How to block apps on iPhone at certain times (iOS 26 and iOS 27)
By Abel Sánchez, Founder of Plan7 · · 6 min read
On iOS 27, go to Settings → Screen Time → Screen Time Schedule, turn on Schedule and add time windows, for example Work from 9:00 to 12:00, choosing which app categories stay available in each one. On iOS 26 and earlier, the same job is Settings → Screen Time → Downtime → Scheduled, which allows one window per day. Either way, set a Screen Time passcode, or the block is one tap from being ignored.
Check your iOS version first
Apple renamed these menus in iOS 27. Look in Settings → General → About. On iOS 27 you get Screen Time Schedule and Time Allowances. On iOS 26 and earlier you get Downtime and App Limits. The steps below cover both.
| What you want | iOS 26 and earlier | iOS 27 |
|---|---|---|
| Apps closed between two times | Downtime → Scheduled | Screen Time Schedule → time window |
| Different hours on weekends | Customize Days | Add Schedule for those days |
| More than one window a day | Not possible with Downtime | Several time windows |
| A daily cap per app or category | App Limits | Time Allowances |
iOS 27: Screen Time Schedule
- Go to Settings → Screen Time → Time Allowances and make sure the categories you want to control exist, for example Social Media, Entertainment and Games. Tap Manage Categories to add one. The schedule works with these categories.
- Go back to Screen Time, tap Screen Time Schedule and turn on Schedule.
- Tap Add Schedule, pick the days (say Monday to Friday) and confirm.
- Tap the time window to rename it, set its start and stop time, and tap the categories that should be available during it.
- Add more windows for the rest of the day. Each window shows icons for the categories you can use in it.
- In Always Allowed, add what you must reach at any hour: Phone, Messages, Maps, your bank, and family as contacts.
- Lock it with a passcode in Manage Screen Time → Lock Screen Time Settings.
The menu names come from Apple's iOS 27 guide. Apple also notes that these features need iOS 27 or later on all your Apple devices.
iOS 26 and earlier: Downtime
- Go to Settings → Screen Time. If App & Website Activity is off, turn it on.
- Tap Downtime, then Scheduled.
- Choose Every Day, or Customize Days to give weekends their own hours, then set the start and end times.
- Set a Screen Time passcode, then turn on Block at Downtime.
- In Always Allowed, keep only the apps you need during that window.
Step 4 matters most. Apple's guide says that when Block at Downtime is off, "you see a reminder that it's downtime, but you can choose to continue using the apps". With it on, blocked apps appear dimmed with an hourglass and don't open. You also get a 5-minute reminder before Downtime starts.
The catch on iOS 26 is that Downtime runs one window per day. If you want apps closed from 9:00 to 12:00 and again from 22:30, Downtime can only cover one of them. App Limits won't fill the gap, because they cap how many minutes you spend in an app each day and have no say over the hour. Give Downtime the night window (how to block apps at night covers what to leave open) and plan daytime blocking separately.
Example: a weekday schedule that holds up
Someone who works 9:00 to 17:30, sleeps 23:00 to 7:00 and wants social apps only at lunch and in the evening could set up iOS 27 like this:
| Time window | Hours | Available | Blocked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | 7:00–9:00 | Entertainment | Social Media, Games |
| Work | 9:00–12:30 | Always Allowed only | Social Media, Entertainment, Games |
| Lunch | 12:30–13:30 | Social Media, Entertainment | Games |
| Afternoon | 13:30–17:30 | Always Allowed only | Social Media, Entertainment, Games |
| Evening | 17:30–22:30 | Everything | Nothing |
| Night | 22:30–7:00 | Always Allowed only | Social Media, Entertainment, Games |
Add up the windows where Social Media is blocked: 2 hours in the morning, 3.5 before lunch, 4 in the afternoon and 8.5 overnight, so social apps are closed 18 of the 24 hours. On iOS 26 the same person would set Downtime from 22:30 to 7:00 and handle the work hours some other way. Put Clock in Always Allowed if your alarm lives on the iPhone.
Why scheduled blocks get switched off
- Ignore Limit is one tap. Without a Screen Time passcode, the block is a reminder. A passcode someone else chooses works better than one you know.
- An app sits in Always Allowed. Apps on that list stay open during every window. Check it first when a block seems to do nothing, and see why Downtime doesn't block apps for the other causes.
- The hours stop matching your day. A 9:00 work window is wrong on the Tuesday your meetings start at 11:00. After a few wrong days, turning the schedule off feels easier than editing it.
The last one is the hardest to fix with a fixed schedule. If you want to see how quickly a day with no protected hours falls apart, Don't Lose Tuesday is a free 90-second game about exactly that.
When your hours change every week
Shift work, classes that move, a training plan or a week of travel all break a Monday-to-Friday schedule. What works then is blocking that follows your plan: apps close when a focus block starts and open when it ends, wherever that block landed today. The guide to blocking apps during focus time compares the built-in options with this approach in more detail.
Questions people ask
Can I block apps at different times on different days on iPhone?
Yes. On iOS 26 and earlier, use Downtime with Customize Days to set different start and end times per weekday. On iOS 27, add a separate Screen Time Schedule for the days that differ, such as Saturday and Sunday.
Can I block apps twice a day on iOS 26?
Not with Downtime alone, because it allows one scheduled window per day. App Limits cap daily minutes and ignore the time of day. For a second window, update to iOS 27, whose Screen Time Schedule allows several time windows, or use an app built on Apple's Screen Time API that blocks at the times you set.
Why can I still open apps during Downtime?
Usually because Block at Downtime is off, there is no Screen Time passcode, or the app is in Always Allowed. Turn on Block at Downtime after setting a passcode and remove the app from Always Allowed.