--- title: "How to turn off Screen Distance on iPhone · finit" description: "Screen Distance covers your iPhone screen when you hold it closer than 12 inches. What it does, which devices have it, and how to turn it off or on." url: https://getfinit.com/blog/screen-distance lang: en published: 2026-10-04 modified: 2026-10-04 --- # Screen Distance on iPhone: what the shield is and how to turn it off 4 October 2026 · 3 min read · by the makers of finit, which reads Screen Time but has no part in this setting Screen Distance is the Screen Time feature behind the "iPhone May Be Too Close" message. It uses the Face ID camera to notice when you hold the phone closer than 12 inches, about 30 cm, for an extended period, and covers the screen until you move it away. You can turn it off in Screen Time settings. ## What the shield does Apple built Screen Distance to reduce eye strain and, in children, the risk of myopia (nearsightedness). While the shield is up, you can't use the phone. Move it more than 12 inches from your face and a **Continue** button appears. Apple's support pages don't say how long counts as an extended period. The shield is a small system app, and Screen Time counts it. That is why EyeReliefUI can show up in your [per-app list](https://getfinit.com/blog/screen-time-by-app). It's the shield's own entry, so you didn't install anything, and it's one of several [odd entries Screen Time can show](https://getfinit.com/blog/screen-time-wrong). ## Which iPhones and iPads have it Screen Distance needs the TrueDepth camera, the camera behind Face ID, on iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 or later, and Face ID has to be set up. Any iPhone with Face ID on a current iOS has it. The iPhone SE models use Touch ID and don't. On iPad, only Face ID models have it, and [Screen Time on iPad](https://getfinit.com/blog/screen-time-ipad) covers the rest. Apple says the feature works by measuring the distance between the screen and your eyes. The camera isn't capturing images or video, and the data stays on the device and isn't shared with Apple. ## How to turn off Screen Distance 1. Open **Settings** and tap **Screen Time**. 2. Tap **Screen Distance**. 3. Turn off the **Screen Distance** switch. If a Screen Time passcode is set, enter it. To turn it back on, use the same switch. Some setup screens offer a button, **Turn Off Screen Distance**, instead. This only affects Screen Distance. Turning off Screen Time itself is a different step, and [it costs you the usage history](https://getfinit.com/blog/turn-off-screen-time). Menus moved between iOS versions, and these steps are for iOS 26. [Apple's current support article](https://support.apple.com/en-us/105007) puts the switch under **Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → Screen Distance**. If it isn't on the main Screen Time page, look there. ## On a child's iPhone Screen Distance is on by default for children under 13 in a **Family Sharing** group. The age varies by country or region. A parent changes it on their own iPhone: **Settings → Screen Time**, tap the child's name, then **Screen Distance**. Apple notes that each time the child updates a device signed in with their Apple Account, Screen Distance turns back on for all their devices. ## The short answers ### How do I turn off Screen Distance on my iPhone? Open Settings, tap Screen Time, tap Screen Distance and turn the switch off. If it isn't on the main Screen Time page, look under Content and Privacy Restrictions. You may be asked for a Screen Time passcode. ### Why does my iPhone say it may be too close? That is the Screen Distance shield. It appears when the Face ID camera sees the phone closer than 12 inches, about 30 cm, for an extended period. Move the phone away and tap Continue. ### Does Screen Distance record me with the camera? No, according to Apple. It measures the distance to your eyes, the camera isn't capturing images or video, and the data stays on the device and isn't shared with Apple. ### Why can't I find Screen Distance in Settings? Apple offers it only on iPhones and iPads with Face ID on iOS 17 or later, with Face ID set up. iPhone SE models don't have it. Apple's current support article also lists it under Content and Privacy Restrictions. Screen Distance watches how close the phone is. How long you use it is a different number, and [finit keeps that one for years](https://getfinit.com/why). [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/finit-screen-time-life/id6786888937?pt=128650426&ct=web-agent) [See it in the app →](https://getfinit.com/#app) --- Markdown twin of https://getfinit.com/blog/screen-distance. Site map for agents: https://getfinit.com/llms.txt. Every English page in one file: https://getfinit.com/llms-full.txt. The same page in another language: the same path with a language segment in front, https://getfinit.com/de/blog/screen-distance.md for one; the list is in llms.txt.