How to use Downtime on iPhone and keep the apps you need

What is Downtime?

It is a schedule within Screen Time. During Downtime, only apps you allow and phone calls work, and other apps are blocked until the period ends. Apple documents it in the guide on schedules and time allowances. It is useful when you want a regular window with no apps, such as from 22:00 to 07:00 or during dinner.

Unlike an App Limit, which counts minutes, Downtime works on the clock. It runs every day at the times you set, with no need to remember to start it.

How do you set it up?

Check whether the option to block at Downtime is on. If it is off, apps show a reminder but do not block. Some people prefer that for a start, because a reminder is easier to live with.

1. Open Settings and tap Screen Time. Turn it on if needed.
2. Tap Downtime.
3. Choose Every Day or Customize Days.
4. Set the From and To times.
5. Tap Back and review Always Allowed.

What should be in Always Allowed?

Think about what you need if something goes wrong at the time Downtime runs. A short list is best.

Everything else is blocked. Remember to include any app that sends a code you need to log in somewhere else.

• Phone and Messages, so that family can reach you.
• Maps, if you drive at those times.
• A music or audiobook app if you use them to fall asleep.
• A banking or authenticator app, if you might need it.

What should you block?

Social, video, games and news are the usual list. Most people do not need to block a notes app, a calendar or a reading app. If you are using Downtime at night, the idea is to remove the temptations and leave the tools.

Should you add a passcode?

A Screen Time passcode is optional. Without one, you can tap Ignore Limit with a single press, which makes Downtime a polite request. With a passcode that you do not know, it becomes a rule. The guide to the Screen Time passcode explains how to set one. If you choose this route, agree with the person who holds the code when it may be used. See also the post on Screen Time and the Ignore Limit button.

What are the common mistakes?

Three are frequent. People set Downtime too wide, such as 20:00 to 08:00, and turn it off after the first awkward evening. They forget to allow a key app and get locked out of something they need. And they treat it as a cure when it is only a schedule. A tight, realistic window works better than an ambitious one.

Start with an hour before bed. If that is easy, extend it. If you find yourself overriding it daily, shorten the window.

How does Downtime differ from Focus?

A Focus changes notifications and which apps and people can reach you, and it can follow a schedule or a place. Downtime blocks apps themselves through Screen Time. A Focus is softer: apps still open. Downtime is firmer: apps are blocked. You can use both at once, with a Sleep Focus for quiet and Downtime for a hard stop.

Where does Ebb fit?

Ebb is for the moments outside a schedule, when the urge comes at 3 pm. It puts a short focus round in front of a feed app through a Shortcuts automation. At night, its Pro plan has a Night rule that lengthens rounds to 60 seconds. Ebb is a pause and not a lock, so use Downtime when you want a lock. See the gate.

How should you pick the hours?

Think about the moments you most want protected. Common choices are the hour before bed, dinner time and the first hour of the morning. Start with one block. If you set it for the hour before sleep, you protect your wind-down. If you set it for dinner, you protect conversation. One block is easier to keep than three, and you can add another once the first feels normal.

Use Customize Days if weekends differ. Many people want a longer morning on Saturday and no Downtime at all on a day out.

What happens when Downtime starts?

Blocked apps dim, and tapping one shows a screen that says you have reached the limit. If you have a passcode you can enter it to ask for more time. Without a passcode, the screen offers options to ignore the limit. iOS can also send a reminder before Downtime begins, which gives you a few minutes to finish what you are doing. Use that time to close the app deliberately instead of being cut off mid-sentence.

Is Downtime good for families?

Yes, and it is where the feature began. A parent can set Downtime on a child's device from their own phone using Family Sharing. The child cannot change it without the parent's passcode. Explain the schedule to the child, include Always Allowed apps that matter to them, and review it together every few months. A schedule that the family agrees on lasts longer than one that is imposed.

What if you work evenings?

Set Downtime around your real life. Shift workers and parents of babies have odd hours, so tie Downtime to your sleep rather than to the clock. If your schedule changes weekly, consider using a Focus that starts by location or by app instead, since a Focus is easier to switch on and off. Downtime shines when your days are regular.