---
title: "What Is Time Allowances on iPhone? Meaning and Settings"
description: "Time Allowances are the iOS 27 Screen Time limits that replaced App Limits. You set a daily time per category, and an app's declared website counts too."
url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/glossary/time-allowances
lang: en-gb
published: 2026-10-31
updated: 2026-10-31
author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team"
publisher: VaultForYou
---

# What is Time Allowances?

Published 2026-10-31 - Updated 2026-10-31 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team - Checked against iOS 27 - 31 Oct 2026

## Quick answer

Time Allowances are the iOS 27 Screen Time setting that replaced App Limits. You set a daily amount of time for a category, such as Social Media or Games, or for a category you create, and Apple says the allowance also covers a website an app declares as its own.

- **Where:** Settings -> Screen Time -> Time Allowances.
- **Replaces:** App Limits (iOS 26 and earlier).
- **Custom category:** Manage Categories -> add button.

To limit a single app, tap **Manage Categories**, tap the add button and create a category that contains only that app, then drag its slider. Apple says Time Allowances need the 27 releases on all your Apple devices to sync.

Set a Screen Time passcode in **Settings -> Screen Time -> Passcode & Management** so nobody can change the limit without it.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I limit one app with Time Allowances?

Go to Settings, Screen Time, Time Allowances, tap Manage Categories and add a new category that contains only that app. Then drag that category's slider to the daily time you want and set a Screen Time passcode so the limit sticks.

### Are Time Allowances the same as App Limits?

They do the same job. iOS 27 replaced App Limits with Time Allowances, which are set per category rather than per app. On iOS 26 and earlier, use Settings, Screen Time, App Limits, Add Limit instead.

## Sources

- [Apple Support: Set schedules and Time Allowances on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/set-schedules-and-time-allowances-iphb0c7313c9/ios)

## Guides that use this term

- [Block apps on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/block-apps)

## Related terms

- [Screen Time](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/glossary/screen-time)
- [Screen Time passcode](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/glossary/screen-time-passcode)

## Browse

- [All glossary terms](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/glossary)

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Our guides are written and fact-checked by the VaultForYou team against Apple's own documentation. We make VaultForYou, a private vault app for iPhone. Download on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000