Alex Ruben
How To Block Websites on iPhone Effortlessly
Blocking websites on an iPhone is kinda weird, but it’s sometimes the only way to keep kids (or yourself) from stumbling onto stuff you don’t want. This process involves tweaking the Screen Time settings—because of course, Apple has to make it harder than necessary. Anyway, here’s how it usually goes down.
Step 1: Open the Settings App
Find that gear icon on your home screen and tap it. That’s where all the magic starts. If you’re really trying to do this, chances are you’ve already unlocked your phone, but just in case, do that first.
Step 2: Head to Screen Time
Scroll down until you see Screen Time. Tap that. This is where Apple keeps all the controls over your app and content restrictions. Because why would they make it straightforward, right?
Step 3: Turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions
Inside Screen Time, look for Content & Privacy Restrictions. It’s probably off by default. Flip the toggle to turn it on. If it’s already on, then good—skip to the next step. Enabling this is what gives you access to set limits on websites.
Step 4: Set Web Content Restrictions
Tap on Content Restrictions, then find Web Content. At first, it says Unrestricted Access, which means everything’s open. Switch it to Limit Adult Websites. That’s one way to block most nasty stuff. Not perfect, but it works for a lot of people.
Step 5: Add Specific Websites to Block or Allow
This is the part that trips people up because it’s not very obvious. After selecting Limit Adult Websites, scroll down to the Never Allow section. Tap Add Website and type in the URL you want to block. For example, enter badwebsite.com.
If you want to whitelist certain sites anyway—say, some blog or game—go to the Always Allow section and add those URLs there. That way, they bypass the restrictions even if flagged as adult or unsafe.
Pro tip: It helps to double-check after adding sites—sometimes it doesn’t work right away. On some phones, this fails the first time, then magically starts working after a reboot. Weird, but true.
Extra Tips & Common Snags
Here’s what’s kinda useful:
- Review your Never Allow and Always Allow lists now and then. A little maintenance goes a long way.
- Some sneaky websites or apps can still get around these restrictions—if you really need tighter control, consider device management tools or parental control apps outside of this method.
- Make sure your iPhone is running the latest iOS version; sometimes bugs or quirks are fixed in updates.
Final Thoughts
Blocking websites isn’t foolproof, but it’s another layer of control. Just don’t expect it to be perfect. Regularly check your settings if stuff slips through, and remember, there’s always a way around it if someone really wants to. Still, for most casual needs, this should do the trick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I unblock a website after I’ve blocked it?
Yep. Just go back into Web Content restrictions and remove the URL from the Never Allow list. Easy enough, if you can find the menu again.
Will blocking websites affect my other apps?
Mostly just Safari. Other apps can still access the web unless you set restrictions there too. So, it’s a partial solution at best.
How do I reset all these restrictions if I want to start over?
Head back into Screen Time and select Turn Off Screen Time. That wipes all custom restrictions, mostly like starting fresh.
Summary
- Open Settings and go to Screen Time
- Enable Content & Privacy Restrictions
- Set Web Content to Limit Adult Websites
- Add specific sites to Never Allow or Always Allow
Hopefully, this shaves off a few hours for someone. Just something that worked on multiple machines. Fingers crossed this helps.