Screen Time Downtime blocking "Always Allowed" Safari & Chrome

Same exact issue here. We ended up downloading the app called Opal. It’s $100 a year, but it works pretty much the same. We set the schedules and then set each others pins, so we can’t just ignore and turn it off. So far it’s working for us.

Really sucks the free system that comes with the IPhone is bugging out and not allowing it anymore!!

This is happening on my kids watch after the update. None of the always allowed apps work during downtime. He can’t even text or call me/his dad (always allowed and emergency contacts) when downtime is on. All the settings are right, I’ve turned them off and on, restarted both devices (his Apple Watch is managed with my phone) etc. my other 2 kids have the same settings but don’t have the update yet and everything works fine.

I’ve been running into this issue too, but have also have had it block content in other apps that I have whitelisted, like Uber Eats, and it seems that every section for these apps is treated like a separate instance—I can open the NPR app, but the content gets blocked, when I add in the passcode, it lets me see the articles list, but then I get challenged for the passcode on every article I try to click on. Similarly, when I have the passcode added for Chrome or Brave, I have to have the passcode added just to perform a search, then I get challenged for the passcode on every link I try to click on.

Since I have set up a system where my partner is the one who has the passcode for the screen time override, this has made my phone completely unusable for certain key functions.

Finally, someone with the same issue as me. It literally aggravates me so much. I talked to Apple about it, but they just said to wait 24 hours, blah blah blah. I've waited 72 hours since the update, and nothing has changed. Before the update, all of these apps were always allowed, and you could access Safari and Google (especially if they are always allowed apps). I have to use Safari and Google to sign into Infinite Campus and access my assignments through Google from Infinite Campus, which is an always allowed app. The update is cool and all but the jacked up screen time is not.

I talked to Apple support on Tuesday and she was puzzled. I added and readded to screen time, deleted and redownloaded chrome, tried swapping default browsers (then we realized safari is doing it too). 3 supervisors were called. The only thing she suggested was to completely reset my settings on my phone! She started explaining what I needed to save before I did that, and how to do it - I stopped listening and said yeah I’m not doing that. It’s not worth it. Meanwhile my IT husband on the couch next to me kept whispering, “it’s a bug!”

Yeah, same here. I use Arc Browser, and it is blocked even though it is in the Allowed Apps section. Safari is blocked as well, although Safari doesn't show as an app option in the Allowed Apps section.

I had this issue and it was so irritating that I just turned off downtime for now. If I find out that they’ve fixed, I might turn it back on but it is not worth the frustration. It sucks because I liked the feature. Maybe someday Apple will fix this so it is usable again.

No solution yet?

How can such bug go unnoticed? This is ridiculous.

Oh, believe me. They know. I've personally informed them multiple times, and they said "we'll fix it." and what do I get? 26.01 update, but no fixes.