How to Block Apps on iPhone: 4 Ways That Actually Work

You can block apps on iPhone without installing anything: Screen Time lets you set App Limits and Downtime, and Focus modes can hide apps and silence them. If you want apps blocked only while you work, a focus timer that uses Screen Time is the stricter option. Below are all four methods, step by step, with their weak spots.

Method 1: block apps on iPhone with Screen Time App Limits

App Limits give an app or a whole category a daily time budget. When the budget runs out, the app icon greys out and opening it shows a "Time Limit" screen.

Go to Settings › Screen Time and turn Screen Time on if you haven't yet. Tap App Limits › Add Limit, choose a category such as Social or tap the arrow to pick single apps, set the time – for example 30 minutes – and choose the days. Tap Add.

App Limits are good for a daily budget, like "no more than an hour of TikTok". They don't know when you are working, though: a 30-minute limit can be used up at 9 am, or saved for the moment you're supposed to be studying.

• Best for: a daily time budget per app or category
• Weak spot: "Ignore Limit" gives you 15 more minutes or the rest of the day

Method 2: block apps at certain hours with Downtime

Downtime blocks everything except the apps you allow during a schedule, for example from 10 pm to 7 am. It's useful for sleep or for a fixed study block every afternoon.

Open Settings › Screen Time › Downtime, turn on Scheduled, and set the days and hours. Then go to Always Allowed and keep only what you really need, such as Phone, Messages or a dictionary.

Downtime is blunt: it blocks almost everything. It's great for evenings, less great for a working day when you need some apps and not others.

How to set an App Limit on iPhone

1. Open Screen TimeGo to Settings › Screen Time and turn it on if needed.
2. Add a limitTap App Limits › Add Limit.
3. Choose appsSelect a category or expand it to pick single apps, then tap Next.
4. Set the timeChoose a daily limit and the days it applies, then tap Add.
5. Lock it (optional)Set a Screen Time passcode someone else knows so you can't ignore the limit.

Method 3: hide and silence apps with a Focus mode

Focus modes (Settings › Focus) don't technically block apps, but they can remove temptation. Create a Work or Study Focus, allow notifications only from a few people and apps, and under Customize Screens choose a Home Screen page without social apps.

This works well against notifications pulling you out of work. It doesn't stop you from opening an app through search or the App Library, so it's a soft barrier rather than a block.

Method 4: block apps only while you focus

The problem with daily limits and schedules is that they aren't connected to what you're doing. A focus timer with app blocking flips it: the apps are blocked while a work session is running and available again on your break.

Tasker works this way. It's a Pomodoro timer that uses Apple's Screen Time framework, so iOS itself does the blocking. You choose apps, categories like Social, and websites once; every time a focus session starts, they're blocked until the session ends. You can also tap "Block now" for a quiet hour without a timer.

Because blocking is tied to short sessions, it feels less like punishment. You know Instagram is back in 25 minutes, so it's easier not to fight it. Read more about the Tasker app blocker for iPhone.

• Blocks single apps, whole categories and websites
• Starts and stops with your focus sessions
• Tasker can't see which apps you picked or how you use them

Which way to block apps on iPhone should you choose?

Use App Limits for a daily budget, Downtime for sleep, Focus modes for notifications and a focus timer for deep work. They don't exclude each other – many people combine a nightly Downtime with a blocker during the day.

If you keep tapping "Ignore Limit", ask a friend or parent to set the Screen Time passcode. It's the simplest way to make built-in limits stick, especially for teenagers.

How to block apps on iPhone for a child

For a child's iPhone, use Family Sharing: on your own iPhone go to Settings › Screen Time, choose the child, and set App Limits, Downtime and Content & Privacy Restrictions with a passcode only you know. You can also require Ask to Buy for new apps.

Focus timers like Tasker are made for people who want to block their own distractions. For parental control, Apple's Family Sharing tools are the right choice.

Blocking apps on iPhone: FAQ