a quick summary of the steps:
Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions. Select Store, Web, Siri, and Game Center Content. Go to Web content and select Approved websites only. Remove YouTube and Spotify if they appear in the list of approved websites.
8. Check your downtime settings
Access to most apps is automatically restricted during downtime, so be sure to review the settings, such as times and days that access is allowed.
Go to Settings > Screen Time > Downtime. Evaluate your Downtime settings to make sure they meet your needs. If necessary, change the days and times that they’re enabled.
9. Force restart your device
If it’s a software glitch, force restarting your iPhone or iPad should fix the issue. The steps vary depending on whether your device has a Home button or not. We’ll start by explaining what to do if your phone or tablet uses Face ID.
Tap either volume button. Quickly tap the other volume button. Press and hold the standby button until you see the Apple logo.
If your iPhone or iPad has a Home button, follow these steps:
Press and hold the Home and Standby buttons on your device until you see the Apple logo, then release the buttons.
10. Reset settings and block apps manually
You can also try blocking apps manually by turning Screen Time off and then on completely. To do this, follow these steps:
Go to Settings > Screen Time. Turn off Content & Privacy Restrictions and App & Website Activity. Before you do this, remove all settings. Then add the settings again.
You can also try resetting all settings on your iPhone or iPad.
Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone/iPad. Tap Reset. Select Reset All Settings. Enter your passcode if prompted. Once the restart is complete, return to Screen Time and customize your settings again.
There are a few ways to fix this problem, but we recommend following the steps we’ve outlined here in order. Blocking your child’s access to Settings is a good start, and with some simple tweaks you can also control Screen Time more effectively.