Why do distractions win during work?
Hard work creates small moments of friction, and the phone offers an easy way out of each one. A quick check rarely stays quick, and every return to the task costs time to get back into it. The fix is to make the decision before the work starts, not each time you feel the pull.
How do you set up a deep work schedule?
- Download AppBlocker from the App Store. There is no sign-up.
- Pick the apps that break your focus with Apple's app picker.
- Set a Scheduled Block for your focused working hours, or use Block Now for a single sprint, from 5 minutes to 1 hour.
- During those hours, a blocked app shows a block screen instead of the feed.
Which apps should stay available?
Anything you need to do the work: email, calendar, your team chat, maps for a commute. AppBlocker only blocks the apps you choose, so these keep working. That is the main difference from Screen Time Downtime, which blocks everything except the apps on your Always Allowed list.
How is AppBlocker different from a Work Focus?
A Work Focus silences notifications from people and apps you did not allow, but apps still open if you tap them. AppBlocker stops the chosen apps from opening during your working hours. Many people use both: a Focus for notifications, and AppBlocker for the two or three apps that still win.
What about apps you want gone for good?
Use the Manual Block. It stays on until you turn it off deliberately. For apps you still need but overuse, Doomscroll Protection stops you after 15 minutes of use, and screen-time stats show where the time actually went.
For the built-in iPhone options in more detail, see how to block distracting apps while you work.
Where AppBlocker is the wrong tool: it is for iPhone, it does not block apps on a laptop or other devices, and it is not a parental-controls app for managing someone else's phone. Because it relies on Apple's Screen Time and Family Controls systems, blocking cannot be guaranteed in every circumstance.
What else do people ask?
How do I block distracting apps during work hours on iPhone?
Pick the distracting apps in AppBlocker and set a Scheduled Block for your working hours. Your work apps keep working because only the apps you choose are blocked.
Is AppBlocker better than Screen Time Downtime for work?
They do different things. Downtime blocks every app except your Always Allowed list, which suits a full cutoff. AppBlocker blocks only the apps you pick, which suits workdays where you still need many apps.
Does a Focus mode block apps?
No. A Focus silences notifications from people and apps you did not allow, but apps still open. AppBlocker stops the chosen apps from opening during the hours you set.
Can I block an app completely while I work on a big project?
Yes. Use AppBlocker's Manual Block. It stays on until you deliberately turn it off.
Does AppBlocker see my work data?
No. AppBlocker needs no sign-up and has no servers or cloud storage. Your app selections and screen-time data stay on your iPhone.
Protect your focused hours
Block only the apps that break your focus, on your schedule. Free, no sign-up, iPhone and Android.
Get AppBlocker, free Get it on Google Play