Check your iOS version first: version 27 uses schedules and category allowances; version 26 uses App Limits and Downtime. Then identify whether usage failed to count, the wrong selection was restricted, or the device offered a way to continue. Check sharing and browser access separately.
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.
“Not working” can describe several different results. Screen Time may have counted usage but shown a reminder you could dismiss. A category limit may include more apps than expected. A browser may still reach the service after its app reaches the limit. Fixing the right failure is faster than recreating every setting at once.
Find the failure first
| What you saw | Check first |
|---|---|
| No usage appeared | App & Website Activity and the device shown in the report |
| The limit ended too early | Other apps in the selected category and Share Across Devices |
| The app stayed available | Whether you set an allowance or a blocked Downtime schedule |
| The website still opened | The browser version and declared associated websites covered by the allowance |
| Notifications kept arriving | Focus or notification settings, which solve a different problem |
Apple describes App Limits as daily time allowances. Its version 26 iPhone guide also notes that Screen Time limits can be ignored by default. That behavior may be a poor fit for your intention, but it does not mean the timer failed to count.
Check the version 26 settings in order
- Open Settings → Screen Time. Turn on App & Website Activity if it is off.
- Open App Limits. Select the limit and confirm the individual app, category, or website you meant to include.
- Check the daily amount. A custom schedule can give different allowances on different days. Confirm today’s value.
- Review Share Across Devices. On iOS 27 this is under Screen Time → Manage Screen Time. When enabled, Apple says limits, schedules, and usage are shared across Apple devices on the same account.
- Review Always Allowed. Keep calls, authentication, travel, and other essential apps available intentionally rather than exempting a whole distracting category.
If you manage a child’s device, check that you selected the intended family member before changing the rule. Apple provides a separate family Screen Time flow; a personal focus routine is not a replacement for parental controls.
Choose the right control
Use App Limits when your rule is “up to 30 minutes today.” Use scheduled Downtime when the rule is “not during these hours.” Apple lets you choose Every Day or Customize Days, keep selected apps available, and turn on Block at Downtime. For a quieter phone that still lets you open apps, use Focus to control notifications.
For a repeatable work or study session, a dedicated blocker may be easier to organize. Atten—the app that is becoming Remind—supports selected app and website blocks, daily limits, schedules, and focus sessions. Read the Screen Time and app blocker comparisonbefore adding another tool. If the daily allowance is correct, keep the simpler setup.
Run a clean ten-minute test
- Create one temporary limit for one nonessential app.
- Leave Share Across Devices unchanged, but write down whether it is on.
- Use only that app until the short allowance ends.
- Record the exact screen you see and whether continuing is offered.
- Try the service’s website separately. It may need its own rule.
Change one variable after the test. If the count is wrong, investigate device sharing and app selection. If the count is right but the boundary is too easy to dismiss, change the type of control instead of repeatedly lowering the same allowance.
Common questions
Why was my app blocked before I used today’s allowance?
Check whether time from another device is included and whether several apps share one category limit. Review the activity report by device before increasing the allowance.
Does Focus stop an app from opening?
No. Focus changes which notifications and people can interrupt you. Pair it with Screen Time or an app blocker when you also want an access boundary.
Why can I still use the website?
On iOS 27, an app’s allowance can cover its declared associated website. We have not verified which services declare their sites. Check the addresses and browsers you use, and add a separate website restriction where needed. The iPhone website-blocking guide covers that step.
Sources
Settings and behavior reviewed against Apple’s current iOS 26 documentation on 31 August 2026.