How to Turn Off Parental Controls on iPhone with or without Passcode

Parental Controls on iPhone is a built-in feature in iOS to keep kids from getting addicted to their phones and accessing content that may not be suitable for them. It can limit specific apps and features, making the device safer for your child. When your child is older, you may want to turn off these controls to give them access to more content, apps, and settings.

In this article, we will explore how to turn off parental controls on an iPhone with or without passcode, along with other related features. Once you're done, you should have full access to all aspects of your device.

What Are Parental Controls on iPhone?

You may not find a setting labeled 'Parental Control' on your iPhone because it's integrated into the 'Screen Time' feature in iOS. 

This feature allows you to monitor how much time your children spend on certain apps and websites, schedule time away from the screen, restrict app usage, filter website content to limit access to adult material on Safari and other apps, and many other restrictions.

Here's how to enable Parental Controls on iPhone for your kids:

1. Open Settings on the iPhone and tap on Screen Time.
2. Select the child's name in the Family section.
3. Open the menu to set up parental controls, including Downtime, App Limits, and Content & Privacy Restrictions.

Each of these options allows you to implement parental controls in different ways. Here's how to use each section effectively:

• Downtime: This option allows you to choose specific times when your child can access certain apps.
• App Limits: Set specific time limits for an app or group of apps to prevent your child from spending excessive time on them, like social media.
• Communication Limits: Restrict who your child can contact and when they can do so.
• Content & Privacy Restrictions: This section allows you to place various restrictions on iPhone activities, such as:
  1. Select iTunes & App Store Purchases and set it to Don't Allow to prevent app purchases.
  2. In Allowed Apps, choose which apps your child cannot use.
  3. Under Content Restrictions, limit the content your child can access, such as movies, books, and TV shows, to prevent exposure to adult-rated materials.
  4. In Web Content, block websites with mature content or allow access to specific websites only.
  5. In the Siri section, prevent Siri from searching the web or providing explicit content responses.
  6. In the Game Center section, restrict multiplayer games and block features like friend connections and private messaging.

Once all restrictions are in place, tap Screen Time Passcode to create a 4-digit passcode. This passcode should be different from the device's lock screen passcode to prevent your child from undoing the restrictions.

Turn Off Parental Controls on iPhone with Passcode Individually

Unlike older versions of iOS, where you could disable all Screen Time features at once, iOS 17 requires you to disable each restriction individually. Here's how to do it:

Turn Off App & Website Activity

Turning off App & Website Activity will disable real-time reporting, Downtime, App Limits, and Always Allowed simultaneously. Here's how:

1. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Turn Off App & Website Activity.
2. Enter the Screen Time passcode.
3. Tap Turn Off App & Website Activity again to confirm.

Turn Off App Limits

To remove time limits on only specific apps:

1. Go to Settings > Screen Time > App Limits.
2. Enter the Screen Time passcode.
3. Find the app, swipe left, and tap Delete > Delete Limit.

Turn Off Downtime and Screen Distance

• To disable Downtime, go to Settings > Screen Time > Downtime > Enter the Screen Time passcode > Turn Off Downtime.
• To turn off Screen Distance, go to Settings > Screen Time > Screen Distance and toggle it off.

Turn Off Communication Limits

• To remove communication limits during Downtime or allowed Screen Time, go to Settings > Screen Time > Communication Limits > Enter the Screen Time passcode > During Screen Time (or Downtime) and tap Everyone.
• To remove restrictions on individual communication apps like iMessage or FaceTime, go to Settings > Screen Time > Communication Safety and toggle it off.

Turn Off Content Restrictions

To remove all content restrictions, go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Enter the Screen Time passcode and turn it off.

Turn Off Parental Controls on iPhone with Passcode Via Family Sharing

If you're using Family Sharing to set parental controls on your kids' iPhone, you'll need to turn off the controls using the passcode through Family Sharing. Here's how:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone and tap Screen Time.
2. Then tap your child's name.
3. Select Downtime, App Limits, Content & Privacy Restrictions, or other restrictions you want to turn off.
4. Enter the Screen Time passcode to confirm.

Turn Off Parental Controls on iPhone without Passcode by Asking for Permission

If you're a child and want to remove the restrictions on your iPhone but don't know the passcode, you can ask your parents for permission. Here's how to approach it:

First, understand why your parent or guardian set the parental controls. These controls are designed to protect you from inappropriate content and help manage your screen time.

If you believe some restrictions should be lifted, have an open conversation with your parents. A healthy discussion can help both of you decide which controls can be removed and which should remain. Your parents can either disable the parental controls or give you the passcode to adjust them yourself.

Some parents may still want to supervise your device usage. However, over time, as trust grows, they might gradually loosen these restrictions.

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Turn Off Parental Controls on iPhone without Passcode via Unlockit

If you have forgotten the Screen Time passcode or your parents won't loosen the restrictions on your iPhone, you can try using iOS unlocking tools like Unlockit iPhone. This professional tool allows you to remove the Screen Time passcode and bypass parental controls without causing data loss.

Additionally, you can use this tool to unlock the screen passcode, bypass Apple ID, and remove the MDM profile on your iPhone with ease.

Unlockit iPhone is designed specifically for non-techies, making it very user-friendly. Here's how it works:

Step 1. Download and install Unlockit on your computer.

Step 2. Connect your iPhone using a USB cable, and open the program and select Remove Screen Time Passcode.

Step 3. Disable Find My iPhone on the device.

Step 4. Click Start. The program will begin removing parental controls.

Step 5. Once the process is complete, follow the on-screen instructions to set up your iPhone without data loss.

Turn Off Parental Controls on iPhone without Passcode by Resetting It

If you don't have the Screen Time passcode and don't want to use third-party software, you can try to reset the old Screen Time passcode and then set a new one. Here's how:

1. Reset the Screen Time passcode by going to Settings > Screen Time > Change Screen Time Passcode > Forgot Passcode?.
2. You'll be prompted to enter your Apple ID and password to create a new passcode.
3. After that, you can turn off Screen Time on your iPhone using the new passcode.

Conclusion

Parental controls are essential for protecting children from inappropriate content and managing their device usage. Now, you know how to enable and disable these controls on your iPhone with or without passcode when needed.