With Screen Time, you can allow or block communication with certain contacts in iCloud—including phone calls, FaceTime calls, and messages. It can apply at all times or only during certain periods, like when your device use is paused, and you can choose Contacts Only, Contacts & Groups with at Least One Contact, or Everyone.
Choose who you can communicate with at certain times
You can allow or block communication from certain contacts in iCloud, including incoming and outgoing phone calls, FaceTime calls, and messages, either at all times or during certain periods, such as when your device use is paused.
If you haven’t already turned on Contacts in iCloud, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud, tap See All next to Saved to iCloud, then turn on Contacts.
Note: Every one of your devices needs iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, or visionOS 27 or later to use all the latest Screen Time features. And if you’re setting up these features in a Family Sharing group, each device in the group needs iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, or visionOS 27 or later.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap Screen Time, tap Communication Limits, and tap During Screen Time.
- Do any of the following:
- Manage who you can communicate with during screen time hours: Tap During Screen Time and then select Contacts Only, Contacts & Groups with at Least One Contact, or Everyone.
- Manage who you can communicate with when your devices are paused: Tap When Device Paused or Unavailable and select Always Allowed or Everyone.
Calls and messages from someone who’s currently blocked by your Communication Limit settings won’t go through.
Try to call or message someone who’s currently blocked by your Communication Limit settings, and your list of recent calls or messages shows their name or number in red. Once the communication limit changes, you can communicate with them.
To communicate again with contacts who are blocked by your Communication Limit settings, use the steps above to change those settings.
