Apple acknowledges Screen Time bug that breaks parental controls

Apple’s Screen Time setting, which was introduced with iOS 12, is a great way for parents to limit their kids’ iPad time without needing to keep track of every minute they’re on their devices. However, a recent bug has been preventing parents from setting limits, essentially rendering the feature useless.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Apple is “aware” that some users have been experiencing a Screen Time bug where “time settings are unexpectedly reset.” It didn’t offer a timeline for a fix but said the company’s engineers “have been, and will continue, making updates to improve the situation.”

The Journal reports that the issue is related to the Downtime setting, which shuts down access to a device after a specified time. Numerous users have reported that the feature isn’t saving properly, often resulting in a situation where there are no limits on device usage, unbeknownst to parents. Other times, the saved time reverts to a previous time or simply turns itself off.

Apple previously fixed an issue “where Screen Time settings may reset or not sync across all devices,” but numerous reports claim the issue persists even in the iOS 17 beta. Apple isn’t testing an iOS 16 beta at the moment, having just released iOS 16.6 last week. The company didn’t say that a fix would be coming soon, although we expect one will land before iOS 17 arrives in September.