We have recently upgraded the Off Time feature, it's now called Focus Time and comes with great new functionality. Read all about it here.
The Off Time feature is only available with Circle 1st generation and Circle on Netgear. Just like Pause and Bedtime, Off Time makes it easy to schedule times throughout the week when the Internet is unavailable so that kids can play, do homework, or just get some plain old family time in. Think of it like scheduling Internet time outs all throughout the day!
How do Off Times work?
- Use our new "Focus Time" to set up certain times when only certain apps will load during that time period, and all other sites are blocked. Perfect for using Circle while schooling at home! (Circle Parental Controls only)
- You can set up different Off Times for each of your profiles.
- Circle lets you set up any number of different Off Times for each profile and choose the days they apply to along with the hours. You can even duplicate those Off Times in other profiles.
- When a profile is in an Off Time, the assigned devices won't be able to connect to any apps or sites, except those apps/sites you assign as Unmanaged.
- The Start time is when the Off Times goes into effect, and the End time is when it stops affecting the profile.
- You won't be able to re-use the same name for an Off Time for other Off Times.
- You can't overlap two Off Times, and cannot overlap an Off Time and a Bedtime on the same profile.
Create an Off Time for some focus!
With the release of the Circle Parental Controls app version 2.18 for iOS devices, and app version 2.22 for Android devices, Off Times has now been evolved into the Focus Time feature. Only the Circle 1st Generation app uses Off Time.
Focus Time allows you to set up customized times during the day when only certain Apps or Categories of sites are allowed and all other Apps and Categories are filtered by Circle. You can use a Focus Time during the day to make sure only educational and learning sites are available for your children's profiles, and other distracting apps or sites are unavailable. Learn how to set up a Focus Time using this guide!
How to create an an Off Time in the Circle 1st Generation app
- Open a family member profile.
- Tap Off Time.
- Tap Add Off Time at the top of the screen. Give the Off Time a name and set the time of day and days of the week during which this Off Time should happen.
- The dark highlight means the day is selected, while grey means the day is de-selected.
- After setting up your initial Off Time for a profile, you can use the 'Add Off Time' option to add a new Off Time slot.
- Once you are finished, tap Save. That will add the Off Time to your family member's Off Times list.
How to create an Off Time from an existing Off Time
Families often have similar schedules. They get home from school at the same time, eat at the same time, and do many other things together. With Off Times, it’s easy to grab an Off Time that you’ve already created and apply it to another family member.
- Open a family member profile.
- Tap Off Time.
- In the Off Time settings, will see a list of Off Times from other family member profiles in a section titled Create from existing.
- Select the existing Off Time you want to enable for this family member.
- Make any adjustments, then tap Save.
- Review all your Off Time adjustments, then press Save again to finish.
How to update an Off Time
Each of a profile's Off Times can be updated as needed. You can…
- Use the toggle to enable or disable that Off Time.
- Tap anywhere on the Off Time schedule to change either the days of the week, time of day, or both.
Once you are done, tap Save at the top to keep your Off Times in place.
How to delete an Off Time from a profile
- Open a family member profile.
- Tap Off Time.
- Select the Off Time that you want to delete from the profile.
- Tap Delete (see screenshot below).
- On the Off Time screen, tap Save.
If you don't see the option to delete an Off Time, you may have tapped an Off Time from the Create from existing section rather than one that is currently enabled for that profile. If you are trying to delete an Off Time but do not see any option to do so, return to the main Off Time screen and make sure it's an Off Time that is currently enabled for that profile.
Using a built-in, Circle-enabled NETGEAR router, and not our little white box? You'll need to subscribe to Premium in order to use this feature; see this article for more details.
Need more help?
Here are some resources that may help: