Getting started
Setup takes a few minutes and ends with something already blocked, so you can see it work before you trust it.
First run
Appcognito is on Google Play. No account, no email, nothing to log into. Setup is short and ends with apps already blocked.
- Two intro screensWhy you are here, then what the app does. The ghost is Aurith, who ends up carrying your streak.
- Pick a nameWhat Aurith calls you. It never leaves your phone, and Settings can change it later.
- Cut some apps' internetPick the ones that pull you in. They are blocked on the spot, and you are asked to go and open one. It opens, and loads nothing.
- Now stop them opening at allThe same apps, already selected, plus any you want to add. This time they do not open. You are asked to try again.
- Press and hold to finishA note on privacy, your free week of Pro, and the Privacy Policy and Terms to agree to. Then the dashboard.
The tabs
Four tabs, with a + button in the middle.
Home
Your dashboard. Streak at the top, then your pinned block lists, then your hand-picked apps, sites and words. Anything blocking right now shows here.
Rules
Blocking that runs without you. Your rules on top, 30 ready-made ones below.
Habits
Streaks. Some are kept by a rule, some you tick off yourself.
Settings
Plan, permissions, block mode, locks, language, theme, export. Search finds any setting by name.
The + creates a rule, a block list or a habit, and imports a block list someone shared.
Two screens are not tabs. Block lists opens from Home or the + button. Stats opens by tapping your streak on Home.
Your first block
Setup leaves you with individual apps blocked, in the Hand-picked section on Home. A block list is the next step up: a saved bundle you switch on with one tap and reuse everywhere.
- Open HomeThe Block lists row sits under the hero.
- Pick a built-in block listSocial Media, Adult Content and nine others are already filled in. See what is predefined.
- Tap BlockDone. The tile switches to blocking, and its footer offers Unblock.
That stays on until you turn it off. To make it start and stop by itself, point a rule at the same block list.
Free and Pro
Every way of blocking works on free, with no time limit and no ads. Free runs one block list and one rule at a time.
| Included | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Home blocks, Focus, Rules, Block lists, Habits | Yes | Yes |
| All 11 built-in block lists, every trigger except Tabs | Yes | Yes |
| Keyword blocking, stats and screen time reports | Yes | Yes |
| Block lists and rules running at once | One each | Unlimited |
| Challenges | 3 per device, for life | Unlimited |
| Intention limit: apps per unlock | 1 | Up to 5 |
| Tabs rule: block only Shorts or Reels | No | Yes |
| A schedule on top of a trigger | No | Yes |
| Strict mode | No | Yes |
| Parental and partner lock | No | Yes |
| App lock, uninstall protection, auto-block new apps | No | Yes |
| Widgets, including the Habit widget | No | Yes |
| Customize screens, and your own block message | No | Yes |
| Move, hide or extend the countdown timer | No | Yes |
| Export and import your setup | No | Yes |
| Tags: NFC and QR | No | Yes |
The free week is not something you opt into. There is no card, no Google Play checkout and nothing to accept. It starts during setup and is announced at the end, so the whole app is unlocked while you are learning it. It is one week per device, so reinstalling does not hand out another.
When it ends, nothing switches off wholesale. Appcognito keeps one block list and one rule running, and picks safety first: a content-safety block list like Adult Content wins, and a running challenge keeps its rule.
Prices are on the pricing page.
Where to go next
- How to set a block, for all five ways.
- Block lists, the one concept worth reading first.
- Permissions, if you want to know what it is asking for and why.