IPHONE SETTINGS
How to set up Screen Time on iPhone
Screen Time is built into iPhone. You can cap apps and schedule Downtime without installing anything. People search for it because the Ignore Limit button is too close.
What Screen Time does
Open Settings > Screen Time to see what you used today. App Limits, Downtime, and communication limits live here.
It is both a report and a switch that can lock the apps you pick when time runs out.
Turn it on
Open Settings and tap Screen Time. If it is off, tap Turn On Screen Time.
Set a Screen Time passcode so you cannot tap Ignore Limit without thinking. Use a code only you know.
App Limits
App Limits > Add Limit, then pick a category or a single app and a daily cap. For short-video apps, an app-level limit is more accurate than a category.
When the cap hits, the icon greys out. Ignore Limit turns the cap into a suggestion unless a passcode is on.
Downtime
Downtime locks most apps in a daily window — evenings or the commute. Keep only Phone or Maps in Always Allowed.
You can use Downtime and App Limits together, or just one.
Where it usually fails
Ignore Limit sits on the same screen as the block. Without a passcode, the limit is a nudge.
Screen Time does not keep a balance of time you actually protected. The report only shows what you used.
If you want protected time to add up
Dopamine Bank is an upcoming iPhone app that uses Screen Time to shield apps and keep the minutes you protected. You can already set limits in Settings today.