Use ChatGPT less on iPhone: Screen Time, Focus and a try‑first step

1. Set an App Limit

1. Open Screen Time

   Go to Settings, then Screen Time. Turn it on if it is off.

2. Add a limit

   Tap App Limits, then Add Limit. Search for ChatGPT, Gemini and any other AI apps you use and tick them.

3. Pick a short allowance

   Try 20 or 30 minutes a day. When it runs out, iOS shows a screen and asks before giving more time.

4. Let someone else set the passcode

   Tap Lock Screen Time Settings and have a friend or partner choose the passcode. Without that, "one more minute" is one tap away.

Honest limit: many people find the "ignore limit" button too easy. A limit is a speed bump, not a wall. That is fine: the bump is the moment to try first.

2. Hide AI apps during a Focus

1. Open Focus

   Go to Settings, then Focus, and pick Work or make a new one called Study.

2. Choose a Home Screen page

   Under Customise Screens, choose a Home Screen page that has no AI apps on it.

3. Set a schedule

   Add a schedule for your study or deep-work hours so it switches on by itself.

3. Move the app off your first Home Screen

Press and hold the ChatGPT or Gemini icon, tap Edit Home Screen, and drag it into a folder on the last page. Or tap Remove App, then Remove from Home Screen: it stays in the App Library. People who try this say the extra steps help a little, and a little is the point.

If Siri or Apple Intelligence hands questions to ChatGPT on your phone, you can switch that off under Settings, Apple Intelligence and Siri.

4. Put a try-first page in its place

1. Open the think pad in Safari

   Go to the think pad.

2. Add it to your Home Screen

   Tap the Share button, then Add to Home Screen, then Add.

3. Drag it to the old spot

   Put it exactly where the AI icon was. Your thumb will find it on its own.

Questions