How to Block Apps for Certain Hours on iPhone and Android
The short version: On an iPhone with iOS 27, go to Settings > Screen Time > Screen Time Schedule, turn on Schedule, tap Add Schedule, then create time windows and choose which app categories are available in each one. On iOS 26 and earlier, use Settings > Screen Time > Downtime > Scheduled and turn on Block at Downtime so the apps cannot be opened. On Android, go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing > Focus mode, pick the apps, and tap Set a schedule. A Screen Time passcode, ideally held by someone else, is what keeps the block from being switched off in the moment.
There is a particular kind of afternoon where you open your laptop to work, pick up your phone to check one thing, and look up forty minutes later from a video about how bridges are inspected. We have had that afternoon more times than we would like to admit, usually on the days with a deadline.
Blocking apps for certain hours is the fix that asks the least of your willpower. You decide once, on a calm Sunday, that the feeds are closed from 9 to 12 and after 10pm. Then the phone remembers so you do not have to.
Here is how to set it up on each platform, plus the honest limits of each method.
Which method should you use?
| You want to... | iPhone (iOS 27) | iPhone (iOS 26 and earlier) | Android |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block apps at the same hours every day | Screen Time Schedule | Downtime | Focus mode schedule |
| Block apps overnight | A "bed" time window | Downtime | Bedtime mode plus Focus mode |
| Cap total time in an app | Time Allowances | App Limits | App timers |
| Mute an app's notifications only | Focus | Focus | Do Not Disturb or Focus mode |
If you want time on the apps capped rather than blocked by the clock, our guide to reducing screen time as an adult covers daily limits too.
How to block apps for certain hours on iPhone (iOS 27)
iOS 27 replaced Downtime with Screen Time Schedules. Apple's iOS 27 guide describes a schedule as a set of time windows, each showing which categories of apps you can use in that part of the day.
First, if you have not already, turn Screen Time on: Settings > Screen Time > Manage Screen Time > Turn On App & Website Activity. Our Screen Time setup guide walks through that part.
Then:
- Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
- Tap Screen Time Schedule, then turn on Schedule.
- Tap Add Schedule, choose the days it covers (weekdays, say), and confirm.
- Tap a time window to change it. You can rename it, change its start and stop times, and tap the Time Allowance categories you want available in that window.
- To remove a window, tap it, then tap Delete this Time Window.
The categories come from Time Allowances (Entertainment, Games, Social Media, and any you add under Manage Categories). So a "work" window from 9 to 12 that leaves Social Media and Entertainment out is how you block those apps for the morning. A separate weekend schedule can be looser.
Two more settings help:
- Always Allowed (Settings > Screen Time > Always Allowed) keeps chosen people and apps available whatever the schedule says. Apple suggests family members and the Health app. We would add Maps and your bank.
- Match Screen Time Schedule, under Time Allowances, makes an allowance apply only during certain windows. Useful if you want 20 minutes of social media in the evening and none in the morning.
There is one requirement worth knowing before you start. Apple says Screen Time Schedules need version 27 on all your Apple devices. If an older iPad or Mac on your account has not updated, you will be on the older Screen Time below.
Make the schedule stick
Apple's iOS 27 guide does not say whether an adult can tap past a schedule once a window starts. What a passcode does is clear: with Lock Screen Time Settings turned on (under Settings > Screen Time > Manage Screen Time), the schedule cannot be changed without the code.
The strongest version is a code you do not know. Ask a partner or a friend to type it in for you. If a code is ever forgotten, Apple's passcode recovery uses your Apple Account.
How to block apps for a period of time on iOS 26 and earlier
On iOS 26, the feature is Downtime. Apple's iOS 26 guide lays it out:
- Go to Settings > Screen Time.
- Tap App & Website Activity and turn it on, if it is not already.
- Tap Downtime, then tap Scheduled.
- Choose Every Day or Customize Days, then set the start and end times. Customize Days lets weekends differ.
During Downtime, only calls, messages, and the apps you choose under Always Allowed are available. Apple sends a reminder five minutes before it starts.
Now the important part. Apple notes that by default, limits can be ignored once they are reached. To make the apps actually close, set a Screen Time passcode, then go to Settings > Screen Time > Downtime and turn on Block at Downtime. Apple says blocked apps then appear dimmed with an hourglass and cannot be opened. Without it, you get a reminder and a button to carry on.
For one-off blocks, Turn On Downtime Until Tomorrow on the same screen turns Downtime on straight away and keeps it on until the next day.
How to block apps for certain hours on Android
Android's built-in tool is Focus mode, inside Digital Wellbeing. Google's Digital Wellbeing guide describes it this way:
- Open Settings, tap Digital Wellbeing (sometimes Digital Wellbeing & parental controls), then tap Focus mode.
- Select the apps you want to pause. While Focus mode is on, you cannot use them and they send no notifications.
- Tap Set a schedule to have Focus mode turn on automatically on chosen days and times. Turn on now starts it immediately.
There is a Take a break option that unpauses the apps for a short time. It is handy for a genuine need and easy to abuse, so notice how often you reach for it.
For nights, Bedtime mode sits in the same menu. Tap Bedtime mode > Bedtime routine and choose Use a schedule to set sleep times and days, or Turn on while charging for a window when the phone is on the charger. Google says Bedtime mode can turn the screen grayscale and use Do Not Disturb. Its settings are about the screen and notifications, so pair it with a Focus mode schedule over the same hours if you want apps blocked.
Menus vary by phone maker. Samsung, Xiaomi, and others put Digital Wellbeing in slightly different places; our guide to checking screen time on Android has the paths for the common brands.
What about Focus modes on iPhone?
People often try Focus first, because it is easy to schedule. Apple's Focus guide describes it as a way to silence notifications, or allow only some, while you concentrate. You set it up under Settings > Focus, pick a Focus such as Work, then use Apps to choose which apps can notify you and Add Schedule to turn it on at a time or place.
The catch: Focus controls notifications. A silenced app still opens if you tap it.
You can get partway to a block by linking the Focus to a Home Screen page that leaves out the distracting apps, so they are out of sight during work hours. That reduces the casual tap. For a real block, use Screen Time Schedule or Downtime alongside it.
Can I lock an app so I can't use it?
Partly. Since iOS 18, Apple lets you lock an app behind Face ID: touch and hold the app icon, then tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode). You can also Hide and Require Face ID, which moves a downloaded app into a locked Hidden folder in the App Library.
This is a privacy feature, built so other people cannot open your apps. Your own face unlocks it in a second, so it adds very little friction against yourself. It also has no schedule.
To lock an app away from yourself, you need a block that someone else, or something else, controls:
- A Screen Time passcode held by another person, with a schedule or allowance, as above.
- Deleting the app for the hours that matter, and reinstalling when you choose. Clunky, and it works for some people.
- An app built for self-control, which blocks chosen apps and adds a step before they open again.
Where Unglue fits
Unglue takes a different route to the same problem. It keeps the apps you choose blocked, and they open when you earn minutes by doing something in real life: a walk, a glass of water, a focus session. On iPhone it does the blocking through Apple's Screen Time framework, and it works alongside the schedule you already have.
For the "can I lock it so I can't undo it" question, Selection Lock is our answer. Turn it on and Unglue gives you a Buddy Code to pass to someone you trust. Adding apps to the blocked list is always free; removing them needs the code. It is one more app on your phone, which we are aware is a funny way to use your phone less. The Android screen time apps roundup compares it with the alternatives if you would rather shop around.
Common questions
How do I block apps for certain hours on iPhone?
On iOS 27, go to Settings > Screen Time > Screen Time Schedule, turn on Schedule, tap Add Schedule, and create time windows that leave out the app categories you want blocked. On iOS 26 and earlier, use Settings > Screen Time > Downtime > Scheduled and turn on Block at Downtime.
How do I block apps on iPhone for a set amount of time?
For a fixed stretch of the day, use a Screen Time Schedule (iOS 27) or Downtime (iOS 26). For a cap on total minutes, use Time Allowances on iOS 27 or App Limits on iOS 26. For the rest of today, Turn On Downtime Until Tomorrow works on iOS 26.
Can I block apps for a certain time on Android?
Yes. Go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing > Focus mode, choose the apps, and tap Set a schedule. The paused apps cannot be opened and send no notifications until Focus mode ends.
Can I lock an app so I can't use it?
Require Face ID locks an app on iPhone, but your own face opens it again, so it does little against yourself. To block an app from yourself, combine a schedule or allowance with a Screen Time passcode that someone else holds, or use an app that needs a code or a task before the app reopens.
Does Focus mode block apps on iPhone?
No. An iPhone Focus silences notifications from the apps you choose; the apps still open if you tap them. Android's Focus mode is different and does pause apps.
Why can I still open apps during Downtime?
On iOS 26 and earlier, Apple lets limits be ignored by default. Set a Screen Time passcode and turn on Block at Downtime. Also check Always Allowed, since apps listed there stay open all the time.