FAQ
Plain answers about AppLimit — price and the one-time unlock, how blocking works, Screen Time privacy, schedules, sessions, and what version 1 does and doesn't do.
AppLimit FAQ
Price, trial, and the unlock
How much does AppLimit cost? Nothing to download. AppLimit is free on the App Store and comes with a 7-day trial where everything works. After the trial, a one-time $3.99 purchase unlocks creating and changing things, forever. No subscription, no monthly or yearly fee.
What happens when the 7-day trial ends? Everything you've built stays available: your usage history, existing schedules, past sessions and streaks. You can always stop an active block and export or clear your history. The lock is only on creating or changing things new: new blocking rules, new schedules, new goals, changed focus settings, and new focus sessions. When you try one of those after the trial, the app asks for the one-time unlock. Your data is never held hostage — saying no never hides, deletes, or damages it.
Why one payment instead of a subscription? Because the apps this replaces charge subscriptions for something that shouldn't cost money monthly — 192 of the reviews in our research corpus hit subscription or paywall pressure, and 48 more described billing-and-cancel pain. Blocking is local math, not a cloud service with ongoing costs. One honest payment at the moment it matters: that's the whole model.
Will I lose my history if I don't pay? No, never. It stays visible, exportable, and clearable. The one-time unlock only re-enables new work on top of it.
I reinstalled the app — do I pay again? No. AppLimit is a free download tied to your Apple ID. If you bought the unlock, Restore Purchases (Settings → Restore Purchases) brings it back. Re-downloading never costs anything.
Can my family use my purchase? Family Sharing is turned on for the unlock wherever Apple allows it, so family members can use AppLimit on their own devices with their own Apple ID.
Can I get a refund? Apple handles all purchases. Ask for a refund at reportaproblem.apple.com. Contact us if you get stuck and we'll point you the right way.
Blocking and schedules
How does blocking actually work? You pick apps and sites; when a limit hits, Apple's Screen Time system enforces the block. AppLimit sets the rules, iOS holds them. Your rules persist without opening the app every day.
Can I still stop a block? Yes — any time, from the home screen. AppLimit adds friction against the impulse; it doesn't remove your agency. Stopping never requires payment, even after the trial.
Do schedules switch automatically? Yes. Set the apps, hours, and days once — when a window starts, those rules apply; when it ends, they lift. Up to ten schedules can live side by side.
What happens during a focus session? The timer runs with your limits holding. When it ends, you get a break screen — not the feed you were avoiding. Sessions layer on top of your schedules without disturbing them.
Privacy
What does AppLimit know about me? Your usage stays on your iPhone. AppLimit has no account, no analytics, no ads, and no server — there is nowhere for your data to go. The only network the app touches is the App Store, for the one purchase.
Does Apple see my usage? Screen Time data is Apple's system data governed by Apple's privacy policy. AppLimit never uploads, shares, or sells anything — it can't; it has no network code and no account system.
Is this parental-control software? No. AppLimit manages your own focus on your own device — not someone else's. It won't monitor content or keystrokes, and it isn't built for supervising kids.
What version 1 doesn't do
Can it block calls or texts? No — and it shouldn't. Calls, texts, maps, and music stay working unless you explicitly include something. AppLimit limits distraction, not communication.
Does it work without the Screen Time permission? Partly. Sessions, goals, and history work; blocking doesn't, because only iOS can enforce it. Grant permission through the system picker whenever you're ready.
Which iPhones does it need? iPhone with iOS 17 or later. Everything else is on the Documentation page.
Contact
From inside the app: Settings (or About) → Feedback — it opens the AppLimit feedback page (tlcdesigns.com/feedback/applimit). From the web: the Feedback button on the AppLimit site. Or email support@tlcdesigns.com. The no-subscription pricing, the persistent blocking, and the per-app selection all trace to complaints from real limiter-app users. Every message is read.