Screen Time limit not working on iPhone? Why, and what to check

Seven fixes, in order

1. Open Settings, then Screen Time, then App Limits, tap the limit, and make sure Block at End of Limit is on. Without it, the limit only shows a reminder.
2. Set a Screen Time passcode under Settings, then Screen Time. Without one, the limit screen offers Ignore Limit, and ignoring it takes a single tap.
3. Check Always Allowed. Apps in that list are not stopped by limits on All Apps and Categories or by Downtime.
4. Make sure Date and Time is set automatically under Settings, then General. Limits reset at midnight on the phone's clock, so a wrong time zone or manual time breaks the reset.
5. If you use more than one Apple device, check Share Across Devices. With it on, time on an iPad or Mac counts toward the same limit; with it off, each device counts separately.
6. Delete the limit and create it again. A limit set on a category does not always catch an app you assumed was in that category.
7. Restart the iPhone, and update iOS if an update is waiting.

Why the limit is only a reminder unless you lock it

Apple designed App Limits for adults first, as a nudge. When the time runs out you see a screen with Ignore Limit, which offers one more minute, a reminder in fifteen minutes, or ignoring the limit for the rest of the day. That is by design, not a fault.

A Screen Time passcode changes the screen to Ask For More Time, which needs the passcode. It only works as a lock if someone else holds the passcode; if you set it yourself and know it, it becomes a slightly longer version of the same tap.

Limit not resetting at midnight, or counting wrong

Limits run on a daily clock that resets at midnight local time. If you travel, change time zones or set the time manually, the reset can land at the wrong moment or appear not to happen. Turning on Set Automatically usually fixes it.

Usage totals can also differ between devices and update with a delay. If a limit seems to trigger early, check whether Share Across Devices is adding iPad or Mac time to the same total.

On a child's iPhone or iPad

For a child in Family Sharing, limits are set from the parent's device under Screen Time and the child's name. Make sure the child's device is on a current version of iOS, that its date and time are automatic, and that the passcode is one the child does not know. Requests for more time arrive on the parent's device.

When the limit works but you keep ignoring it

Many people who search this have limits that work perfectly: they just tap past them. A timer asks you to resist at the moment you are least able to, and after a week the tap becomes automatic. That is not something a setting fixes.

The Doorpost takes a different approach for the first part of the day. The apps you choose stay closed each morning until you open your own printed Bible and write out a verse; there is no timer and no Ignore Limit button. It uses the same Screen Time permission, so the checks above apply to it too. It is free to download and free to use.