Just like your January self, your iPhone is all about healthier habits. Enter “Downtime” — a tool designed to create healthier usage habits by limiting notifications and blocking distractions.
Intended to be used on a schedule, it can help you detach from your phone before bedtime or block notifications when you need to. You have the ability to decide who can contact you and which apps can be used, and can turn it on and off on demand.
So now that you know what it is, how do you use it?
How to Use Downtime on iPhone
Downtime is buried in the “Screen Time” settings, and there are a few things you’ll need to configure to use it.
- Open Settings.
- Scroll to Screen Time.
- Select Always Allowed.
- For Contacts, you have two options, Specific Contacts and Everyone. If you select “Specific Contacts,” you’ll be able to choose people from your contacts list or add a new contact.
- When you’re finished, navigate back to the previous page. Here you will choose which apps you can use during Downtime. Apps that are not selected will be greyed out on the home screen, and a message will say “You’ve reached your limit” if you try to open them.
- Go back to the Screen Time settings and select Downtime.
- To turn on Downtime right away, tap Turn On Downtime Until Tomorrow. Unfortunately, you can’t adjust how long it stays on manually.
- You can also set up a schedule for Downtime. Toggle the switch on for Scheduled and select the days and times for it to run.
How to Remove Downtime on iPhone
The Downtime settings are somewhat buried, and there’s not really a shortcut to turn it on and off. So if it’s on, here’s how to turn it off.
- Open settings.
- Navigate to Screen Time.
- Select Downtime.
- If Downtime was manually turned on, you’ll see the option to Turn Off Downtime. If it’s on during a scheduled time, it will read Ignore Downtime Until Schedule. Both options will turn it off immediately.
A powerful tool to help you break bad habits and stay on track with your day, start using with Downtime today!
Source: How To Geek
