How do I stop Screen Time's "One More Minute" from undoing my limits?
By Bedline · Published
Screen Time's "One More Minute" button cannot be switched off: Apple's settings have no option that removes it. What you can do is make that minute the last one. On iOS 26 and earlier, set a Screen Time passcode, then turn on Block at Downtime and, for each App Limit, Block at End of Limit. Once the extra minute runs out, the app stays closed unless someone types the passcode; without those settings, Apple's iOS 26 guide says, "by default, Screen Time limits can be ignored once reached." On iOS 27, set the passcode and a Screen Time Schedule, then test what the limit screen offers.
Key takeaways
- One More Minute has no off switch, so aim to make it the last minute rather than to remove it.
- Set a Screen Time passcode first: Apple's guide offers the choice to block apps completely during Downtime only once a passcode exists.
- Turn on Block at Downtime, and Block at End of Limit on every App Limit you rely on; the passcode then replaces the buttons that let you carry on.
- A passcode you know yourself is a short delay at 1 a.m.; give it to someone you trust if the limit has to hold.
- For the night, Bedline pauses the apps you pick from bedtime to wake-up with no extra-minute button, only an emergency unlock you hold to confirm (Premium plan needed).
What is "One More Minute" in Screen Time?
"One More Minute" is the button Screen Time offers when an app reaches its App Limit or when Downtime begins. Tapping it opens the app for one more minute, so you can finish a message or save what you were doing, and then the limit comes back.
The button is not the only way past the screen. With the default settings, Apple's iPhone guide for iOS 26 says that when Block at Downtime is off, "you see a reminder that it's downtime, but you can choose to continue using the apps." The screen offers other ways to ignore the limit beside the extra minute, and which buttons you see depends on your settings, so the quickest way to know is to reach a limit on purpose and look.
Apple's current guides do not use the words "One More Minute" at all. A 2022 Apple Community answer quotes older Apple documentation saying that "Child accounts can click One More Minute once".
Why does Screen Time keep letting me ignore the limit?
Screen Time lets you ignore a limit because that is Apple's default. The iOS 26 guide puts it plainly: "by default, Screen Time limits can be ignored once reached." A limit you set for yourself, with no passcode, is a reminder with buttons on it.
The blocking settings are tied to a passcode. Apple's guide says that "if you set a Screen Time passcode for yourself or your child, you can choose whether apps are completely blocked or just dimmed during downtime." Without one, you have no setting that turns the reminder into a stop.
Some people report that the extra minute repeats even with blocking on. In an Apple Community thread from June 2026, a parent on iOS 26.5 says a child account could tap One More Minute again and again, and another poster says the same happened on iOS 26.5.2 in July. These are user reports, not something Apple has confirmed, but they are a reason to test your own settings before you trust them.
How do I make One More Minute the last minute?
You make One More Minute the last minute by setting a Screen Time passcode and then turning on the two block settings. On iOS 26 and earlier, the steps are:
- Set a passcode. Open Settings > Screen Time, scroll down and tap Lock Screen Time Settings, then enter a four-digit code twice. Apple's passcode guide says it "must be entered before you can change the settings you've chosen".
- Block at Downtime. Tap Downtime and turn on Block at Downtime. Apple's guide says restricted apps then "can't be opened during downtime—they appear dimmed with an hourglass icon."
- Block at End of Limit. Tap App Limits, open each limit, and turn on Block at End of Limit. Apple's iPhone guide does not list this switch, but its Mac guide has the same option, "Block at end of limit", to "block the app when the limit expires", and the Apple Community answer points iPhone users to it under each limit.
- Check Always Allowed. Open Settings > Screen Time > Always Allowed and remove anything you do not need at night. Apple's guide says those apps stay available "even during downtime".
- Test it while you are awake. Set a limit of one minute on an app you can spare, reach it, and see which buttons appear.
Decide who holds the code. If you set it and remember it, the passcode is one more step at 1 a.m., not a stop. One common approach is to have a partner or friend type it in and keep it. Apple's guide also mentions Screen Time Passcode Recovery, which lets you reset a forgotten code with your Apple Account, so a code you hand over is not lost for good.
Is One More Minute still there in iOS 27?
Apple's iOS 27 guides do not mention One More Minute, so they do not say whether it is still there. In iOS 27, the iPhone User Guide describes Screen Time Schedule and Time Allowances where the iOS 26 guide described Downtime and App Limits, and it does not mention One More Minute, Block at Downtime or Block at End of Limit.
For children, Apple's child safety guide says they can ask for "more time on their device when they reach a Screen Time limit with Screen Time Schedules or Time Allowances". A parent then chooses "Approve for 15 minutes, Approve for 1 hour, or Approve all day." The guide does not describe what an adult sees on their own phone.
On iOS 27, the settings to check are these, from Apple's iOS 27 guides:
- Schedule: Settings > Screen Time > Screen Time Schedule, with a night window in which the categories that keep you up, such as Social Media, are not selected as available.
- Allowances: Settings > Screen Time > Time Allowances, with Match Screen Time Schedule on if they should follow your windows.
- Passcode: Settings > Screen Time > Manage Screen Time > Lock Screen Time Settings, per the iOS 27 passcode guide.
Then reach an allowance on purpose while you are awake and look at the screen before you count on it at night. What replaced Downtime in iOS 27? walks through setting a night Schedule.
Why is one more minute so easy to take at night?
Many people find one more minute easy to take because it costs a single tap, at the end of a day, when the next video has already started. A minute is small enough that refusing it can feel silly, and the next one is just as small.
That is why the settings can matter more than resolve. A limit that needs a decision every night asks you to win that decision every night; a limit that has already been decided, by a passcode someone else holds or by a block that starts on its own, asks for no decision at all. Why can't I put my phone down at night? covers the reasons behind the pull.
It also matters which tool you put on the night. An App Limit counts minutes used, not the hour, so the time can be spent at midnight as easily as at noon. Downtime vs App Limits explains why a clock-based block suits the night better.
Which setup actually stops One More Minute at night?
The setup that stops One More Minute at night is one whose way back in you cannot take on a whim: a passcode someone else holds, or a block that only opens on purpose. Every option below leaves some way out, because a phone you cannot reach in an emergency is its own problem.
| Setup | What you can do when the limit is reached | Good for | Weak point |
|---|---|---|---|
| App Limit, default settings | One More Minute, or ignore the limit | Noticing how much time you spend | Ignorable by Apple's default |
| App Limit with Block at End of Limit and a passcode you know | One More Minute, then the passcode | A daytime budget | You can type the code yourself |
| Downtime with Block at Downtime | Apps dimmed with an hourglass; the passcode opens them | A fixed night, free and built in | Same, if the code is yours |
| Either, with the code held by someone else | Ask them | When the limit must hold | Needs someone you trust |
| Bedline | Hold to confirm an emergency unlock that ends by itself | The night, for the apps you name | Needs a Premium plan |
Bedline covers the night part of the problem. You set when your Bedline starts and when you wake up, choose the apps, categories and websites that keep you up, and Bedline pauses them with Apple's Screen Time until morning. When you open a paused app there is no extra-minute button to tap without thinking. If you really need one, you hold a button to confirm an emergency unlock; the apps open for the length you chose (30, 60, 90 or 120 minutes), or until your wake-up if that comes first, and then rest again on their own. Your first unlock of a night never costs you the night in your progress.
Bedline does not replace daytime App Limits, and it does not change the Downtime or limits you set in Settings. Pausing apps needs a Premium plan, while Screen Time itself is free. Like any phone-down tool, it can be switched off by the person who set it up; what it changes is that the easy way out is gone.
FAQ
Can you turn off One More Minute on Screen Time?
No setting in Screen Time removes the One More Minute button. You can limit what follows it: with a Screen Time passcode, Block at Downtime and Block at End of Limit, the app closes again when the minute is up and only the passcode opens it.
Can you press One More Minute more than once?
Older Apple documentation, quoted in a 2022 Apple Community answer, said child accounts could click One More Minute once; Apple's current guides do not say. Some parents on iOS 26.5 report in Apple Community that a child account could tap it repeatedly. If you depend on the limit, test it on your own phone.
Why don't I see Block at Downtime?
Block at Downtime appears only once a Screen Time passcode is set. Apple's iOS 26 guide says that with a passcode "you can choose whether apps are completely blocked or just dimmed during downtime." Set the passcode under Settings > Screen Time > Lock Screen Time Settings, then open Downtime again.
Is the Screen Time passcode the same as my iPhone passcode?
No, the Screen Time passcode is a separate four-digit code. Apple's support article says it "isn't the same as the passcode you use to unlock your device", and you need it to change Screen Time settings, limits or restrictions. Pick one that differs from the code that unlocks your phone.
What if I forget my Screen Time passcode?
A forgotten Screen Time passcode can be reset with your Apple Account if you set up Screen Time Passcode Recovery. Apple's iOS 26 passcode guide offers that option right after you create the code. Recovery also means a code you set yourself can be reset by you, which is worth knowing before you rely on it.