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Notes on winning back your time

Practical, no-shame guides to blocking apps, locking apps, and cutting screen time on your iPhone.

A person walking alone down a quiet forest road at dusk, phone nowhere in sight.
7 min read

How to Block Apps on iPhone (And Why the Blocks Get Ignored)

Four ways to block an app on iPhone — App Limits, Downtime, content restrictions and Focus — with the steps for each, and the toggle that stops you tapping past them.

  • app blocker
  • screen time
  • iphone
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A misty forest road at dusk, a single figure walking away down it.
5 min read

How to Lock Apps on iPhone with Face ID (and What It Doesn't Stop)

Lock or hide any app behind Face ID in two taps — the steps, what the lock actually protects, and the Screen Time route to use when the person you're locking out is you.

  • app blocker
  • iphone
  • privacy
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The edge of a pine forest in low evening light, the treeline fading into mist.
7 min read

iPhone App Blocker Alternatives: Opal, one sec, ScreenZen, Brick

An honest look at the main iPhone app blockers — Opal, one sec, ScreenZen, Jomo and Brick — what each is genuinely good at, and the weak spot all of them share.

  • app blocker
  • comparison
  • iphone
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A face-down smartphone on a wooden table beside a steaming cup of coffee and an open notebook in soft dawn light.
6 min read

How to Reduce Screen Time on iPhone (Without Relying on Willpower)

A settings-by-settings guide to cutting iPhone screen time — Screen Time limits, notifications, grayscale and Focus — and why the settings get switched off by lunch.

  • screen time
  • app blocker
  • iphone
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