Why is there no search bar in the app picker on my iPad?

If the screen where you pick apps shows the list of categories but no search field on your iPad, nothing is wrong on your side and there is no setting to switch on. This is a known iPadOS bug (iPadOS 26 and later): the picker is Apple's own screen, displayed inside Detox exactly as Apple provides it, so the search field is Apple's to draw and we cannot add it back from our side. The same screen still shows its search field normally on iPhone. On the iPad you can keep selecting anything that appears under a category, and you can still add sites yourself through Custom Websites.


If you meant something else: the picker opens but the app list is empty or the screen is blank → tap the reload button at the top right of the picker. you want to know which apps a block covers → see How do I block specific apps and websites?. you're wondering what else Detox can't do → see What can't Detox do?.


What it looks like


You open a group and tap Modify on the first card, Apple's full-screen picker opens, and the category list appears as expected with the confirm button at the bottom. The search field that sits at the bottom of the same screen on iPhone is simply absent. It affects every iPad, and it does not depend on your Detox settings, your subscription, or how many apps you already selected.


Why it happens


The picker is a screen Apple hands to apps like Detox as a finished component. We choose where to place it, but everything inside it, including the search field, is drawn by iPadOS and cannot be modified, restyled, or replaced by us. Since iPadOS 26, that component stopped drawing its search field on iPad while continuing to draw it on iPhone. It has been reported to Apple by several developers, and it affects every screen time app that uses Apple's picker, not just Detox.


Because this is not a blocking problem, Reset your blocks and Reconnect Screen Time won't help here, and neither will the reload button on the picker. Your existing selections and blocks keep working normally the whole time.


What you can still do on the iPad


  1. Pick from the categories. Every app that appears under one of the categories in the list is still selectable there. Tap the arrow at the right of a category to open it and tick the apps you want.
  2. Add websites yourself. Open the group, go to the Custom Websites card, and type the domain (youtube.com, reddit.com). Custom Websites are blocked in every browser while a block using that group is active, so this covers browsing even when you cannot reach a browser in the picker.
  3. Set the group up on your iPhone if you have one. The picker works normally there. Note that groups do not sync between devices, so this configures your iPhone, not your iPad. See What can't Detox do?.


An app that only turns up through search, which includes Apple's own built-in apps such as Safari, cannot be selected on the iPad while the search field is missing.



Updated on: 29/07/2026

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