Why "Ignore Limit" makes Screen Time easy to skip
When an App Limit runs out, iPhone offers One More Minute, Remind Me in 15 Minutes or Ignore Limit for Today. Apple's own guide says limits can be ignored once reached by default. A Screen Time passcode plus Block at End of Limit replaces Ignore Limit with Ask For More Time, but it only holds if someone else knows the passcode.
- Open Settings › Screen Time › Lock Screen Time Settings and set a passcode.
- Better still, ask someone else to choose the passcode.
- Tap App Limits, open each limit and turn on Block at End of Limit.
- For blocks you can't talk your way out of, use an app blocker with a locked mode.
Screen Time can block any app on your iPhone. The weak spot is what happens when the limit runs out. You get three ways to keep going, and one of them lasts all day.
Apple says it plainly in its iPhone User Guide for iOS 26: “By default, Screen Time limits can be ignored once reached.”
What you see when a limit runs out
When an App Limit runs out, the app goes grey and iOS shows a Time Limit screen. Tap it and you get three options:
- One More Minute
- Remind Me in 15 Minutes
- Ignore Limit for Today
The last one turns the limit off until tomorrow. It takes two taps.
Why it doesn’t hold
The person who sets the limit and the person it stops are the same person. You set it in the morning, when 30 minutes of Instagram sounds like plenty. You hit it at 11 pm, when one more minute sounds fine.
Screen Time asks the 11 pm version of you whether to keep going. That’s the moment you’re least likely to say no.
How to remove Ignore Limit
You can make limits stricter. You need a Screen Time passcode first. These steps are for iOS 26.
- Open Settings › Screen Time.
- Tap Lock Screen Time Settings and set a four-digit passcode.
- Tap App Limits and open a limit.
- Turn on Block at End of Limit. It only shows up once a passcode is set.
- Do the same for every limit you want to hold.
Now the Time Limit screen shows Ask For More Time instead of Ignore Limit. To get more time, you have to enter the passcode.
Do the same for Downtime: tap Downtime and turn on Block at Downtime. Apple says that with it on, apps “can’t be opened during downtime” and appear dimmed with an hourglass.
Why a passcode you know doesn’t help much
Two gaps stay open.
One More Minute stays. When a limit first runs out, you can still add one more minute, even with a passcode.
You know the code. Ask For More Time lets you approve 15 minutes, an hour or the whole day. If you set the passcode, you can type it in. You can also turn the passcode off with the same four digits.
The fix is to let someone else choose the passcode. A partner, a flatmate or a friend picks it and doesn’t tell you. Now Ask For More Time really is asking. This is how Screen Time is meant to work for parents and kids, and it’s the strongest free setup.
One catch: Apple’s iOS 27 guide describes Screen Time Passcode Recovery, which resets the passcode through your Apple Account. If you can sign in, you can get back in.
What changed in iOS 27
In iOS 27, Apple’s guide describes Time Allowances and Screen Time Schedules in place of App Limits and Downtime. The passcode moved to Settings › Screen Time › Passcode & Management › Lock Screen Time Settings.
Apple’s iOS 27 guide doesn’t say what the screen shows when an allowance runs out. Check it on your own phone before you rely on it.
What holds instead
Screen Time asks you to say no in the weak moment. A block that holds makes that choice earlier, or makes the way out cost something.
Use a locked mode. In blokr’s Deep focus, there’s no stop button and no Ignore Limit. You can’t edit or delete the block, or delete blokr, while it runs. One emergency unblock a week is the only way out.
Put the key in another room. In blokr’s Light mode, you can end a block by scanning an NFC tag or a QR code. Keep it in the kitchen and getting your apps back means a walk. That’s the idea behind Brick, without the device. Our Brick alternative guide compares the two.
Let blocks start without you. A schedule blocks apps at the same time every day, so there’s no moment where you decide to start.
Every app blocker on iPhone uses Apple’s Screen Time framework underneath. What changes is who decides when the block ends. For a side-by-side of nine options, see best app blockers for iPhone. For all the built-in ways, see how to block apps on iPhone.
Quick fixes, in order
| You want | Do this |
|---|---|
| Fewer taps to ignore a limit | Set a passcode and turn on Block at End of Limit |
| A limit you can’t approve yourself | Let someone else choose the passcode |
| Nights without your phone | Turn on Block at Downtime, or a blokr Schedule |
| A block with no way out | blokr Deep focus |
| A way out that takes a walk | blokr Light mode with an NFC tag or QR code |
blokr is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple. Screen Time is a trademark of Apple Inc.
Questions, answered
How do I get rid of Ignore Limit on Screen Time?
Set a Screen Time passcode, then open each App Limit and turn on Block at End of Limit. Ignore Limit is then replaced by Ask For More Time, which needs the passcode. If you know the passcode, you can still approve more time yourself, so ask someone else to set it.
Why does One More Minute still show up?
Even with a passcode, Screen Time lets you add one more minute when a limit first runs out. After that, more time needs the passcode.
How long does Ignore Limit for Today last?
For the rest of the day. App Limits are daily, so the limit comes back the next day.
Can I ignore Downtime too?
Yes, unless Block at Downtime is on. Apple says that with it off, you see a reminder that it's downtime but can keep using the apps. With it on, apps can't be opened and appear dimmed with an hourglass. Block at Downtime needs a Screen Time passcode.
What if I forget my Screen Time passcode?
Apple's iOS 27 guide says you can set up Screen Time Passcode Recovery, so your Apple Account can reset the passcode. That also means you can reset a passcode someone else set for you, if you can sign in to your Apple Account.
Is there a block on iPhone with no override?
blokr's Deep focus has no stop button: you can't end, edit or delete the block, or delete blokr, while it runs. One emergency unblock a week is the only way out. Screen Time with a passcode only you don't know is the free option.