Turn Screen Time Off: A Practical Guide

Turning screen time off means disabling the built-in monitoring and restriction features on your device, which stops the collection of usage data and removes any time limits you have set. You can do this by turning off the Screen Time feature entirely in your device settings, or by disabling specific limits for individual apps. This guide explains exactly how to do it on iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, what happens when you turn it off, and what to consider before you do.

Formula

The calculator above works out your average pace and speed for a run, walk, or cycle. You enter the time it took and the distance you covered. The formulas are:

Average pace (min/km) = Finish time (min) ÷ Distance (km)

Average speed (km/h) = Distance (km) ÷ (Finish time (min) ÷ 60)

Where:

• Finish time (t) – the total time taken, in minutes.
• Distance (d) – the total distance, in kilometers.
• Average pace – the time it takes to cover one kilometer, in minutes per kilometer.
• Average speed – the overall speed, in kilometers per hour.

Worked Example

Using the default values from the calculator: a finish time of 50 minutes and a distance of 10 kilometers.

Step 1: Calculate the pace.

Pace = 50 min ÷ 10 km = 5.0 min/km

Step 2: Calculate the speed.

Speed = 10 km ÷ (50 min ÷ 60) = 10 km ÷ 0.8333 h = 12.0 km/h

So for a 10 km run completed in 50 minutes, your average pace is 5:00 min/km and your average speed is 12.0 km/h.

Why People Turn Off Screen Time

Screen Time (on Apple devices) and Digital Wellbeing (on Android) are designed to help you understand and manage your device usage. However, many people choose to turn them off for a variety of reasons:

• Privacy concerns: Some users do not want their device to continuously track and store detailed usage logs, including which apps they open and for how long.
• Annoying notifications: Weekly usage reports and daily limit alerts can feel intrusive or nagging.
• Limits no longer needed: If you set limits for a specific period (like exam season) and no longer need them, you may want to remove them.
• Family Sharing issues: Parents sometimes find that Screen Time limits cause conflicts with children, or that the feature is too complicated to manage.
• Battery or performance concerns: While the impact is minimal, some users believe that disabling the feature frees up background processing.

How to Turn Off Screen Time on iPhone and iPad

On an iPhone or iPad, Screen Time is a built-in feature. To turn it off completely:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Screen Time.
3. Scroll to the bottom and tap Turn Off Screen Time.
4. Enter your Screen Time passcode if prompted.
5. Confirm by tapping Turn Off Screen Time again.

This disables all Screen Time features, including app limits, downtime, and content restrictions. Your usage history is deleted, and the feature stops collecting new data. If you only want to remove a specific limit (for example, a 1-hour limit on Instagram), go to App Limits, tap the limit, and choose Delete Limit.

If you are part of a Family Sharing group, only the family organizer can turn off Screen Time for a child’s device. On your own device, you can turn it off anytime, but you may need the Screen Time passcode if one was set.

How to Turn Off Digital Wellbeing on Android

Android’s equivalent is called Digital Wellbeing. The steps vary slightly by manufacturer (Samsung, Google Pixel, etc.), but the general process is:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Digital Wellbeing & parental controls.
3. Tap the three-dot menu (â‹®) in the top-right corner.
4. Select Turn off usage access.
5. Confirm by tapping Turn off.

This stops the app from tracking your usage. You can also disable specific features without turning off the whole service:

• App timers: Tap the timer icon next to an app and select Remove timer.
• Focus mode: Turn off any active Focus sessions.
• Bedtime mode: Disable the schedule in the Bedtime section.

On some Samsung devices, the feature is called “Digital Wellbeing� but is located under Settings → Battery and device care.

What Happens When You Turn It Off

Once you turn off Screen Time or Digital Wellbeing, the following changes occur:

• No more usage reports: You will no longer receive weekly summaries or see the daily graph of your screen time.
• All limits are removed: App limits, downtime, and content restrictions are disabled. You can use any app at any time.
• Usage history is erased: The data collected up to that point is deleted, and there is no way to recover it.
• Parental controls are lifted: On a child’s device, turning off Screen Time removes all restrictions, so the child can access everything.

It is important to note that turning off Screen Time does not delete any apps, photos, or messages. It only stops the monitoring and restriction features.

Common Problems and Misconceptions

There are a few common issues people run into when trying to turn off screen time:

• Forgot the passcode: If you set a Screen Time passcode and forgot it, you cannot turn off Screen Time without resetting the device (which erases all data) or using a recovery method. On iPhone, you can try resetting the passcode with your Apple ID if you enabled that option.
• “Turn Offâ€� is greyed out: This usually happens on a child’s device managed by Family Sharing. Only the parent/guardian (the family organizer) can turn it off from their own device or by entering the family organizer’s Apple ID password.
• Screen Time keeps turning back on: If you are in a Family Sharing group, a parent may have turned it on remotely. Check with the family organizer.
• Misconception: Turning it off boosts battery life. The battery impact of Screen Time is negligible. The main power drain is the screen itself, not the usage tracker.
• Misconception: It deletes your app data. Turning off Screen Time does not affect app data, login information, or any files. It only removes the monitoring feature.

Alternatives to Turning It Off Completely

If you want to stop the tracking but still keep some safeguards, consider these alternatives:

• Turn off notifications only: Disable the weekly report and limit alerts while keeping the feature active. On iPhone, go to Settings → Screen Time → Screen Time Notifications and turn them off. On Android, go to Digital Wellbeing settings and disable “Weekly reportâ€�.
• Remove individual limits: Instead of turning off everything, delete just the app limits you no longer need.
• Use a different method: For example, set a timer on your phone or use a physical alarm clock to manage your usage without built-in tracking.
• Use Screen Time with a longer downtime schedule: If you want to reduce usage but not eliminate monitoring, adjust the schedule to only block apps during specific hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off Screen Time delete my app data?
No. Screen Time only tracks usage and applies limits. It does not store or delete any app data, photos, messages, or files. Your apps and their content remain exactly as they were.

Can I turn off Screen Time without the passcode?
If you forgot the Screen Time passcode, you cannot turn it off through the normal settings. On an iPhone, you can try resetting the passcode using your Apple ID (if that option was enabled). On Android, there is no separate passcode for Digital Wellbeing, so you can usually turn it off directly. If you are a child in a Family Sharing group, you cannot turn it off without the parent’s permission.

What is the difference between Screen Time and Downtime?
Screen Time is the overall feature that includes usage tracking, app limits, and content restrictions. Downtime is a specific setting within Screen Time that blocks most apps during a scheduled period (e.g., 10 PM to 7 AM). Turning off Screen Time disables Downtime as well.

Does turning off Screen Time affect Family Sharing?
If you are a parent, turning off Screen Time on your own device does not affect your child’s device. However, if you turn off Screen Time for a child’s device, all restrictions and limits are removed. You can always turn it back on later.

Why is my Screen Time still showing after I turned it off?
If you turned off Screen Time but still see the feature in Settings, it may be because you only disabled a specific limit, not the entire feature. To turn it off completely, follow the steps in the “How to Turn Off Screen Time� section above. On some Android devices, the Digital Wellbeing icon may remain in the app drawer even after you disable usage access—this is normal, but the tracking is stopped.

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in t | Finish time | min | 50 | 0
in d | Distance | km | 10 | 0
out pace | Average pace | min/km | t / d | 2
out speed | Average speed | km/h | d / (t / 60) | 2