The Screen Time function on your iPhone helps you identify exactly how you spend time on your iOS device. Moreover, you can also set up restrictions to prevent yourself from opening certain applications. This begs the question, how do you delete Screen Time on the iPhone?
You cannot delete Screen Time on an iPhone. This is because the feature is pre-installed on all iOS devices. However, you can remove all the data within the Screen Time tab giving you a clean slate. You can also turn the application off so it stops logging your data.
In this article, we’ll go over exactly how you can clear all your Screen Time data and how you can stop your data from being logged in the first place.
How To Turn Off Screen Time on iPhone
Turning off Screen Time on iPhone is akin to deleting it. This is because none of your information that’s generally logged will be logged once it’s turned off. So, essentially, it is the same as uninstalling the feature.
Here’s how you can turn off Screen Time on your iPhone.
- Open the Settings application on your iPhone.
- Head to the “Screen Time” tab.
- Scroll down and tap on “Turn Off Screen Time”.
Once you turn Screen Time off from one device, the feature will be carried over to all your Apple devices that are logged into the same iCloud account. However, you may still need to manually turn it off per device in some cases.
How To Delete Screen Time Data on iPhone
After you turn off Screen Time, all data stored on your iPhone will automatically be deleted. So, if you want to delete Screen Time data but still want to keep using the feature, turn Screen Time on again and follow the on-screen setup after turning it off.
Sadly, there’s no way to delete certain applications and timeframes from the Screen Time application. So, either you get rid of all of it, or you get rid of none of it. As of yet, there seems to be no indication of whether Apple will ever allow for selective deletion of Screen Time logs.
How To Turn Off Screen Time Without a Password
If you have a password enabled on Screen Time, you’ll need to enter it when turning it off. However, if you’ve forgotten your password and won’t be able to recover it, you’ll need to resort to your Apple ID password instead.
Here’s how you can turn off Screen Time with a password-activated setup.
- Open the Settings application on your iPhone.
- Head to “Change Screen Time Passcode”.
- You’ll be prompted to enter your password; enter “Forgot Passcode” instead.
- Enter your Apple ID password.
- If your password matches, you’ll be prompted to enter a new passcode now.
- You can now use this passcode to turn off Screen Time.
If you’ve forgotten your Apple ID password too, head to the Settings application, tap on your profile icon, and tap “Password & Security”. After doing so, you can change your password or recover your account’s password if needed.
If you don’t have access to your Apple ID’s password, you will not be able to turn off Screen Time or any other restrictions placed on your iPhone.
Should I Turn Screen Time Off?
You should not turn the Screen Time feature off or uninstall it. This is because it has no real detriment to your device and does not cause any differences in battery life whether you have it turned or not.
Ultimately, it is quite useful to have a general idea of how much time is spent on each application on your iPhone. Turning it off, in essence, leads to no real tangible result, which makes turning a perfectly functioning feature off worth it.
Conclusion
Deleting the Screen Time application by turning it off is quite a common procedure, especially if you don’t want your app usage logged. With that said, we keep the feature on since it gives us a holistic overview of how much time we’ve spent on each application.
Frequently Asked Questions
You cannot completely delete the Screen Time feature since it’s a dedicated, pre-installed function. You can, however, turn off Screen Time and ensure that your data is not logged.
Yes, you can delete Screen Time history on your iPhone by turning it off completely. If you want just to delete your history and use the feature further, just re-enable Screen Time and follow the on-screen instructions. After doing so, you’ll be left with a clean plate.
