How to set a block
Five ways to block. They all use the same engine. The only difference is what ends the block: you, a timer, a trigger, or nothing.
The five ways
A block list, from Home
One tap. On until you turn it off.
A Focus session
A countdown. Ends when the timer does.
A rule
Starts and stops on a trigger you pick.
A widget
Block without opening the app.
A hand-picked block
One app, site or word on its own.
From Home
Under the hero is a row of the Block lists you pinned. Tap one to see what it holds, tap Block to switch it on. While it is blocking, its footer offers Unblock.
A block list that is on cannot be removed from Home. A tile that vanished mid-block would leave you no way back to it. Tap Add block list to pin more.
Hand-picked
Three lists on Home that belong to no block list. Use them when you want one thing blocked.
| List | You add | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apps | Any installed app. | What happens depends on your block mode: internet cut, will not open, or both. |
| Websites | A domain or a pasted URL. | Blocked in every browser at once, including the ones inside other apps. You can also block a whole category: Social, Video, Gaming, Shopping, News, Dating, Gambling. |
| Keywords | A word, name, topic or /regex/. | Caught anywhere on screen, in any app and any language. Needs the Accessibility service. |
Keyword scanning always checks the whole screen. There is no mild mode. Starter packs cover Gambling, Addictive Substances, Violence and gore, and Profanity, and you can add your own on top.
Built a list worth keeping? Appcognito offers to save it as a block list, so it is one tap next time.
Focus sessions
Focus is a timer. Three choices when you start one:
- Till when. The duration. The end time is shown, so no arithmetic.
- Block what. A block list, or apps and sites picked on the spot.
- Start with lock. Hands the session to someone else's code, so you cannot end it early. Pro.
While it runs, Home shows the time left and what is blocked. Ending early is possible unless you locked it or Strict mode is on.
The usual? on the start screen replays your last duration and block list in one tap.
Rules
A rule blocks on its own: a trigger, a schedule, what it blocks, and what happens to it. A schedule, arriving somewhere, joining a Wi-Fi network, plugging in, passing a usage limit, and 12 more. They work with the app closed and survive a reboot.
Full detail: Rules and all 17 triggers.
Widgets
Focus widget
Blocks for a set time, then ends itself. You pick the duration and list when you place it.
One-tap widget
Blocks until you stop it. Set it up once.
Starting a block from a widget is Pro. You can place and set one up before upgrading. There is also a Habit widget for checking in.
Anything a widget is blocking appears on Home under Active widgets, so a widget block is never running invisibly.
What happens to a blocked app
Blocking is not only on or off. Five effects, from a hard stop to a nudge:
| Effect | What happens | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Block opening | The app does not open. A full screen covers it and sends you back. | The strongest stop, and the only one that works on games. |
| Block internet | The app opens but loads nothing. No feed, no videos, no messages. | Apps you still need offline. |
| Slow internet | The app opens, but everything loads slowly. Three speeds: Slow, Slower and Crawl. | Making a feed not worth the wait. |
| Mute notifications | Its notifications disappear as they arrive. The app still opens. | Apps that pull you back with a ping. |
| Dim the screen | The screen darkens while you are in the app. Three strengths: Soft, Medium and Deep. | Taking the shine off without a hard stop. |
Block opening and Block internet can run at once. The default is Global blocking in Settings, Block settings. It is used by hand-picked blocks, block lists turned on from Home, and any rule without its own choice.
Website blocking is separate and always on for anything on a list. Because it runs on the device, a blocked site fails in every browser at once.
What you see when blocked
A full screen, carrying three things:
- The reason. Every block names the rule behind it, so you are never guessing.
- Your block message. One line you choose. 10 templates ship with the app. Writing your own is Pro. Set once in Settings, not per rule.
- Today's numbers. How many times you opened this app today, and for how long.
Aurith brings the screen in himself. He pulls it across when you open a blocked app, and taps his watch when your time runs out.
Still need it? opens the app for a short pass: 5, 15 or 30 minutes. If you switched the Unblock Gate on, a quick mini-game or a 30 second breather comes first. Not offered in Strict mode or on locked rules.
Have an Unlock key? Then Still need it? asks for your tag instead of the game: tap or scan it, then pick 5, 15 or 30 minutes. Lost your tag? Wait 15 minutes, then unlock once. Pro, and not in Strict mode.
Customize screens, in Settings under Block settings, lets you design the block screen, the app picker and the screen break: your own background, and where each part sits. Pro.
Recent blocks are listed in Stats with their reasons attached.
The countdown
An app on a time limit, a session or a pass shows a countdown while you use it. Two styles, picked in Settings, Block settings, Timer style:
Island
A small pill by the camera. Tap it to open it up. The default.
Floating
A ring that sits over the app.
- Blocks in. In the last minutes before a rule starts, the same countdown shows how long you have left.
- +5 min. When time is nearly up, add five minutes. Once per app per day, and never in Strict mode or on locked rules. Pro.
- Move or hide it. Drag the ring anywhere, or close the island for the rest of the session. Pro.
Why it is still blocked
A block beats an allow. If two rules disagree, the app stays blocked. Otherwise an exception added in one place would quietly punch a hole in a block you set when you were thinking more clearly.
So turning one thing off does not always unblock. When that happens, the app names what is still holding it:
- A rule, with a Turn off rule button.
- A Focus session, with End focus.
- A block list you have on from Home, or a widget.
It warns the other way too. Allow an app while another rule blocks it, and you are told it will stay blocked before you rely on it.
Turning blocking off
Three levels of friction, softest first.
- NothingBy default, off is one tap.
- Strict modeRules cannot be paused, stopped or deleted. Focus runs to its timer. A challenge runs to its last day. Leaving the mode takes 12 or 24 hours. Pro.
- A parental or partner lockSomeone else holds the code. You need their rotating 6 digit code to release a lock, and their master password to remove it. Pro.
The Unblock Gate does not guard turning a block off. It sits on the block screen, in front of Still need it?.
Turn off all blocking in Settings stops everything at once. It warns you first: any running challenge ends with it. Parental-locked items stay on.
Intention limit
A different shape of block, and a rule of its own. While it runs, every unlock asks what you came for. Only the apps you pick open until you lock the screen again. It is aimed at the unlock you did not really decide to make.
Free opens one app per unlock. Pro sets your own number, up to five, and lets the rule run only at certain times. Pinned apps sit at the top of the picker. Nothing is blocked or pre-picked, it is only easier to reach.
The Play Store always opens during an Intention session, so it never stands in the way of an upgrade.