What clearing screen time actually does
Clearing screen time on your iPhone removes the record of which apps you used and for how long, but it does not uninstall anything or change your settings. When you clear the data, your iPhone stops tracking new usage from that moment forward — the history straightforward disappears. This is different from resetting Screen Time entirely, which also erases any limits or downtime schedules you set up.
The main reason to clear screen time is privacy: if you share your phone with family members or hand it to someone temporarily, you may not want them seeing your app usage patterns. Clearing it also resets the weekly reports that appear on your lock screen, which some people find intrusive. However, clearing screen time does not prevent Apple from collecting the data going forward — it only removes what has already been recorded.
Key Takeaways
- Clearing screen time removes your usage history but does not change any limits or downtime schedules you have set.
- You can clear screen time without a passcode if you set it up without one, but if you added a passcode, you will need it to make changes.
- Clearing screen time stops the weekly usage reports from appearing on your lock screen, but Apple continues collecting data in the background.
- If you forget your Screen Time passcode, you will need to reset your entire iPhone to regain access to these settings.
How to clear screen time if you did not set a passcode
Open Settings and tap Screen Time. Scroll down and look for the option labeled "Clear All Activity" or "Reset" — the exact wording depends on your iOS version, but it appears near the bottom of the Screen Time menu. Tap it, and your iPhone will ask you to confirm. Once you confirm, all your usage history disappears when ready.
After clearing, your Screen Time page will show zero minutes for all apps and categories. Any weekly reports that were scheduled to appear on your lock screen will stop. If you have set up app limits or downtime, those remain in place and continue to work — clearing activity does not touch them.
How to clear screen time if you set a passcode
If you added a passcode to Screen Time (which prevents others from changing your limits), you will need that passcode to clear the data. Open Settings, tap Screen Time, scroll to the bottom, and select "Clear All Activity" or the reset option. Your iPhone will prompt you to enter your Screen Time passcode before allowing the action.
If you do not remember the passcode you created, there is no way to recover it through Settings. You will need to reset your entire iPhone using a computer with Finder (on Mac) or iTunes (on Windows), which erases everything on the device and restores it to factory settings. This is why Screen Time passcodes are difficult to bypass — they are designed to prevent someone from hiding their usage if they set limits on themselves.
Why you might want to keep screen time data instead
Before clearing, consider whether the data is actually useful to you. Screen Time reports show genuine patterns: which apps consume the most time, when you use your phone most heavily, and whether you are staying within limits you set for yourself. Many people find this information valuable for understanding their own habits, even if they do not like the weekly notifications.
If privacy from other people is your concern, a better approach might be to set a Screen Time passcode so only you can view the data, rather than clearing it entirely. This keeps your own records intact while preventing someone who borrows your phone from seeing your usage. If you want to stop the lock screen notifications without erasing the data, you can turn off notifications in Settings > Notifications > Screen Time instead.
What happens to screen time data after you clear it
Once cleared, the old data is gone from your iPhone permanently. Your phone when ready begins collecting new usage data, and you will see fresh numbers accumulate from that point forward. If you clear on a Monday, your next weekly report will only include usage from Monday onward.
Apple's servers may retain some aggregated data about your usage patterns for analytics purposes, but the detailed per-app breakdown stored on your device is what gets erased. This does not affect iCloud backups — if you back up your iPhone to iCloud and then restore from that backup later, the screen time data will return if the backup was made before you cleared it.
Clearing screen time on a family member's device
If you manage Screen Time for a child or family member through Family Sharing, you can view their usage from your own phone, but you cannot clear their data remotely. The person whose device it is must clear their own screen time, or you must have access to their device and their Screen Time passcode.
If a child forgets their passcode or you need to reset it, the only option is to erase the device and set it up again. This is intentional — Screen Time passcodes are meant to be difficult to bypass so that limits cannot be easily circumvented. If you are the account holder and need to make changes to a child's limits, you can do that from your own device through Family Sharing settings without needing their passcode.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing screen time stop Apple from tracking my app usage?
No. Clearing screen time only removes the history stored on your device. Apple continues to collect usage data in the background for its own analytics and to power Screen Time features. If you want to limit what Apple collects, you can turn off app analytics in Settings > Privacy > Analytics, though this may affect how well some features work.
Will clearing screen time remove app limits I set up?
No. Clearing activity only erases the usage history. Any app limits, downtime schedules, or communication limits you configured will remain active and continue to work exactly as before. You would need to manually delete those limits if you want to remove them.
Can I clear screen time for just one app instead of everything?
No. The clear function removes all activity data at once. If you want to hide usage for a specific app, your only option is to clear everything. There is no way to selectively erase the history for individual apps.
What if I clear screen time and then restore from a backup?
If you restore your iPhone from an iCloud or computer backup that was made before you cleared screen time, the old usage data will return. To keep the data cleared, you would need to restore from a backup made after you cleared it, or set up your phone as new without restoring a backup.
Is there a way to see screen time data after I clear it?
Once cleared from your device, the detailed usage history is gone. You cannot recover it unless you restore from a backup made before the clear. If you think you might want the data later, consider taking a screenshot of your Screen Time summary before clearing.