To take away Ignore Limit, set a Screen Time passcode (ideally chosen by someone else) and have the app blocked at the end of the limit, so going past it needs the passcode. If the app you keep ignoring is Instagram or YouTube and you only want Reels and Shorts gone, the most direct option is minulo, an iPhone app that hides them while DMs keep working, and hiding is free. Its lock for the official apps is free for up to 2 hours per block, and schedules come with minulo Pro.
You set a 30 minute limit on Instagram. At 30 minutes the limit screen shows up, and you tap the button to keep going without really thinking about it. By the end of the week the limit has appeared every day and stopped you on none of them.
That button is the reason a lot of people search for how to remove Ignore Limit. This post explains what it does, how to take it away on iPhone, what changes on iOS 27, and what to try if the app you keep ignoring is Instagram or YouTube.
Before I start: I'm Ayumu Kitabayashi, the developer of minulo, an iPhone app that opens Instagram and YouTube with Reels and Shorts hidden. I'll describe it near the end, including what it can't do. Facts about Screen Time below come from Apple Support pages, checked on 2026-10-25. Screens differ between iOS 26 and iOS 27, and menu names can change with updates.
The short answer
Apple's iPhone guide says: "By default, Screen Time limits can be ignored once reached." The button on the limit screen is how you keep using the app.
To take that choice away, set a Screen Time passcode and have the app blocked at the end of the limit. After that, going past the limit needs the passcode. This only works well if someone else chooses the passcode, because if you know it, you can type it in.
What happens when time is up, setting by setting
| Setting | What happens when time is up | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| App Limits, default | The limit screen appears, but you can ignore it and keep using the app. | One tap gets you past it. |
| App Limits with a Screen Time passcode and blocking at the end of the limit | The app is blocked when the limit expires. Continuing needs the passcode. A child can tap Ask for More Time and a parent approves or denies it. | If you know the passcode, you can still enter it. |
| Downtime with Block at Downtime | Apps that aren't allowed can't be opened during Downtime. They appear dimmed with an hourglass icon. | Needs a Screen Time passcode. Apps on Always Allowed stay open. |
| minulo (hiding is free) | Instagram and YouTube open in minulo with Reels and Shorts hidden. The official apps can be locked with Screen Time. | iPhone only. The official apps themselves don't change. |
What the ignore button actually does
App Limits gives an app, or a category like Social Networking, a daily amount of time. When you use it up, a limit screen covers the app. Because limits can be ignored by default, that screen works as a reminder. The button lets you carry on, and the app opens again.
Apple's guide doesn't list the exact choices behind the button, so I won't guess at them here. What matters is that nothing stops you from tapping it unless a passcode is involved.
How to remove it
The order matters. Set the passcode first, then change the limit.
- Open Settings › Screen Time.
- Scroll down, tap Lock Screen Time Settings, and enter a four digit passcode twice. Better still, hand the phone to a friend or family member and let them choose it.
- Go back to App Limits, tap the limit for the app (or Add Limit to make one), and turn on the option that blocks the app at the end of the limit.
Apple's iPhone guide doesn't name that last switch. Apple's Mac guide describes the same App Limits option as Block at end of limit and says it blocks the app when the limit expires. With it on, using the app past the limit needs the passcode.
Apple says the Screen Time passcode has to be entered before Screen Time settings can be changed. If you choose it yourself, you'll remember it at exactly the moment the limit hits, and you'll be back where you started. That's why it helps to let someone else set it. You can also set up Screen Time Passcode Recovery with your Apple Account in case it's forgotten.
Downtime has the same problem
Downtime also lets you continue by default. Apple says that when Block at Downtime is off, you see a reminder that it's downtime but can choose to keep using your apps.
The fix is the same. With a Screen Time passcode set, go to Screen Time › Downtime and turn on Block at Downtime. Restricted apps then can't be opened during Downtime.
Check Always Allowed
This is the one people miss. Apple says apps you choose in Always Allowed stay available during Downtime and after you reach time limits. If the app you limited is on that list, it will never be blocked, no matter what else you set.
If the app still opens after the limit with blocking on, check three things:
- Is the app on Always Allowed?
- Did you limit the right app or the right category?
- Does anyone who uses the phone know the passcode?
Can you stop limits being ignored without a passcode?
I couldn't find a way in Apple's pages. Apple ties blocking to the Screen Time passcode. For Downtime, it says you can choose whether apps are completely blocked once a passcode is set.
On iOS 27: Time Allowances
On iOS 27, Apple's guide describes Time Allowances (Settings › Screen Time › Time Allowances) and Screen Time Schedule instead of App Limits. You give a category such as Social Media a daily allowance. If an app declares an associated website, the allowance covers both.
Apple says these features need iOS 27 or later on all your Apple devices. I couldn't find a description on Apple's iOS 27 page of what appears on screen when an allowance runs out, or whether it can be ignored. If you're on iOS 27, test it yourself before relying on it.
When the app you keep ignoring is Instagram or YouTube
Often the problem isn't the whole app. It's Reels or Shorts. You opened Instagram to answer a message, and the limit screen arrives while you're on your fortieth reel.
minulo opens the official websites of Instagram, YouTube and other services inside the app with Reels, Explore, Shorts and suggested posts hidden, while DMs keep working. Hiding is free.
minulo can also lock the official apps with iPhone Screen Time, free for up to 2 hours per block. During a block, Take a break lets you step out, and the block turns back on by itself when the time is up. minulo Pro adds schedules by day and time, blocks over 2 hours, multiple block lists, and Hard Mode, where you can't turn the block off, breaks are limited to once a day, and turning it off means going through 4 steps.
The limits
- iPhone only. minulo isn't on Android or iPad.
- The official apps stay the same. minulo shows each service's website inside its own app. The official Instagram and YouTube apps still have Reels and Shorts.
- No notifications from a locked app. While an official app is locked, its notifications don't arrive, and minulo doesn't send any.
- It depends on Screen Time. minulo uses Screen Time for locking, so if Screen Time itself isn't working on your iPhone, the lock may not work either.
Which fix fits you
- You keep tapping past the limit: set a Screen Time passcode, have someone else choose it, and turn on blocking at the end of the limit.
- The app opens anyway: check Always Allowed and which app or category you limited.
- You only want Reels or Shorts gone: open Instagram or YouTube in minulo and keep the rest.
The full page, with links to every Apple Support article it uses, is here: What Ignore Limit does in Screen Time, and how to remove it
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