To block apps on Android, you can use Digital Wellbeing, which is built into most Android phones, or install a free app blocker such as AppBlocker. Digital Wellbeing’s app timers and Focus mode cover the basics. A dedicated blocker adds scheduled blocks you set in advance and a stop after a set time in the apps you lose hours to.
Option 1: App timers in Digital Wellbeing
An app timer gives an app a daily allowance. When it runs out, the app is paused until midnight.
- Open Settings, then Digital Wellbeing & parental controls (on Samsung, Digital Wellbeing and parental controls).
- Open the Dashboard and tap the app you want to limit.
- Tap App timer, choose a daily limit, and confirm.
The weakness is that removing the timer takes a few taps in Settings, so it works best as a reminder.
Option 2: Focus mode
Focus mode pauses a set of distracting apps at once, on demand or on a schedule.
- In Digital Wellbeing, tap Focus mode.
- Select the apps that distract you, such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
- Tap Turn on now, or set a schedule for the hours you want them shut.
Focus mode lets you take a short break from it, which is handy and also the gap most people slip through.
Option 3: A free app blocker
Full disclosure: I make this one. AppBlocker is a free app blocker for Android with no sign-up and no subscription.
- Install AppBlocker from Google Play.
- Pick the apps that pull you in.
- Block them now, or set a schedule so they stay shut during the hours you choose.
- Turn on Doomscroll Protection for your time-sink apps so you get stopped after 15 minutes in one sitting.
Screen-time stats then show where the time actually went, so you can adjust the schedule.
Option 4: Block a website too
Blocking an app often moves the habit to the browser. If that happens, block the site as well, either with your blocker’s website setting if it has one or with a browser extension, so the mobile site is not a back door.
Which one to use
- You only need a nudge: an app timer in Digital Wellbeing.
- You lose specific hours, like evenings or work time: a scheduled block in Focus mode or AppBlocker.
- One video turns into an hour: a timed stop like AppBlocker’s Doomscroll Protection.
- Parents setting limits for a child: Google Family Link, which lets a parent manage limits from their own phone.
Frequently asked questions
How do I block an app on Android without an app?
Use Digital Wellbeing, which is built into most Android phones. Set an app timer from the Dashboard, or add the app to Focus mode and turn it on or schedule it.
How do I block apps on a schedule on Android?
In Digital Wellbeing, add the apps to Focus mode and set a schedule. A free blocker such as AppBlocker can also block chosen apps on a schedule you set in advance.
How do I block TikTok or Instagram on Android?
Set an app timer for it in Digital Wellbeing, add it to Focus mode, or pick it in AppBlocker and block it on a schedule or get stopped after 15 minutes in one sitting.
Can I block apps on a Samsung phone?
Yes. Samsung phones include Digital Wellbeing and parental controls in Settings, with app timers and Focus mode, and Android app blockers from Google Play work on Samsung too.
What is the best free app to block apps on Android?
For scheduled blocks and a stop after 15 minutes in your time-sink apps, with no sign-up and no subscription, AppBlocker is a strong free option. ScreenZen is a good free choice if you prefer a pause before an app opens.
Block the apps that eat your day
Block apps now or on a schedule, get stopped after 15 minutes in your time-sink apps, and see where the time went. Free, no sign-up, Android and iPhone.
Get it on Google Play iPhone and iPad