By Michael | Last Updated
Q: "I added Screen Time Controls to my child's iPhone but forgot the passcode. How do I turn off parental controls on my iPhone without a passcode? This is urgent. Any help would be appreciated."
Parental controls on the iPhone, also known as screen time limits, is a feature designed to help manage device usage. However, the troubling part is that if you forget your parental passcode, you won't be able to change the limits set on the target device.
Fortunately, there are multiple ways to fix this. In this article, we'll show you how to reset, remove, or bypass the parental control password. Let's get started.
A parental control passcode ( or screen time passcode), is a 4-digit code that can used to manage and restrict the use of a device. By setting this code, the user can restrict the content, applications, and features accessible on the device.
Once the passcode is set, the correct code must be entered to change or remove these controls, effectively helping parents manage their child's device usage behavior. What should you do if you can't remember the iPhone parental control passcode? Next, let's see how to solve this trouble.
When you forget your Parental Controls password, you can reset it if you have associated your Apple ID with the Screen Time feature when setting up restrictions. This option requires you to provide the correct Apple ID and password for it to work, here's how to do it:
Step 1: Open the "Settings" App on your iPhone and click on "Screen Time".
Step 2: Scroll down and select "Change Screen Time Passcode", then click "Forgot Passcode?".
Step 3: Enter the Apple ID and its credentials that you used to create the screen time.
Step 4: Once verified, follow the prompts to create a new Screen Time Password. Once the new password is confirmed, you can use it to re-administer the parental control settings.
If you're managing your child's device through Family Sharing, you'll need to complete the password reset on the parent device: Go to "Screen Time" settings, scroll down and click on "Family Sharing" and select your child's name to start resetting the parental control password.
If you have forgotten your Parental Control password and your Apple ID is not available, is there a way to remove Parental Control without losing your data? The answer is yes, that is iSunshare iPhone Passcode Genius.
As a popular iOS unlocking tool, iPhone Passcode Genius is able to handle all kinds of security locks easily on iPhone and iPad. With its help, you can easily remove the screen time limit without entering a passcode and keep all the data on your device.
Besides removing screen time passcode, this tool can also help you solve other iOS passcode problems such as "no option to remove MDM profile", "iPhone security lockout", or "Apple ID not active".
Step 1: Click the "Free Download" button below to install iSunshare iPhone Passcode Genius directly to your computer.
Step 2: Launch the software and select "Remove Screen Time Passcode" function.
Read the "Note" on the page and make sure "Find My iPhone" is disabled on your device, click "Start" button to continue.
Step 3: The software will immediately start the removal process and soon the parental restrictions will be turned off. After the device reboots, you can freely access the content, programs and features on your iPhone.
If the first two methods don't work for you, then you have no choice but to factory reset your iPhone to remove parental controls completely. However, this will also erase all data and settings on the device, so you'll have to back up your important data first or they won't be able to be restored.
Although the iPhone has a built-in "Erase All Content and Settings" feature, this option is not directly available when you forget the parental control password. In this case, you need to reset the device with iTunes or iCloud.
If you have an accessible computer, then you can use the "Restore" function provided by iTunes to remove the parental control. Not only that, before performing the reset, you can also backup all the data on your iPhone with iTunes, including apps, contacts and messages.
Step 1: After turning off the "Find My" feature on your iPhone, connect it to computer with a USB cable and run iTunes.
Step 2: In the main interface of iTunes, click the "Phone" icon to enter the settings panel.
Step 3: Click "Restore iPhone", and then select "Back up" or "Don't Back Up" for your device.
Then the system will ask you if you are sure want to restore iPhone to its factory reset, which will erase all media and other data on the device. Click on "Restore and Update" to confirm, and wait patiently for the entire reset process to complete.
How to factory reset your iPhone without PC or iTunes? iCloud's "Find My" provides another convenient option for wiping your iPhone. With this feature, you can remotely wipe all settings of your iPhone, including the parental control.
Step 1: First, check whether "Find My iPhone" is enabled on your device. If not, please turn on the feature.
Step 2: Visit icloud.com/find on another device and sign in with the same Apple ID as on your iPhone.
Step 3: Ater logging in, select the restricted iPhone from the device list, click "Erase This Device" and enter your Apple ID password as required to confirm. After the erasing is done, your iPhone will reboot and now it is free of any restricted settings.
Forgetting the parental control passcode on your iPhone may seem like a tricky problem, but as this article described, it's completely solvable and you have multiple options available.
For users who don't have Apple ID credentials and don't want to wipe their device, iSunshare iPhone Passcode Genius is the most recommended option. It can turn off parental controls on iPhone without a passcode and make sure your data is intact. Hopefully, this guide will help you regain control of your device successfully.