How to Change Screen Time Password on iPhone or iPad
Using Screen Time in iOS allows for time limits to be set on app usage on an iPhone or iPad, even allowing for time limits on entire app categories like social networking. Setting up Screen Time requires a passcode to be set to access the Screen Time settings, and there are certainly times where an iPhone or iPad user may need to change the Screen Time password in iOS. Maybe someone sneakily watched you enter the passcode and is now entering it themselves to override an app limit, or maybe you’re simply changing your passcode used in general. Whatever the reason, changing the Screen Time password in iOS is easy.
How to Change a Screen Time Passcode in iOS
- Open the ‘Settings’ app in iOS
- Scroll down to tap on “Screen Time”
- Within Screen Time settings, scroll down and tap on “Change Screen Time Passcode”
- Confirm that you want to change the Screen Time Passcode in iOS
- Enter the old passcode, then enter the new passcode twice for the change to take effect
Don’t forget the Screen Time passcode, without it you won’t be able to make changes to Screen Time, set limits on apps and app categories, remove or adjust Screen Time settings, or even disable the Screen Time passcode if needed, so remembering the password you set is important.
Other Screen Time management options are available. For example you can delete Screen Time limits for specific apps or categories in iOS if you set one up and decide it’s no longer needed.
You can also disable Screen Time on iPhone or iPad completely, which requires knowing the set Screen Time password to do so, so if you changed it recently you’d use that new passcode to accomplish this.
Whether you use Screen Time or not likely depends on how you use your iPhone or iPad, and if you’re managing multiple devices. Many parents and caregivers of kids use Screen Time limits for parental controls and app restrictions, putting limits on things like social networking, games, videos and movies, and other activities that can be a good idea to limit the use of. But used well, even adults, kids, and virtually anyone else can find the feature helpful for offering some enforced quota on time wasting activity. For example if you find yourself wasting time on social media then you can use Screen Limits to set a time limit for social networking use – you can always override the limit at any time, so it can serve as a nice reminder to how often you’re using a particular type of app or service.
Another helpful tip for some users is keep an eye on screen time to watch what they’re doing on their device, or the device of another user. iOS even helpfully sends you a weekly report of screen time activity, but turning off Screen Time Weekly Reports could be desirable if you have no interest in seeing a weekly activity overview of app usage on an iPhone or iPad.
Feel free to share your thoughts or experiences with Screen Time in iOS in the comments below!
It says to put the password in still this hack is no useful
This was installed by some kid at the Apple Store and it has been the most MFBS EVER! This is for my company and I’m blocked from websites, the passwords, even after resetting NEVER CHANGES!
I am furious that all this money was spent and I can’t use it!!!
I just figured it out. You must go on the parents phone that is setting the screen time limits click on settings, screen time then choose the child and scroll down to change screen time password.
Finally figured this out. Turn off your screen time pass code. Then turn it back on. You will enter your new passcode when you turn passcode back on.
My daughter turns off the screen time , how can i block that change
Same issue here!
Am I the only one that actually trusts my child? I don’t have screen time on because they know that if they do anything bad all of their devices besides the tv will be taken away. If you claim to trust your child then I suggest you show it a little and be a little more lenient. My niece can’t download anything because my sister decided to put restrictions on to hide her from the harsh reality of the world. Our kids won’t grow up properly without seeing what’s happening.
To each their own.
If you spend a few minutes on social media looking at “Trending” stuff, and it’s constant violence, utter filth, and general degradation, you might come to think Screen Time for a child is a good idea.
But beyond the obvious, the biggest indicator to me that limiting screen time is important is that everyone who actually develops and designs this stuff do not their own children use most of it, or they severely restrict it, and they restrict it for themselves too. What’s that tell you? Watch what they do, not what they say.
Like others who have commented I cannot change the screen time password on my child’s Ipad. I go through the routine to change it, enter the old and then the new PW twice, the dialogue just closes, no error message or anything to suggest it hasn’t worked, but the old PW remains in force. She knows it somehow, making the whole thing unfit for purpose. There has to be a way to fix this and I’m amazed there have been no suggestions here.
Encountering exact same issue as Mike. Would be grateful for tips how to avoid old password coming back after setting up a new one. Under IoS 13.3.1. (update 13.4.1. not installed yet)
Ever figure out how to get the new screen time passcode to go in effect? Having same issue….
I have the same problem: there is no option on mine to “change the screen time pass code “ Did you succeed in the end? Please let me know as I am getting very frustrated after over an hour of trying to change the screen time pass code! Many thanks
Hi!
I have tried this many times now, but when I get out of settings and back in, it’s still the old one that works. Not the new one.
And of course my kid has figured out the old one.
Why won’t it register the new one, but keep bouncing back to the old code?
I’m having the same issue today : (
Hiya, I have the same issue. I have 6 failed attempts on resetting my daughter’s screen time limit to increase it because I have forgotten the set passcode. She is furious with me! Any help from anyone would be really appreciated.
I had this same issue. I watched how to discover the forgotten pin and it worked. It was Recover/Reset ScreenTime Passcode You need a laptop to do this and download to itunes first.
Hi, thanks for the above info.
My question is that I forgot the password; how can I reset it?
Hey, thank you so much for the walk through, however on my phone there isn’t a button underneath to change the passcode. Any ideas what I should do?
Hey Paul,
Thank you very much for sharing your great tip !
I have disabled Homescreen on iPhone and iPad because
every time i want to give my passcode it is wrong!
I don’t know 🤷♀️ what is wrong with this App but it makes
me sick! maybe I do something wrong?
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead !
Friendly greetings from 🇧🇧