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Original poster

To expect Apple’s Family downtime settings to actually function and block apps?

16 replies

KeepYaHeadUp · 19/09/2026 22:02

Son has our old iPhone to take to and from school, use at weekends, etc. We have it pretty tightly locked down and he tends to find it quite boring as it’s so limited in how he can use it. We have recently allowed him to have WhatsApp as it’s how all his friends communicate.

I realised the other night when his phone was in my room that he could still access WhatsApp at 10pm despite downtime blocking all his apps at 8.

Ive tried every setting I can think of, reset downtime, even contacted Apple Support who have troubleshooted WhatsApp appears to completely ignore the downtime restriction that I can see are set on both my phone remotely, and on his physically handset.

has anyone experienced this before? It makes a bit of mockery of Apple’s Family feature if apps can somehow (and Apple don’t seem to know how) bypass restrictions set by parents on their children’s phones.

OP posts:
TopQuackery · 19/09/2026 22:04

In screen time you need to click ‘app limits’ and then WhatsApp and make sure you’ve toggled on ‘block at end of limit’

To expect Apple’s Family downtime settings to actually function and block apps?
Wish44 · 19/09/2026 22:07

Apple controls for screen time are awful. Bearing in mind they can do everything else so well and android screen time controls are much better it means they just don’t care. Which makes me cross. They could make the job of keeping children safe and having a sensible amount of screen time so much better if they wanted to .

TopQuackery · 19/09/2026 22:07

Also in screen time > always allowed > make sure WhatsApp isn’t toggled on.

then go to screen time > downtime > block at downtime.

To expect Apple’s Family downtime settings to actually function and block apps?
greigelady · 19/09/2026 22:11

If it's an old phone with an out of date operating system, screen time may not work at all. I found this out the hard way. Best to play safe and not let him have the phone overnight. Apple family controls are absolutely crap.

Original poster
KeepYaHeadUp · 19/09/2026 22:19

TopQuackery · 19/09/2026 22:04

In screen time you need to click ‘app limits’ and then WhatsApp and make sure you’ve toggled on ‘block at end of limit’

Yes, have done this. It shows on his phone as being blocked with an egg timer next to it but it can still be accessed

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Original poster
KeepYaHeadUp · 19/09/2026 22:21

greigelady · 19/09/2026 22:11

If it's an old phone with an out of date operating system, screen time may not work at all. I found this out the hard way. Best to play safe and not let him have the phone overnight. Apple family controls are absolutely crap.

It’s just been updated to iOS 27. Not brand new but new enough. The Family sharing is working exactly as you’d expect and all other apps are blocked - but WhatsApp seems to somehow override the settings. I’ve just googled and it seems to happen with Instagram too.

i only opted for an iPhone because we all have them so I thought it would be easier to control but Android seems to be the way to go

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Original poster
KeepYaHeadUp · 19/09/2026 22:23

Wish44 · 19/09/2026 22:07

Apple controls for screen time are awful. Bearing in mind they can do everything else so well and android screen time controls are much better it means they just don’t care. Which makes me cross. They could make the job of keeping children safe and having a sensible amount of screen time so much better if they wanted to .

It seems that the Apple side is working as expected but the setting for WhatsApp isn’t pulling through to the app somehow. Really concerning as it just happened one day, having been fine before. It’s a shame as he likes to listen to audiobooks while his phone charges but we will just have to remove the phone at bedtime until we can sort it!

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Wish44 · 20/09/2026 08:09

Sometime I decide to sort it- get all the kids screens together- make sure they are updated and all the settings correct- everything is fine for a few weeks and then things start to go- the settings change by themselves iPads stop communicating with phone etc etc- I think apple are vested in creating a generation of screen addicts so they don’t address this. Android is so much better -

PotatoBreadForTheWin · 20/09/2026 08:22

We are an apple family and this drove me to
distraction when the kids were smaller. The only way we could fix it was by separating the family into two, so one kid account is linked to one adult and we have that twice over. Multiple accounts linked together didn’t work no matter what I tried

Ultraalox · 20/09/2026 08:24

my kids learnt the screen time passcode so I changed it - guess what, now the old and new screen time passcodes work! WTF!

Beer3000 · 20/09/2026 09:20

I don't understand why phone manufacturers get this so wrong.

I have android, and use Google family link, which is ok - but I'd like to allow a few things (e.g. being able to call me, or listen to audiobooks) during downtime hours, but i don't think i can. I would also like the option to remove Internet browsing completely, and only allow access to installed apps, but it wouldn't let me do that either.

You wonder if they even bother speaking to parents.

Brightbluesomething · 20/09/2026 10:21

It sounds like WhatsApp is in ‘always allowed’ as per PP above. We have this on so that DD can always contact us overnight if she’s at a sleepover. However we’ve locked down which contact’s she can use in downtime. Go into communication limits - during downtime - then edit the list so it’s only yourselves. Hopefully that will stop them being able to contact other people.
If that doesn’t work then I’d remove the phone overnight when at home.

Minasama · 20/09/2026 10:23

Apple’s family downtime is not fit for purpose. It makes me so angry that they don’t have a proper child protection tool. Android is better actually.

It would have made life in our family so much easier if it had actually just blocked everything at a certain time as we had hoped it would.

I think Apple could probably have prevented the government bans on social media for under 16s if they had just had a tool that let you block all apps and allow music.

Minasama · 20/09/2026 10:27

Beer3000 · 20/09/2026 09:20

I don't understand why phone manufacturers get this so wrong.

I have android, and use Google family link, which is ok - but I'd like to allow a few things (e.g. being able to call me, or listen to audiobooks) during downtime hours, but i don't think i can. I would also like the option to remove Internet browsing completely, and only allow access to installed apps, but it wouldn't let me do that either.

You wonder if they even bother speaking to parents.

They are cynical and are doing this so kids stay on and stay addicted to phones. You can’t tell me a company like Apple couldn’t program an easy-to-use tailored blocking app.

Original poster
KeepYaHeadUp · 20/09/2026 12:52

WhatsApp isn’t in the Always Allowed - I’ve spent about 3 hours on chat with an “Expert” and another hour on the phone with someone with my phone on screen share and they are clueless. They concluded it’s “set up” so I can’t have an App Limit with a specific time limit a day and have it blocked at downtime. If the App Limit is an hour and they’ve only used 30 mins by downtime they can still use it. I don’t believe that and I think they have no idea but the line they’re taking is that that’s how it’s supposed to work. Apparently I should write to them suggesting that downtime should override app time limits. Useless!

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Original poster
KeepYaHeadUp · 20/09/2026 12:53

Minasama · 20/09/2026 10:27

They are cynical and are doing this so kids stay on and stay addicted to phones. You can’t tell me a company like Apple couldn’t program an easy-to-use tailored blocking app.

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Or at least fix a genuine glitch that makes it not function properly! It can’t be that hard

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