Phone app blockers
Mobile apps that block, limit, or add friction to distracting apps (via schedules, time budgets, unlock challenges like exercise or puzzles, and accountability) to help people cut screen time and doomscrolling.
Built for: Smartphone users fighting phone addiction
Projects since May 04
244
Different builders
225
Last 4 weeks vs 8 before
-14%
AI is the core
1.2%
Projects per week
Mostly mobile app (89%), desktop app (4.9%), browser extension (2.0%) · from r/SideProject, r/ShowYourApp, r/IMadeThis, r/vibecoding
Latest
- Productivity breacher — Blocks chosen apps behind a user-set timer, then enforces a cooldown of 1.5 times the timer during which blocked apps are killed on launch.“I'm a kid, and I made and published my first ever project.”
- Blocks short-video feeds on Android and records how many videos the user has watched.“My friends are flexing the video counts in the app I made”
- InstaHonest — Uses Apple Screen Time data to verify whether group members stayed off chosen apps and shows a weekly leaderboard of clean days.“built an accountability app where your phone snitches on you, because self-reporting never worked for me”
- ScreenGuard — Monitors screen usage and enforces digital wellbeing limits with Pomodoro-style focus and break cycles on Linux desktops.“ScreenGuard update, finally reached 50+ downloads !!”
- Blockd — Blocks distracting apps on iOS and asks the user why they are opening them before allowing access.“I built an iOS app that asks you why you're opening TikTok before it lets you in”
- SloMo — Blocks selected apps until the user completes a movement goal such as push-ups, squats, or a walk.“I built an app that makes you move before you scroll. What would make it more useful?”
- MoveM — Unlocks extra screen time on chosen apps when the user performs exercises like squats or jumping jacks, recognized via the iPhone camera.“MoveM — Turn screen time into a reward for moving”
- AppBlockr — Blocks social media apps until the user completes a self-set task, verified by a photo checked with AI.“I just got my first paying subscriber 🎉”
- Monitors and limits a child's screen time on their devices.“It’s been six months since I first built this screen time app for my kid. Friends have kept suggesting new features, and it’s now up to version 1.4.0.”
- DriveSafe — Automatically blocks or filters incoming calls while the user is driving, letting emergency and trusted contacts through.“Can you create a video for my Playstore app DriveSafe”
- BackAgain?! — Blocks chosen phone apps behind a required reason and time limit, tightening restrictions when the user keeps reopening them.“I built an app that gets increasingly annoyed every time you reopen Instagram.”
- PushBuff — Locks selected Android apps until the user completes pushups counted by the phone camera.“Made an Android app that locks your apps until you do pushups in front of your camera”
- Sharminda — Tracks time spent in Windows apps locally and sends roast-style desktop notifications when unproductive apps are overused.“I was wasting too much time on YouTube, so I built a Windows app that tracks screen time and brutally roasts me in Hinglish”
- Snoozy — Blocks Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts on Android with timed locks that cannot be lifted until the timer ends.“I built a 100% free, ad-free Instagram Reels & YouTube Shorts blocker for Android (Looking for 12 beta testers!)”
- inkhour — Blocks phone apps during a scheduled reading session and records completed reading days as ink blots.“I built inkhour because I kept ignoring my screen time limits”
- WalkGate — Blocks distracting apps on a phone until the user reaches a daily step goal.“I launched WalkGate, an app that blocks your distracting apps until you hit your step goals 2 months ago, looking for users to try it for free for feedback”
- Optay — Blocks network access for selected Android apps on-device while leaving other apps online, using a local VPN interface.“Optay: A local, per-app network controller designed for distraction-free workflows.”
- Threshold — Replaces the Android home screen with a minimal launcher that limits app access to reduce distraction.“Threshold — An offline, minimal focus launcher”
- Ari — Tracks time spent on browser sites and tabs, enforces daily limits by blocking sites, and sends break reminders.“I made a Chrome extension to track my doomscrolling — deferred the paid features and shipped everything free”
- ManyMin — Shows a live per-app and per-website time counter on a Mac and can enforce daily limits with color changes, grey screen, or countdown overlays.“My Mac shows a live timer HUD of how long I've been on each app and site today, and turns the screen grey when I go over my limit”
Most discussed
- CryptoScreen — Reveals only the screen content covered by the user's hand, using multi-touch area detection.“I had an interaction in mind for years, AI allowed me to build it.”
- Minister — Tracks phone screen time, warns when app limits are exceeded, runs focus sessions, and sends a nightly recap, with an optional friend-approval step to unlock blocked apps.“7 years as an engineer, many side projects, and not one real user ever. Trying again — and again.”
- Snowscroll — Removes reels from Instagram and shorts from YouTube while leaving the rest of those apps available.“I got tired of screen time blockers, so I removed reels from Instagram (while keeping everything else)”
- AppBlockr — Blocks social media apps until the user completes a self-set task, verified by a photo checked with AI.“I just got my first paying subscriber 🎉”
- FirstPage — Locks selected social media apps until the user meets a daily reading goal, with an in-app reader, offline audiobook voices, translation, and summaries.“I built an app to force myself to read. tell me if its a stupid idea before i publish it”
- Dopamine Jail — Locks the phone into timed focus sessions and penalizes leaving the app or opening TikTok or Instagram.“I built a digital prison for my TikTok addiction. Need 20 beta-testers (Free Lifetime PRO).”
- Dopamine Tracker — Helps users reduce mindless scrolling and screen time.“How do you grow a mobile app organically?”
- Stop Swarm — Overlays pixel-art invaders on the Android screen as daily screen time approaches a user-set goal.“Invaders will take over your phone when you exceed your screen-time goal”
- FocusLock — Locks an Android phone or blocks distracting apps to keep the user focused, with a lock designed to be hard to bypass.“A user spent weeks breaking my app's lock. Fighting him took me from 300 to 2,000 DAU and 15x'd my revenue”
- Moventria — Lets users earn screen time on distracting apps by completing positive habits like exercise, reading, or studying.“I built an iPhone habit tracker that makes you earn your screen time”