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iPhone How to defeat Screentime (BUG)

scottct1

scottct1

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 7, 2012
317
618
Connecticut USA
This video shows how kids can disable Screentime on their iPhones.

Video is using the latest Beta (Beta 5)

Here is the issue, have Screentime I remotely installed on my son's iPhone which is also using the latest beta.

I have it set up to shut off at 10:30 at night so he will go to bed. Anyways I have caught him watching Youtube videos at 2 am while Screentime is supposed to be active and all apps are supposed to be blocked. So I threatened to take away his iPhone unless he told how he was unlocking screen time on his phone. So he told me.

When Screentime kicks in and all of his apps are locked out, he goes into Settings > General > Time & Date and chances the time on his phone to a time when Screentime is not enabled. You then go back to the home screen and wait until a new minute starts... Poof all your apps are unlocked.

The video demonstrates me showing off how it is done.


When Apple announced this new feature I was excited as I would be able to finally stop my kids from using their phones and go to bed when they are supposed to. But if this feature is defeated this easily then it makes the feature worthless to parents.

I have submitted this bug to Apple so hopefully they can fix it before the release. The easy fix would be make it so that Date and Time settings are not available when Screentime is active, although the child can go in and change the time before screen time kicks in thus foiling it again as well.

I am also told by him (but have not tested) that you can also go into the Time and Date settings and set the time for 24 hour mode. He says Screen time does not seem to understand the 24 hour time format.
 
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TheSkywalker77 said:
And why would this be useful?...
Click to expand...

Its useful as the parents can set limits from their phone to their kids phone, so that at set times, certain (or all) apps do not work. The apps become locked out during the times a parent sets.

The major bug is the kids can turn off these restrictions by just changing the time on their phone, to a non restricted time.
 
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I heard this was happening and it was a concern to me as well. I saw it as a way of monitoring (rather than controlling) kids usages.
What does the screen time monitor show when they are bypassing it? As I believe you get a weekly? report on usage.
 
scottct1 said:
Its useful as the parents can set limits from their phone to their kids phone, so that at set times, certain (or all) apps do not work. The apps become locked out during the times a parent sets.

The major bug is the kids can turn off these restrictions by just changing the time on their phone, to a non restricted time.
Click to expand...
I meant how is telling how to bypass it useful.
 
scottct1 said:
Its useful as the parents can set limits from their phone to their kids phone, so that at set times, certain (or all) apps do not work. The apps become locked out during the times a parent sets.

The major bug is the kids can turn off these restrictions by just changing the time on their phone, to a non restricted time.
Click to expand...
Kids shouldn't have iPhones in the first place.
 
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I have had nothing but problems with screen time so to fix that I just take my daughter's phone/ipad in my room when she goes to bed. Problem solved haha. Of course she's only 11...
 
Get a router that will allow you to set a time access to individual devices. The Apple AirPort Extreme does the trick for me.
 
I can't recall if the "old" parental controls and content restrictions allowed you to restrict changing date/time?
 
Probably a lot more to unpack here than working around screen time. People will figure out ways to get out of restrictions, especially kids. You can either just take their phones away from them (as posted above) or maybe use the kTimer and ask them to put their phones into it every night before they got to their room. But I think it's a losing battle in the long run - crazy that your school encourages this! When I went to school they didn't allow phones or even chewing gum.
 
My kids schools issues iPads to students (4-9 grade) and iMacs for high schoolers. They basically use them to watch instructional videos, flip through lessons, and take quizzes and tests. They use e-textbooks. Everything they submit is done electronically.

It's maddening
 
Also, they can get around YouTube time limits by sending themselves links in messages. We had that issue pop up.

But at least it's giving us talking points with our son regarding his phone usage.
 
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