Forgot Screen Time Passcode? How to Reset or Remove ​It

Screen Time lets you know how much time you and your kids have spent on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. By turning on Screen Time, you can view your screen time reports and know how to manage your or your children's use of mobile devices. 

If you or your children spend too much time on some apps or browsing inappropriate content, Screen Time can help you set the time limits, filter the low-quality content, and shut down a device whenever you want.

To perform all these functions, you will need to set and use the Screen Time passcode, which is different from the passcode you use to unlock your device. However, is there any way to restore or remove Screen Time passcode if you forgot it? The answer is yes.

The most used method to remove screen time passcode is setting your iDevice as new to remove the forgotten passcode, which is troublesome. Luckily, since iOS 13, a new screen time reset feature is introduced to easily change your Screen Time password. Therefore, you should check your iOS version first and follow the instructions below to reset your Screen Time passcode.

• Reset Screen Time passcode on iOS 13 or newer versions
• Reset Screen Time Passcode on an earlier version of iOS
• Reset Screen Time Passcode with FonePaw iOS Unlocker

Reset Screen Time passcode on iOS 13 or newer versions

For the users to the new version of iOS, there is the Change Screen Time Passcode feature. You can update your iOS to the latest version first. The steps are simple.

1. Go to settings > Screen Time > Change Screen Time Passcode then tap it again.

2. Hit Forgot Passcode and enter the Apple ID and your password.

3. Enter a new passcode for your Screen Time.

Reset Screen Time Passcode on an earlier version of iOS

In iOS 11 or earlier versions, there is no Screen Time but a similar feature called Restrictions.

In iOS 12, Apple replaced Restrictions with Screen Time. So you may wonder what is my Screen Time passcode after the upgrade? If you are upgrading to iOS 12 from iOS 11 or earlier versions, your Screen Time passcode is your previous Restrictions password. If you forgot restrictions passcode or the Screen Time passcode you set before, here are the solutions for you.

Erasing iPhone or iPad to reset Screen Time passcode

You can erase everything on your iPhone or iPad by going to Settings > Reset > Reset All Settings.

You should be careful that it will erase all your preferences, settings, and restores your phone to a completely new state. After wiping all settings on your device, you can reset your Screen Time passcode.

Restoring iPhone or iPad with iTunes to remove Screen Time passcode

Restoring the iPhone or iPad with iTunes will reset your device to factory reset mode, which means it will delete all your information and settings. Thus you'd better back up your data in advance.

Step 1 Open iTunes while connecting your iDevice to the computer via USB cable and confirm the connection.

Step 2 Click Restore iPhone in iTunes. When a pop-up window appears and asks if you want to back up settings before restoring, remember to click Back Up.

Step 3 When the firmware update completes, you will be asked to set up as a new iPhone or restore the device from a backup. Select Set up as a new iPhone.

Step 4 When it finishes, you can reset your Screen Time passcode.

Reset Screen Time Passcode with FonePaw iOS Unlocker

Like we said above, the Content & Privacy Restrictions in Screen Time replaced the Restrictions setting from iOS 11 and earlier.  Therefore, your Screen Time passcode could be the Restrictions passcode before. However, if you just don't remember the password and you want to avoid data losing, FonePaw iOS Unlocker would be a better choice for you. 

It is a software specialized in unlocking Screen Time and retrieving Restrictions passcode. In other words, it goes for all iOS version and you can use it to remove the Screen Time passcode. 

More importantly, unlock Screen Time will not erase or delete data and information in your device. So you can feel relieved to try. The steps are so simple:

Step 1 Download the software

Download and install FonePaw iOS Unlocker on your computer. 

Download  Download

Step 2 Enable the software

Open FonePaw iOS Unlocker and choose Screen Time from the three options. 

Step 3 Unlock Screen Time

Connect your phone to the computer via the USB cable and once the device is detected, click Start to begin. 

Wait till the process finishes and when it is succeeded your device will restart. Now you need to reset your phone and enter a new passcode for the Screen Time.

Notice:

1. Find My iPhone must be disabled or else the unlocking will fail.  You can follow the prompt to turn it off.

   Go to Settings and tap your name on the top > iCloud > Find My iPhone. Enter your iCloud password and turn off the Find My iPhone feature.

   
   

2. After unlocking, you will need to set the initial settings.

   To avoid data loss, remember to choose Don't Transfer Apps & Data in the Apps & Data settings.

   To make sure the passcode is completely removed, select Set Up Later in Settings when setting up Screen Time. 

3. If your device is running iOS 12, you don't need to add your Apple ID to enable the Screen Time passcode. If your device is running iOS 13 or later, you can choose to add Apple ID to retrieve the Screen Time passcode. But once Apple ID is added, removing Screen Time passcode may fail.

In addition to the solutions above, we also collect some tips from other users:

• Try entering the common four digits like 0-0-0-0, 1-1-1-1, or 1-2-3-4. Usually, it is used as the default password. But don't try it too many times. 

• Sign out of the Apple ID to disable Screen Time. In this way, you can turn off Screen Time on iPhone without the passcode.

• Sign out of the Apple ID and sign back in, then you can reset your Screen TIme passcode without too much hassle.