How do I set Downtime on iPhone?
By Bedline · Published
To set Downtime on iPhone, open Settings, tap Screen Time, tap Downtime, then tap Scheduled and choose Every Day or Customize Days with a start and end time. If Screen Time is off, turn on App & Website Activity first. To make Downtime block apps rather than show a reminder you can tap past, set a Screen Time passcode and turn on Block at Downtime. These steps come from Apple's iPhone User Guide for iOS 26; on iOS 27, Apple's guide describes a Screen Time Schedule in Downtime's place.
Key takeaways
- Set Downtime in Settings > Screen Time > Downtime > Scheduled, with one start and end time for every day or different times per day.
- Turn on Block at Downtime, which needs a Screen Time passcode, or apps only show a reminder you can ignore.
- Add the apps you need at night, such as an alarm or audiobook app, to Always Allowed before the first night.
- On iOS 27, set a night-time window in Screen Time Schedule instead; Apple's iOS 27 guide does not describe Downtime.
- Bedline pauses only the apps you choose, from your bedtime to wake-up, with Apple's Screen Time on iOS 18 or later; pausing apps needs a Premium plan.
What is Downtime on iPhone?
Downtime on iPhone is the Screen Time setting that makes most apps unavailable between two times you choose. Apple's iOS 26 guide describes it as setting "specific times when most apps are unavailable—like during dinner or bedtime", and says that "during downtime, only calls, messages, and apps you choose to allow are available."
Downtime is an allow-list on a clock. Apart from calls and messages, everything you have not added to Always Allowed stops at the start time and starts again at the end time. That makes it a different tool from App Limits, which give apps a daily budget at any hour; Downtime vs App Limits compares the two.
How do you set Downtime on iPhone, step by step?
You set Downtime on iPhone under Settings > Screen Time > Downtime, in six steps. They follow Apple's iOS 26 guide for setting schedules with Screen Time.
- Open the Settings app and tap Screen Time.
- Tap App & Website Activity and turn it on, if you haven't already.
- Tap Downtime, then tap Scheduled.
- Choose Every Day, or Customize Days if your weekends run later.
- Set the start time and the end time, for example 23:00 to 07:00.
- Go back, tap Always Allowed, and add the apps and contacts you need at night.
Apple's guide adds two details. A 5-minute reminder comes before Downtime begins, and from it you can ignore the reminder or turn Downtime on early. You can switch the whole schedule off at any time by turning off Scheduled.
For one evening only, the same Downtime page offers Turn On Downtime Until Tomorrow. Turn On Downtime Until Tomorrow starts Downtime at once, for the rest of the day.
How do you make Downtime actually block apps?
Downtime blocks apps only when Block at Downtime is on, and that switch needs a Screen Time passcode. Apple's iOS 26 guide says: "When Block at Downtime is off, you see a reminder that it's downtime, but you can choose to continue using the apps." With it on, restricted apps "can't be opened during downtime—they appear dimmed with an hourglass icon."
Without that switch, Downtime at bedtime is a reminder, which is easy to tap past when you are tired. Set the passcode first, following Apple's passcode guide for iOS 26:
- Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
- Scroll down and tap Lock Screen Time Settings.
- Enter a four-digit passcode, then enter it again.
- Go back to Downtime and turn on Block at Downtime.
Apple notes that a Screen Time passcode isn't the same as the passcode you use to unlock your device. If you set it for yourself, you will still know it at 1 a.m. Some people ask a partner or friend to type it instead, so changing the night means asking someone. Apple's passcode guide also describes Screen Time Passcode Recovery, which lets you reset a forgotten code with your Apple Account.
If Downtime still lets apps through after these steps, Downtime not working goes through the usual causes.
Which apps should you add to Always Allowed?
Always Allowed is the list of apps and contacts that stay available during Downtime, and it is worth setting before the first night. Apple's iOS 26 guide says these apps and contacts stay available "even during downtime", with emergencies as the example.
Good candidates for a night:
- the alarm or sleep sound app you fall asleep to;
- an audiobook or podcast app;
- maps or a ride app, if you are sometimes out late;
- the people you would want to reach you at night, under Contacts.
Keep the list short. Each app on it is open all night, so a feed app added "just in case" is a way around the whole schedule.
Can you set Downtime twice a day?
No, Downtime gives you one start and one end time per day. Apple's iOS 26 guide offers Every Day, or Customize Days to "set schedules for different days of the week—like weekends", and does not describe a second window on the same day.
For bedtime, one window is usually what you want: a start in the evening and an end the next morning, such as 23:00 to 07:00.
If you want separate windows, for dinner and for the night, that is what iOS 27's Screen Time Schedule is built for.
How do you set Downtime on iOS 27?
Downtime on iOS 27 is set as a night-time window in Screen Time Schedule, which Apple's iPhone User Guide describes where its iOS 26 version described Downtime; the old name does not appear. A schedule covers the days you pick and is made of time windows, "for things like work, dinner, and the evening", each showing which categories of apps are available in it.
To set a night window:
- Open Settings, tap Screen Time, tap Screen Time Schedule, then turn on Schedule.
- Tap Add Schedule, tap the days it should cover, and confirm.
- Tap the time window, rename it if you like, and set its start and stop time.
- Choose which Time Allowance categories are available in it. If you see none, create them under Settings > Screen Time > Time Allowances > Manage Categories.
- Add the apps and people you need at night under Settings > Screen Time > Always Allowed, with Add Apps and Add People.
Apple's guide notes that Schedules and Time Allowances need iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27 or visionOS 27 or later on all your Apple devices. What replaced Downtime in iOS 27 covers the change in more detail.
Does Downtime apply to your iPad and Mac too?
Downtime applies to your iPad and Mac when Share Across Devices is on. Apple's Screen Time guide for iOS 26 says that then "any Screen Time limits or schedules you set apply to your iPhone, iPad, and Mac" signed in to the same Apple Account, and that with it off each device keeps its own settings.
That matters if the iPad by the bed is where the night actually goes. You turn it on under Settings > Screen Time > Share Across Devices.
Is Downtime the right tool for you, or should you use something else?
Downtime suits you if you want almost everything off at night and are happy to keep an allow-list. It is free, it starts by itself, and with Block at Downtime and a passcode it does more than remind. It fits less well when only a few apps cost you your nights, because you still have to allow everything else you want to use in bed.
| What you want | What fits |
|---|---|
| Almost everything off at night, on iOS 26 or earlier | Downtime, with Block at Downtime and a passcode |
| A night window with whole categories left out, on iOS 27 | Screen Time Schedule |
| A daily total, not a bedtime | App Limits, or Time Allowances on iOS 27 |
| Only the apps you scroll paused, the rest of the phone as it is | An app such as Bedline |
Bedline, the app this blog belongs to, takes the other route. You set when your Bedline starts and when you wake up, with different weekend hours if you like, then choose the apps, categories such as Social, and websites that keep you up. Apple's Screen Time pauses only those every night until your wake-up, and there is no allow-list to keep up. If you need a paused app, you hold a button to confirm an emergency unlock, which lasts 30 to 120 minutes as you choose, and the apps rest again on their own.
Bedline runs on iOS 18 or later, including iOS 27, and keeps its own schedule without changing the Downtime or Schedule you set in Settings. Pausing apps needs a Premium plan, while Apple's Downtime is free. Like Downtime, it can be switched off by the person who set it up; what it changes is that you decide in the evening, not in bed. For more ways, see how to block apps at night on iPhone.
FAQ
How do I turn Downtime on right now?
Go to Settings > Screen Time > Downtime and tap Turn On Downtime Until Tomorrow. Apple's iOS 26 guide lists it beside Scheduled, and it starts Downtime at once. You can also start it early from the 5-minute reminder that comes before scheduled Downtime.
How do I turn off Downtime on iPhone?
Go to Settings > Screen Time > Downtime and turn off Scheduled. Apple's iOS 26 guide says you can turn the schedule off at any time this way. If you set a Screen Time passcode, you need to enter it first.
Does Downtime block calls and texts?
No, not by default. Apple's iOS 26 guide says that during Downtime "only calls, messages, and apps you choose to allow are available." Under Always Allowed > Contacts you can narrow who can reach you to specific contacts.
Why can I still open apps during Downtime?
Downtime only reminds you unless Block at Downtime is on. Apple's iOS 26 guide says that with it off you can choose to continue using the apps, and the switch appears once you have set a Screen Time passcode. Apps on your Always Allowed list also stay open.
Is Downtime the same as Sleep Focus?
No. Downtime makes apps unavailable, while Apple's Focus guide describes a Focus as silencing notifications, and says a Sleep Focus follows the sleep schedule you set in the Health app. The two are set in different places, and Downtime vs Sleep Focus explains which does what at night.