How to Disable Apples New Screentime (Bug)

Scott Greczkowski

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Sep 7, 2003
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This video shows how kids can disable Screentime on their iPhones.

Video is using the latest Beta (Beta 5)

Here is the issue, have Screentime I remotely installed on my son's iPhone which is also using the latest beta.

I have it set up to shut off at 10:30 at night so he will go to bed. Anyways I have caught him watching Youtube videos at 2 am while Screentime is supposed to be active and all apps are supposed to be blocked. So I threatened to take away his iPhone unless he told how he was unlocking screen time on his phone. So he told me.

When Screentime kicks in and all of his apps are locked out, he goes into Settings > General > Time & Date and chances the time on his phone to a time when Screentime is not enabled. You then go back to the home screen and wait until a new minute starts... Poof all your apps are unlocked.

The video demonstrates me showing off how it is done. (No sound)



When Apple announced this new feature I was excited as I would be able to finally stop my kids from using their phones and go to bed when they are supposed to. But if this feature is defeated this easily then it makes the feature worthless to parents.

I have submitted this bug to Apple so hopefully they can fix it before the release. The easy fix would be make it so that Date and Time settings are not available when Screentime is active, although the child can go in and change the time before screen time kicks in thus foiling it again as well.

I am also told by him (but have not tested) that you can also go into the Time and Date settings and set the time for 24 hour mode. He says Screen time does not seem to understand the 24 hour time format.
 
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There is no software that can't be defeated in it's application. Someone will figure it out. Video people still haven't figured out that it's futile. Go all the way back to VHS days when they all thought Macrovision was the answer - it wasn't. Now list every video "security" application ever used - all have work arounds up to and including HDCP. Go all the way back to Atari computers when they thought skewing the tracks on the floppy disks was the answer - yep, defeated within weeks. How about Android phones, they lock all their bloatware but wait, if I root the phone I can get rid of it all. So, will this app ever be undefeatable? Not likely. If a user can't figure it out they'll just Google for the answer. Someone will have it.
 

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