Set Up a Screen Time Passcode

Ask Someone You Trust (Recommended)

Ask a partner, family member, or friend to handle the setup using the steps below.

1. Open the “Settings” app.

2. Tap “Screen Time”.

3. Tap “Lock Screen Time Settings”.

4. Enter a passcode, then enter it again to confirm.

5. When asked for “Screen Time Passcode Recovery”, enter the recovery Apple Account’s email address and password.

⚠️ Keep a safe copy of your passcode and recovery Apple Account details. If you forget the passcode and lose access to the recovery account, you may be unable to reset it. Refocus cannot reset it for you.

Set It Up Yourself

1. Make the Passcode Hard to Remember

Even a four-digit passcode can be hard to remember. The trick is to “hide” it inside a longer sequence of numbers and backspaces.

For example:

72⌫⌫49⌫38⌫⌫86⌫2⌫26

Each ⌫ means “delete the last digit.” This sequence leaves 4826 as your passcode, but the extra numbers and deletions make those four digits less obvious and harder to remember.

Generate a hard-to-remember passcode →

2. Use a Separate Apple Account

1. Create a new Apple Account at account.apple.com with a random password.

2. Use it for “Screen Time Passcode Recovery.”

You can stay signed in to your main Apple Account.