Block apps on iPhone. Properly, not decoratively.
iOS gives you three different ways to stop an app being used, and they behave differently enough that mixing them up is the usual reason a setup doesn't hold.
Method 1: Hide built-in apps
For Apple's own apps — Safari, Camera, FaceTime, Mail, AirDrop:
- Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- Turn it on, then tap Allowed Apps.
- Toggle off anything you don't want available.
The app disappears from the Home Screen and from search. Toggling it back on restores it with data intact.
Method 2: Age-rating restrictions
To stop whole categories of App Store content:
- Content & Privacy Restrictions → Content Restrictions → Apps.
- Set a maximum age rating — 4+, 9+, 12+, 17+.
Apps above the rating vanish from the App Store and from the device. Worth knowing: most major social apps are rated 12+, so a 12+ setting doesn't do what parents often expect.
Method 3: App Limits (the flexible one)
- Screen Time → App Limits → Add Limit.
- Pick a category, or tap the category name to select individual apps.
- Set the daily limit. 1 minute is the closest iOS gets to a hard block on a third-party app.
- Turn on Block at End of Limit, or the limit is advisory.
When a limit is reached, iOS offers Ask For More Time. Without Block at End of Limit switched on, your child grants themselves the extension. Check this toggle on every limit you create — it's off by default in some iOS versions.
Block the app and the website together
Blocking the app but not the site is the most common mistake. Defenras closes both in one step.
Get Defenras free →Stopping the reinstall loop
The most common failure: a child deletes the limited app and reinstalls it clean.
- Content & Privacy Restrictions → iTunes & App Store Purchases.
- Installing Apps → Don't Allow.
- Deleting Apps → Don't Allow.
- In-app Purchases → Don't Allow.
With installation off, your child requests apps through Ask to Buy in Family Sharing and you approve from your phone.
The web version problem
Blocking the TikTok app does nothing about tiktok.com in Safari. Same for Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Discord, and Reddit — all fully usable in a browser.
You need both halves:
- The app — App Limits or Allowed Apps, above.
- The website — Screen Time's Never Allow list, or DNS filtering.
Defenras does both together: pick a platform in the dashboard and the app and its domains are blocked in the same action, on iPhone and Android.
Checklist
- Screen Time passcode set, recovery Apple ID attached, not reused from the unlock code.
- Allowed Apps trimmed to what your child actually needs.
- Age rating set deliberately, knowing 12+ includes most social apps.
- App Limits created with Block at End of Limit on.
- Installing and Deleting Apps both set to Don't Allow.
- Web domains blocked as well as the apps.
Frequently asked questions
Can I block an app on iPhone without blocking it completely?
Yes — App Limits let you allow a set amount per day, or use Downtime so it works only in certain windows.
Why can my child still use TikTok after I blocked the app?
Almost certainly the website. tiktok.com works fine in Safari. Block the domain as well as the app.
Does deleting an app remove its App Limit?
The limit persists, but a reinstall can reset the counter in some iOS versions. Turning off app installation and deletion is the reliable fix.
Can I see which apps my child uses most?
Screen Time reports usage per app. Defenras deliberately doesn't — it blocks without building a behavioural log, which is a different trade-off and one some families prefer.
Defenras blocks all of this — without collecting your child's data.
One app, every device, every browser. Adult content, gambling, vaping, scams, malware, social media — all blocked. PIN-locked. Free version available, no credit card.