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Blocking

How AppLimit blocking works — pick apps and sites, rules that persist, iOS enforcement, and stopping a block.

Blocking

Blocking is the core job: you choose the apps and sites, AppLimit and iOS hold the line.

Picking what gets blocked

The selection screen shows your apps through Apple's picker. Choose per app — the feeds that eat your evening, not the tools you need. Websites go in the same way. Anything unpicked is untouched: calls, texts, maps, music, and every unpicked app work exactly as before.

Rules that persist

Set a rule once and it holds without opening AppLimit every day. No daily ritual, no re-arming each morning. Your rules live on your phone, enforced by iOS itself — a limit that melts by lunch is the failure this app exists to fix.

When a limit hits

When your time is up, iOS blocks the app — not a pop-up you can negotiate with, but the system shield. A threshold notification warns you beforehand so the block never arrives mid-scroll as a surprise.

Stopping a block

You're always in charge: stop blocking any time from the home screen. AppLimit is a commitment device, not a lock you can't open — the point is friction against the impulse, not removing your agency. Trial-expired users can always stop blocking; stopping never requires payment.

What blocking needs

Blocking needs Apple's Screen Time permission — granted once through the system picker. Without it, AppLimit is a timer and tracker: sessions, goals, and history all still work, but nothing gets blocked. If blocking isn't working, Troubleshooting starts with this permission.