Refocus: App Blocker & Control 4+

I used to just use screen time and have my boyfriend set my passcode but it was still too easy to ask for more time—I would just click “Ask for more time” and hand my phone over and my boyfriend would just put in the passcode. Now I use the free version of refocus to add an additional blocker on addicting apps and screen time my access to those apps AND refocus after 9pm to prevent late night doom scrolling. In order to access Instagram or tik tok I now have to ask my boyfriend to unblock refocus and then ask him to unblock the app itself from screen time, finally making it sufficiently annoying enough to make me think twice about using the apps. I don’t have screen time after 9pm on weekends but I still have refocus with a moderate time limit on extra addicting apps like Instagram and tik tok. This helps me live my life better by giving me more control over my ability to sleep and be present, and as an added bonus it gets me away from fixating on bizarre insecurities like “neck lines” that tend to get shoveled onto my algorithm in the name of selling more beauty products. If you don’t have a boyfriend who lives with you and you have impulse control as bad as mine (ADHD), I would guess that the premium version is worth a try or maybe ask a family member.

Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed review :) Appreciate the support & glad to hear that the app is helping 🙌

Refocus is probably my favorite app on my phone, no joke. I needed something beyond the standard time limit on my phone, so it’s scheduling feature blocking apps during certain time durations is amazing, as well as the mindful prompt when you do unblock an app to remind you if it’s really what you want to be doing now. I opted for almost all barriers to unblocking an app (short of choosing the app to not allow me to unblock, which I’m very glad that feature is there) and it’s helped me limit my social media distraction so much while I’m trying to do other things, and now when I do go on social media for a short time every day, I actually enjoy it instead of doom scrolling. Highly highly recommend this app, just try it for a week and see the changes in how you use your time. Also, I’ve experienced only extremely minor bugs after using this app for months, so it seems to be very well managed and thank you to the developers!!

Thank you for the in-depth review and the support 🙏 There definitely are issues that are difficult to work around but I'm trying my best to make sure you don't see them - always feel welcome to email hello@refocusapp.co about any issues/feedback

This is the best solution I’ve found yet for screen time management. I’ve looked through some others, but this one is one of the easiest ones to use. It has plenty of features available for free. Now, there is only one thing that I slightly dislike. I have tried a couple other screen time management apps, and some of them to allow you to lock the app with a passcode. This app doesn’t have it, and while it is still the best app around for managing screen time, I do wish it had that as a feature you could turn on in settings. Overall, the app looks nice, works well, and is the best app (especially with the amount of free features) I tried yet.

Thank you for the review; it's appreciated and very helpful! 🙏 If you have the time, it be interesting to learn more about how this passcode feature works by sending an e-mail to "hello@refocusapp.co". For now, I believe the "Deep Focus" feature may be similar to setting a passcode; however, it's under the Refocus Pro subscription (note that there is a free trial, and you can also refer friends to get it for free).