How to turn your iPhone into a bare-bones device

A simple setting can turn your iPhone into a kid’s phone, iPod or help cut your screen time

April 3, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EDT
A baby icon on a phone.
(Illustration by Elena Lacey/The Washington Post)
7 min

Our smartphones are overflowing. In one pocket-size rectangle, you have unlimited access to all human knowledge posted online, instant communication with friends and family, and six seasons of “Love Is Blind.”

It can be a bit much.

A recently added setting on iPhones and iPads makes the devices less complicated. It can turn a smartphone into a feature phone, a landline replacement, a kid’s phone and even an iPod. Called Assistive Access, the setting was introduced in September in iOS 17 as an accessibility option for people with cognitive disabilities. Like many accessibility features, it has potentially beneficial applications for everyone.

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