Blocking an app on iPhone is easy. Blocking it in a way that still works when you really want to open it is the hard part.
Here are the four ways to do it, ordered from easiest to undo to hardest. For each one, we’ll be honest about how you get around it, because that’s what you’ll be tempted to do.
1. App Limits in Screen Time
This is Apple’s built-in daily limit. It’s free and already on your phone.
- Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
- Tap App Limits, then Add Limit.
- Pick an app or a whole category, like Social, and tap Next.
- Set the daily time and tap Add.
When the time runs out, the app greys out and shows a “Time Limit” screen.
How you get around it: tap Ignore Limit. You get the options One More Minute, Remind Me in 15 Minutes or Ignore Limit For Today. That’s why App Limits on their own rarely change anything.
2. App Limits with a Screen Time passcode
You can remove the Ignore button by locking Screen Time behind a passcode.
- In Settings → Screen Time, tap Lock Screen Time Settings and choose a four-digit passcode.
- Open your App Limit and turn on Block at End of Limit.
Now, when the limit hits, you’ll mostly see an option to ask for more time, which needs the passcode.
How you get around it: you know the passcode. Because you set it, typing it in is just a slightly longer Ignore button. Some people ask a friend or partner to type in a passcode they don’t know. That helps, but your friend has to be physically there every time you need more time, and if you set up passcode recovery with your Apple Account, you can reset the passcode yourself. We go deeper in how to make Screen Time limits you can’t ignore.
3. Downtime: block apps at certain hours
Downtime blocks everything except the apps you allow, on a schedule. It’s useful for nights or work hours rather than a daily budget.
- In Settings → Screen Time, tap Downtime.
- Turn on Scheduled and choose your hours.
- Under Always Allowed, pick the apps you still need, like Phone, Messages or Maps.
- With a Screen Time passcode set, turn on Block at Downtime.
How you get around it: the same as above. Without someone else’s passcode, Downtime is one tap away from being ignored.
4. Let someone else hold the key
Every method above has the same flaw: the person who wants to scroll is the person who can unlock the app. The only way to fix that is to put someone or something else in charge of unlocking.
You have a few options:
- A friend holds your Screen Time passcode. Free, but clumsy. They have to be next to you to type it in, and you can reset it yourself if passcode recovery is on.
- A physical blocker like Brick. You tap your phone on a small device to lock and unlock apps. It’s strong if you leave the device somewhere else, weak if it’s on your desk. It costs $59 and includes a few emergency unbricks.
- PeerPause. You set a daily limit and pick a Time Buddy. When you hit the limit, the app locks with no ignore button. If you want more time, you send a request, and your buddy taps accept or deny from wherever they are. Changing or removing a limit needs their OK too.
The difference with PeerPause is that the unlock is remote and quick for your friend, so it doesn’t get in the way when you have a real reason. But it’s never silent, and that’s the part that stops the “just five more minutes” scrolling.
Which method should you use?
- You want something free right now: App Limits with a Screen Time passcode and Block at End of Limit.
- You want quiet nights: Downtime, with a passcode.
- You keep breaking your own rules: hand the key to someone else. A friend with your passcode works in a pinch. PeerPause makes it practical every day.
For a closer look at the paid apps, read PeerPause vs Opal, one sec, ScreenZen and Brick.