Guide
How to Block Apps on iPhone
Screen Time can block any app or site on your iPhone for free in under two minutes. The setup is not the hard part.
iPhone has a free built-in tool called Screen Time that can block any app or website in a couple of minutes, no download required. The part that actually decides whether a block holds is who knows the passcode that turns it back off, and for most people that person is themselves.
The free way: Screen Time, step by step
Every iPhone since iOS 12 has Screen Time built in, and it can block specific apps, whole categories of apps, or specific websites at no cost. Open Settings, tap Screen Time, tap Turn On Screen Time, and choose This is My iPhone.
Inside Screen Time, tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and switch it on. From there, Content Restrictions lets you set an age rating that hides any app above it, and Web Content lets you set Limit Adult Websites and add specific sites to a Never Allow list.
Last, Screen Time asks you to set a passcode separate from your phone's unlock code. This is the part that decides whether any of the above actually holds.
Why the free way stops working
The restriction itself is solid. iOS enforces it correctly. The failure point is always the same: you are the one who set the Screen Time passcode, so you are the one who can type it back in and turn everything off, usually at the exact moment you were trying to protect yourself from.
The common workarounds follow a pattern. Delete the app and it comes back through a cloud save or a reinstall from your purchase history. Hit Ignore Limit on an app timer and get 15 more minutes, then 15 more after that. Reset the phone entirely and Screen Time resets with it.
- You know the passcode, so 1am willpower is the only thing standing between you and turning it off.
- Deleting an app does not delete your account or your habit. Reinstalling takes under a minute.
- A factory reset wipes the restriction along with everything else on the phone.
The six things people search for most
Real US search volume, DataForSEO, checked 2026-09-05. Pick the one that matches what you are trying to stop.
| What people search | US searches/mo | Read the guide |
|---|---|---|
| how to block porn on iphone | 37,190 (cluster) | /learn/porn |
| app blocker iphone | 2,400 | /learn |
| how to block gambling sites on iphone | 70 | /learn/gambling |
| how to block instagram on iphone | 90 | /learn/instagram |
| how to block tiktok on iphone | 40 | /learn/tiktok |
| how to block dating apps on iphone | 20 | /learn/dating |
When the free way is not enough
If the free Screen Time setup above is holding, stop reading and go use it. It costs nothing and it works for a lot of people. Get0 exists for the specific case where it does not: you have already deleted the app, reset the limit, or typed your own passcode back in more than once.
Get0 changes exactly one thing. Instead of you setting and knowing the Screen Time passcode, we set it for you by voice, out loud, once, and you type what you hear without ever seeing the digits. The countdown starts the moment you lock, for the length you pick in advance: 1, 3, 7, 14 or 30 days, and the passcode is emailed automatically when it hits zero. Nothing is installed, the restriction is the same iOS Screen Time restriction, and it costs $7 a month, $77 a year, or $177 once.
| Tool | Monthly | Who can turn it off | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get0 | $7 | Only Get0, when your countdown ends | get0.ai, 2026-09-05 |
| Covenant Eyes | $18 | You, with an accountability partner who can be talked out of it | App Store / covenanteyes.com, 2026-09-05 |
| Opal | $19.99 | You, any time, from inside the app | App Store / opal.so, 2026-09-05 |
| Freedom | $8.99 | You, any time, or by uninstalling the app | App Store / freedom.to, 2026-09-05 |
Questions people actually ask
Is Screen Time actually free?
Yes. It ships on every iPhone running iOS 12 or later, no purchase or subscription needed to turn it on.
What is the actual difference between Get0 and just using Screen Time myself?
None in what gets blocked. The difference is who holds the passcode. Set it yourself and you can always type it back in. Have Get0 set it by voice and you never see the digits, so getting back in means waiting out the countdown you chose when you locked.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Screen Time is built into iOS. Get0 is a website that sets up the restriction on your phone and holds the passcode. Nothing sits on your phone.
Does this work on Android?
No. iPhone and iPad only. Android has no direct equivalent of the Screen Time passcode.
Which should I read first if I am not sure what I am fighting?
Start with whichever list below matches what you actually open when you should not. Each page covers the free Screen Time setup for that specific case and when it tends to break.