Focus

How to block apps on iPhone and Android

Updated 2026-09-10 · Reading time 8min

Short answer

Both systems can block apps out of the box. The hard part is not the blocking — it is that you can undo it in three seconds.

iPhone — Settings → Screen Time → App Limits; Downtime blocks by schedule instead.
Android — Settings → Digital Wellbeing → App timers, or Focus mode to pause chosen apps now.
Without a separate passcode, every limit ends at one tap of “Ignore for 15 minutes”. Set a different passcode.
What works better than a time cap: giving the habit nowhere to go.

iPhone: Screen Time, step by step

Open Settings → Screen Time and turn it on if this is the first time.
Look at App & Website Activity first. Choose what to limit from the numbers, not from a hunch.
App Limits → pick categories (Social, Entertainment) or individual apps and set a daily allowance.
Downtime blocks by time of day instead. If your study hours are fixed, this fits better.
Turn on a Screen Time passcode, and make it different from your unlock code. Skip this and everything above is decoration.
For the web, use Content & Privacy Restrictions → Web Content with an allowlist.

Android: Digital Wellbeing, step by step

Open Settings → Digital Wellbeing & parental controls. The name varies slightly by manufacturer.
Check the dashboard for per-app usage.
App timers set a daily allowance; when it runs out the icon greys and the app will not open.
Focus mode pauses the apps you picked, starting now, and can run on a schedule.
Bedtime mode greys the screen and quiets notifications — unusually effective at night.

Third-party blockers on Android generally require an accessibility service. That permission is powerful, so enable it only for apps that state plainly what they read and what they do not.

Why the limits get switched off

Setup takes five minutes. The failure points are always the same four.

“Ignore limit” — with no passcode, the wall is one tap thick.
The side door — the app is blocked, so the browser gets used instead. Limit the web too.
All or nothing — a 30-minute daily cap gets switched off entirely by day two. Start generous.
Empty hands — if nothing is waiting after the block, the habit just moves to another app. This is the big one.

Think in sessions, not daily caps

Forbidding something all day is exhausting. Forty-five minutes starting now lasts far longer as a practice.

Decide when it ends before it starts. A visible end makes the middle bearable.
Decide the one thing you will open. A textbook, a document, an editor — one.
Turn the phone into a different screen. A clock and a keypad give the reflex nowhere to land.
End it properly. During the break, scroll all you like.

Frequently asked questions

How do I block one specific app on iPhone?

Settings → Screen Time → App Limits, pick the app or its category and set a daily allowance. Set a Screen Time passcode that differs from your unlock code, or the limit will not hold.

Can I block apps only during study hours on Android?

Yes. Focus mode pauses the apps you choose and can be scheduled to start and stop automatically.

Why do blocking apps ask for accessibility permission?

They need to know which app just opened in order to show a notice over it. It is a powerful permission, so only grant it to apps that state what they read and what they never collect.

I keep switching my own limits off.

Usually the cap was too tight, or nothing was waiting on the other side. Swap the daily cap for a 45-minute session and decide in advance what you will open during it.