On iOS 27, use Screen Time Schedule for hours and allowed categories, with Time Allowances for budgets. On iOS 26, use scheduled Downtime and review Always Allowed and Block at Downtime. Atten, becoming Remind, also provides recurring schedules for selected apps and websites. Test essential access before a longer block.
Choose the steps for your software version
On iOS 27, open Settings → Screen Time → Screen Time Schedule. Enable the schedule, choose days, then edit the hours and allowed categories for each window. Use Time Allowances for category budgets, with Match Screen Time Schedule when needed. Review Always Allowed. Apple’s current scheduling guide describes the version 27 requirements across devices.
The App Limits and Downtime procedures below describe version 26. Use those steps when your settings show those controls. A daily budget, a scheduled window, and notification silencing remain different decisions.
“Block after 30 minutes” and “block from 9:00 to 11:00” are different requests. On iOS 26, Screen Time App Limits count daily use. Downtime provides start and end hours but is designed to make most apps unavailable. A scheduled blocker fits when the hours are fixed and the restricted set is small.
Choose hours or a daily time budget
Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.
| Your rule | Use | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Most apps unavailable from a start time to an end time | Schedule windows on iOS 27; Downtime on iOS 26 | Always Allowed apps and contacts |
| One app has a set number of minutes per day | Time Allowances on iOS 27; App Limits on iOS 26 | The limit is not a fixed clock window |
| Selected apps and sites blocked during recurring hours | An Atten schedule | Both app and browser routes |
| Notifications quiet during those hours | Focus | Focus does not prevent app access |
If you only want to spend less total time, compare the controls in our Screen Time and app blocker guide. Do not turn a broad Downtime schedule into a workaround for one app without reviewing what else it affects.
Schedule iPhone Downtime for exact hours (version 26)
These steps follow Apple's iOS 26 user guide. Labels can differ on older iOS versions.
- Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
- Open App & Website Activity and turn it on if it is not already enabled.
- Tap Downtime, then enable Scheduled.
- Choose Every Day, or Customize Days for a separate schedule on each weekday.
- Set the start and end time, then return to review the saved schedule.
- Open Always Allowed and keep essential apps and contacts available.
- If you use a Screen Time passcode and want restricted apps blocked rather than dimmed with a reminder, turn on Block at Downtime.
Apple says calls, messages and apps you allow can remain available during Downtime. Check emergency contacts, authentication, maps, transport, health, accessibility and work tools before making the schedule part of your day. A passcode is not a substitute for knowing how the restriction behaves.
Schedule only selected apps and websites
When most of the phone is needed but social feeds are not, make a smaller rule in Atten. Select the distracting apps and any matching websites, choose the recurring days, start time and end time, and test it with a short window. The App Store listing documents schedules and app/website selection; this guide does not assume an unbreakable restriction or invent an Atten screen label.
Atten is the app that can be downloaded today; Remind is the coming name. A scheduled block is useful when you want exact hours rather than a daily allowance. The study guide helps build a list around a specific task, and the Mac app guide covers the same decision on a computer.
Worked example: weekdays from 9:00 to 11:00
A two-hour work window needs the calendar, calls, password manager and authentication app. It does not need social feeds, shopping or games. On iOS 26 with Downtime, choose Customize Days, enter 9:00 to 11:00 for Monday through Friday, and put required tools in Always Allowed. With Atten, select only the distractions and schedule the same window.
Treat notification silence as a separate layer. An iPhone Focus can reduce interruptions during the same hours, but it does not stop you opening an app. Keep calls or people who need to reach you in the allowed list. If the distraction is TikTok, test both the app and its website using the TikTok guide.
Test every route before the first real block
- Make a temporary schedule that begins a few minutes from now and lasts ten minutes.
- Open one restricted app and its website in the browser you normally use.
- Open every essential tool and complete a realistic sign-in or verification flow.
- Confirm the rule ends automatically and ordinary access returns.
- Check the next scheduled day and local time, especially after travel or a clock change.
A failed test is useful: correct the selected app, browser path, day or exception while the stakes are low. Do not rely on a screenshot of the schedule alone; try the actual access path.
Common questions
Can App Limits block an app from 9:00 to 5:00?
On iOS 26, App Limits set the amount of use allowed in a day. Use Downtime for broad exact hours or a scheduled blocker for a selected list during a clock-based window.
Can each weekday have different Downtime hours?
Yes. Apple's current guide provides Customize Days as well as one Every Day schedule.
Why can I still open an app during Downtime?
Check whether it is in Always Allowed and whether Block at Downtime is enabled. Apple notes that the blocking option requires a Screen Time passcode; without it, the interface can offer a reminder that may be ignored.
Sources
Primary documentation checked 31 August 2026: