Why your Screen Time limit doesn’t hold (and how to fix it)

Updated October 1, 2026. iPhone steps checked against Apple’s iPhone User Guide (iOS 27 and iOS 26).

Short answer

Because by default it does not lock: for iOS 26, Apple’s guide says Screen Time limits can be ignored once reached. To lock, you need a Screen Time passcode, and when you set it up for yourself, you know the code. Below is what you can adjust, and when an app like Mialera helps.

What Apple’s guide says

In the iPhone User Guide for iOS 26, Apple writes: “By default, Screen Time limits can be ignored once reached.” And it points to the way around it: blocking apps during Downtime, which requires a Screen Time passcode.

For iOS 27, the guide does not say whether a limit can be ignored or what the passcode changes. If you are on iOS 27, test it on your device.

How to make Screen Time hold

Set a passcode. On iOS 27: Settings > Screen Time > Manage Screen Time > Lock Screen Time Settings. On iOS 26: in Screen Time, scroll down to Lock Screen Time Settings.
Ask someone else to type the passcode. If you know the code, it becomes one more step, not a lock.
On iOS 26, turn on Block at Downtime (in Downtime, after setting the passcode). During Downtime, restricted apps cannot be opened: they appear dimmed with an hourglass.
Check Always Allowed. Apps listed there are not limited by allowances or schedules.
Use an iPad or Mac? Turn on Share Across Devices so the limits apply on all of them. On iOS 27, that needs every device on version 27.

On iOS 27, limits are per category

On iOS 27, Time Allowances work by category, and apps keep working until they reach the category’s allowance or the daily total. If an app keeps opening, check in Manage Categories which category it belongs to. Apple’s guide has no step for limiting a single app.

When a blocking app helps

If you always end up ignoring the limit, a blocking app swaps the reminder for a lock. In Mialera, the block screen has no unlock button, and you pick apps one by one. With sealed mode (Mialera+), not even you can pause the goal while it is holding.

To be honest: no app can stop you from deleting it or turning off its permission in Settings. The difference is not having a one-tap skip button, which is exactly what wins in the moment.

Download Mialera from the App Store and open it.
When your iPhone asks for Screen Time access, tap Continue.
In the Goals tab, tap + new, choose After a time each day and tap Continue.
Under Which apps, tap Pick and select the apps you ignore limits for the most.
Under How much time a day, choose the limit and tap Create goal.

Frequently asked questions

I forgot my Screen Time passcode. What now?

Apple has Screen Time passcode recovery that uses your Apple Account. The steps are on Apple Support.

Does iPhone Focus block apps?

No. Focus silences notifications and calls and lets people know you are not available, but apps still open. To keep apps from opening, use Screen Time limits and schedules or a blocking app.

Mialera is free to start: the free plan never expires and already blocks.

Download on the App Store