Available on the App Store

    Pause.
    Your phone, on your terms.

    Block distracting apps, limit daily use, and decide when access returns. Make room for what you meant to do.

    Get Pause FreeSee How It Works

    Free on iPhone. No account required.

    Pause Rules screen with a morning schedule, Friction Lock, a daily time limit, and a Focus App List
    Free on iPhone
    No account
    No ads
    Your block lists stay on your phone

    A strict app blocker for iPhone

    Pause blocks the distracting apps and supported websites you choose in an App List. Set a session, schedule, daily time limit, or open limit to decide when those blocks apply.

    When you want to change course, Strict Mode can lock your session settings until it ends, and Friction Lock can put a challenge before access.

    How it works

    A little setup. More space in your day.

    1. 01

      Choose your apps

      Allow Screen Time access, then create an App List with the apps and supported websites you want to block.

    2. 02

      Choose your rule

      Start a session, set a schedule, cap daily minutes or opens, or add a challenge before access.

    3. 03

      Make time for your day

      Decide whether to allow unlocks. Turn on Strict Mode to lock session editing until it ends.

    Five ways to block

    One app. Five ways to stop.

    Different habits need different kinds of friction. Pick the one that fits.

    01

    Session

    Block it now.

    Block your App List for a set time or until you end the session. Choose whether to allow unlocks before starting.

    02

    Schedule

    I don't want this during certain hours.

    Block your App List on the days and times you choose. Set up a routine for work, evenings, or mornings.

    03

    Time Limit

    I only want this for a little while each day.

    Set a daily usage allowance. Your selected apps stay blocked once you reach it, until the daily reset.

    04

    Open Limit

    I want to stop checking this constantly.

    Set a daily number of timed passes. Each pass keeps counting down when apps are closed. Once used up, access stays blocked until tomorrow.

    05

    Friction Lock

    Give me a moment to reconsider.

    Solve math problems or type a long password to unlock your apps. Choose the number of challenges and access duration; the timer continues when apps close.

    Strict protections

    Decide your limits before you start.

    Choose whether you can take a break, then turn on Strict Mode to lock editing until your session ends.

    Your session. Your rules. Set in advance.

    Unlocks

    Choose whether to allow unlocks before starting a session. With unlocks off, there are no ordinary breaks or early exits. Emergency recovery is separate.

    Strict Mode

    Locks session editing and App List changes until the session ends, so the plan you set stays in place.

    Privacy

    Your attention isn't another product to monetize.

    No account required

    You don't need to create a profile just to block Instagram.

    No ads

    Pause isn't replacing one distraction with another.

    Your blocking data stays on your phone

    Your App Lists, schedules, and Pause session history remain on your device.

    Minimal anonymous usage measurement

    Pause sends one anonymous daily usage ping so we can understand approximately how many people actively use the app.

    Read the privacy policy
    FAQ

    Questions, answered.

    Screen Time offers "Ignore Limit for Today," which dismisses your limit in one tap. Pause has no override button. Strict Mode locks session editing and App List changes until a session ends, so the limit you set in advance is the one that holds.

    Not casually. Pause removes the one-tap escape, and Strict Mode locks session settings until the session ends. No iPhone blocker is truly unbypassable, because Apple keeps the device owner in control of their phone. The goal is making the exit cost more than the scroll is worth.

    Screen Time was built for parents managing a child's device, where one person holds the passcode and another lives under the rules. When you set your own passcode, every restriction comes with its own key. A dedicated blocker removes the one-tap escape.

    Opal costs roughly $19.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with a limited free tier. Pause is free on the App Store with no account required. Opal has deeper analytics; Pause focuses on enforcement without an in-app pause button.

    Pause is available free on the App Store for iPhone.

    Pause is available for iPhone and uses Apple's Screen Time technology. An Android version is not currently available.

    Yes. App Lists can include supported websites as well as apps. See how to block social media apps and websites on iPhone.

    Many people with attention difficulties prefer blockers without an override, because the failure point is impulse rather than intention. Friction Lock requires solving a challenge before access returns, which puts a deliberate step between the urge and the app.

    Pause uses Apple's Screen Time APIs to apply the app and website restrictions you create. Without Screen Time permission, Pause cannot enforce those blocks. Read more about Screen Time's Ignore Limit option.

    Unlocks determine whether you can take ordinary breaks or leave a session early. Strict Mode locks session editing and App List changes until the session ends. Choose both before you start.

    Pause is designed to block the apps and websites you select, not your phone service.

    Apple currently limits app selections within a group. Pause supports up to 50 selected apps per App List.

    Emergency recovery is separate from ordinary unlocks. Turning unlocks off removes regular breaks and early exits from a session; it does not remove emergency recovery.

    Your App Lists, schedules, and Pause session history remain on your device. Pause does not require an account and does not show ads. It sends a minimal anonymous daily usage ping so we can understand overall active usage.

    Make distraction harder.

    You've already decided how you want to spend your time. Pause helps you stick to it.

    Get Pause Free

    Available now on the App Store.