Screen time filling up with an app not on my phone

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Level 1

6 points

Screen time filling up with an app not on my phone

Hi

i have a screen time limit on my phone and noticed that my apps were getting locked by early morning. I checked the screen time log and it shows that for the last week only, the Instagram app had been running the whole time. However, I’ve never had the Instagram app installed - it’s not installed in the App Store and I’ve never used it. Now that I’ve restarted my phone it seems to have stopped. What could have caused this, is it a security issue?

thanks

iPhone SE, iOS 15

Posted on Feb 20, 2022 5:31 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Chris_V89

Community Specialist

Feb 26, 2022 1:12 PM in response to 90-_083ask

90-_083ask,

That's a great question! For help with checking if your Apple ID is signed into other devices, check out the following resource that can help: Check your Apple ID device list to see where you're signed in - Apple Support

We hope that's able to help.

Have a great day!

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Answer 2

Chris_V89

Community Specialist

Feb 21, 2022 11:39 AM in response to 90-_083ask

Hey there 90-_083ask,

Thanks for reaching out to the Apple Support Communities. We understand you're having issues with the Instagram app and unexpected Screen Time usage, and we'd be happy to look into what's going on.

To get started, do you by chance have Share Across Devices enabled in the Screen Time Settings? If so, this may be what's causing that usage to show if in use on another device.

Learn more here: Use Screen Time on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Cheers!

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Answer 3

90-_083ask Author

Level 1

6 points

Feb 21, 2022 12:56 PM in response to Chris_V89

Hi Less

thanks for the quick response. I did have Share Across Devices turned on so have just turned it off now, but I don’t have any other devices besides Apple TV anyway which I don’t think has Instagram on. It seemed to have stopped recording Instagram since I restarted my phone yesterday. I’ve attached screenshots to demonstrate, as it says Instagram was being used for nearly 24 hours each day last week.

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Answer 4

Chris_V89

Community Specialist

Feb 21, 2022 5:59 PM in response to 90-_083ask

90-_083ask,

Thanks for keeping us updated.

We're glad to hear that restarting your iPhone has helped with the issue. From here, if you notice that the issue returns, we'd recommend reaching out to Apple Support directly from this link here: Get Support - Apple

They'll be the best option to look closer into the issue from here.

Take care!

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Answer 5

90-_083ask Author

Level 1

6 points

Feb 22, 2022 1:07 AM in response to Chris_V89

Thanks Chris_V89

I’ll follow up with Apple Support but do you know if there’s any way to check if my Apple ID is logged into other devices, or if there are any specific security risks that might cause apps to appear on my phone? As I’d like to check there aren’t any apps that might have caused this.

Thanks!

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Screen time filling up with an app not on my phone

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