How to prevent old Screen Time passcode from overriding new one on son's iPhone?

Screen time passcode-sons iPhone-I've tried everything-updated both phones, turned screen time off before changing passcode, but when time runs out he's able to use the old passcode on his iPhone to continue using the phone. The strange thing is the new passcode is working on his phone when I go into settings & try to access screen time🤷🏻‍♀️so he can no longer change any setting in his phone but he can access everything by entering the old passcode when his daily time limit ends & all apps are blocked-also, why can he still access Tik-tok & you tube when EVERYTHING is supposed to be blocked from use???

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Screen time passcode-9/20/26

Posted on Sep 20, 2026 5:37 AM

1 reply

WheelieNick

Level 9 (74,110 points)

Sep 20, 2026 10:58 AM in response to Tamby56

Hi there

Please try this

Use Family Sharing: On your own iPhone, go to Settings > Screen Time, select your son's name under the Family section, tap Manage Screen Time, and then select Change Screen Time Passcode. Changing it from the parent device forces the network sync to overwrite the old cache on his phone.

Toggle Family Sharing Link: If the old PIN still overrides the limit, remove your son’s device temporarily from your Family Sharing group, restart both iPhones, and add him back in to clear out corrupted restriction files.

Reset All Settings: If the software glitch persists, go to your son's iPhone, open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset, and choose Reset All Settings (this does not delete personal data, but clears out bugged system configurations).