iOS 17.1 Improves Screen Time Syncing Across Apple Devices

iOS 17.1 improves syncing of Screen Time settings across Apple devices, according to the release notes for the upcoming software update.

Screen Time iOS 16
Screen Time provides parents with settings to remotely manage a child's device, allowing them to restrict device usage to certain times, set time limits for apps, and block inappropriate content. However, some parents had complained that Screen Time settings sometimes reset or failed to sync across all devices within a Family Sharing group.

"We are aware that some users may be experiencing an issue where Screen Time settings are unexpectedly reset," an Apple spokesperson said, in a statement shared with The Wall Street Journal in July. "We take these reports very seriously and we have been, and will continue, making updates to improve the situation."

Apple already attempted to improve Screen Time settings syncing with iOS 16.5, but the issue persisted for some users on later software versions.

Screen Time launched in 2018 as part of iOS 12, providing parents with a built-in option for the type of controls that previously required third-party apps.

iOS 17.1 should be released next week. A final beta version known as the Release Candidate was made available to developers for testing today.

Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

Popular Stories

iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.4 With Sleep Alarm Update

Tuesday April 1, 2025 10:34 am PDT by
Apple today released watchOS 11.4, the fourth major update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.4 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.4 can be downloaded on a connected iPhone by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software,...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...
Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Visa and American Express Vying to Win Apple Card Deal in 'Fierce' Fight

Tuesday April 1, 2025 1:50 pm PDT by
Visa wants to pay Apple approximately $100 million to be the new payment network for the Apple Card, reports The Wall Street Journal. As of right now, the Apple Card is on the Mastercard payment network, but that is set to change because Apple is ending its partnership with Goldman Sachs. Both American Express and Visa are vying to replace Mastercard as Apple's card services provider, while...

Top Rated Comments

Misheemee Avatar
19 months ago

Most useless feature prize winner!
Not useless at all, quite the opposite actually! I have screen time set on my 14yo son’s iphone so he can’t modify account settings or remove his iCloud account. Somebody attempted to rob him at the bus stop but couldn’t remove the iCloud account from the iPhone which made the iPhone useless to him so he didn't end up stealing it because he knew he'd be tracked.

Above aside - I’ve been using screen time on my kids devices for years - a few features of screen time have been reliable are content settings, downtime and app settings
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bobcats9498 Avatar
19 months ago
Let’s just hope you can finally approve screen time requests from the messages app on Apple Watch and Macs. Been broke for over a year.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arnoz Avatar
19 months ago
Screen Time settings on Mac show I've been using Instagram for 24 hours a day since the update to Sonoma.
Thing is… I've never used Instagram, never downloaded the app, never created an account, and I can safely say I may have clicked on Instagram links from my May maybe a few times over the course of a year.
So yeah, not even tracking my kids, but even my data is useless...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ridge Racer Avatar
19 months ago
I just wish they'd let you set more than one DownTime period in a day. I need at a minimum two - one for school time and one for bedtime.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
siddavis Avatar
19 months ago

Screen Time settings on Mac show I've been using Instagram for 24 hours a day since the update to Sonoma.
Thing is… I've never used Instagram, never downloaded the app, never created an account, and I can safely say I may have clicked on Instagram links from my May maybe a few times over the course of a year.
So yeah, not even tracking my kids, but even my data is useless...
This happens for my kids all of the time. It is incredibly annoying when you set limits and they are always blocked from doing anything because the Mac screen time shows 24hrs.

Like many of the iCloud based services... hot garbage.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nostaws Avatar
19 months ago

Most useless feature prize winner!
Screentime isn’t just an app to summarize phone usage. It is Apple’s app for parents setting restrictions and monitoring kids phones. It has been broken and Apple is fixing it.

Also, we as a family sit down every so often and we look at each others phone usage as a family and talk about how we use our devices: parents included (we are usually the worst offenders).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)