How to Block Apps at Certain Times on iPhone and Android

By Fred Smith, maker of Drill Sergeant / Updated October 28, 2026/ 6 min read

The short answer

iPhone (iOS 27): Settings, Screen Time, Screen Time Schedule. Add a schedule, set its time windows, and leave social media out of the hours you want it blocked. Android: Settings, Digital Wellbeing, Focus mode, then Set a schedule. Both are free. For a schedule you can't skip with one tap, use an app with a strict mode, such as AppBlock, or set a passcode someone else keeps.

Most people don't need Instagram gone forever. They need it gone at 7 am, during work and after 10 pm. Both iPhone and Android can do that for free, and a few apps do it with more teeth. Here's how to set it up on each phone, step by step, and how to stop yourself from turning it off the moment it starts.

On iPhone: Screen Time Schedule

On iOS 27, Screen Time has two tools that work together^[1]: a Screen Time Schedule decides when app categories are available, and Time Allowances decide how long.

Open Settings, tap Screen Time, then Screen Time Schedule, and turn on Schedule.
Tap Add Schedule and choose the days, for example Monday to Friday.
Tap a time window to set its start and end, and pick which Time Allowance categories are available in it. A window from 9 am to 5 pm called Work, with Social Media left out, keeps Instagram and TikTok closed during work hours.
Under Screen Time, Always Allowed, add the apps and people that must always reach you: Phone, Messages, your partner, the Health app.
Set a Screen Time passcode. If you know you'll type it in at midnight, let a friend set it.

If you also want a daily budget, open Time Allowances, give Social Media an amount of time, and turn on Match Screen Time Schedule so the budget only applies inside your time windows. With Share Across Devices on, the same schedule covers your iPad and Mac^[2].

On iOS 26 and earlier: Downtime

Go to Settings, Screen Time, Downtime and tap Scheduled to pick the hours. Set a Screen Time passcode and turn on Block at Downtime; without it, the apps are only dimmed and you can tap past the reminder^[8]. Apps you need at all times go under Always Allowed.

On Android: Focus mode with a schedule

Open Settings and tap Digital Wellbeing (on Samsung: Digital Wellbeing and parental controls).
Tap Focus mode and choose the apps you want to pause.
Tap Set a schedule and pick the days and the start and end times.

While Focus mode is on, you can't open those apps and you won't get their notifications^[3]. The weak spot is the Take a break button, which unpauses everything for a while. For a daily cap on top, use App timers in the same menu, and add an App limits PIN so a timer can't be deleted without the code.

Set the schedule tonight, while you still want to. Tomorrow at 11 pm you will not.

Apps that make a schedule stick

The built-in tools are free but easy to dodge. These apps add schedules with more control, and all of them are covered in the best app blockers for Android and the best app blockers for iPhone:

AppBlock (Android): schedules by time, location or Wi-Fi network, and a Strict Mode that stops you from changing them^[4].
StayFree (Android): a focus mode you schedule for set hours, free and without ads^[5].
one sec (iPhone and Android): blocks apps instantly or on a schedule, and puts a breathing pause in front of them the rest of the time^[6].
ScreenZen (iPhone and Android): app groups with several time ranges each, free^[7].

Three schedules that work

Phone-free mornings: block social media from 10 pm to 9 am. The first hour of your day goes to you, not the feed.
Work hours: 9 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 5 pm on weekdays, with a lunch window in between.
Bedtime: everything but calls and messages off from 10 pm. If you scroll in bed, read how to stop doomscrolling.

When a clock isn't enough

A schedule doesn't care whether you did anything with the time. Some apps unlock only after you do something first: a breathing pause, a walk, or push-ups counted by the camera. Drill Sergeant, which we make, keeps Instagram and TikTok behind a checkpoint until you do 10 push-ups or report real work. Compare the options in apps that lock your phone until you do something.

Make it hard to undo

Give the passcode or PIN to someone else. A code you know is a suggestion.
Block the browser too, or Instagram is one search away. More in how to block TikTok.
Keep a way out for emergencies: Always Allowed on iPhone; on Android, leave Phone and Messages off your Focus mode list.

Questions people ask

How do I block apps at certain times on iPhone?

On iOS 27: Settings, Screen Time, Screen Time Schedule, turn on Schedule, then Add Schedule and set time windows for the days you pick. Give social media a Time Allowance and leave it out of the windows where you want it blocked. On iOS 26 and earlier, use Settings, Screen Time, Downtime, tap Scheduled, and turn on Block at Downtime.

How do I block apps at certain times on Android?

Settings, Digital Wellbeing, Focus mode. Choose the apps to pause, then tap Set a schedule and pick the days and hours. On Samsung phones, Digital Wellbeing is under Digital Wellbeing and parental controls.

How do I lock apps until a certain time each morning?

Make a schedule that starts when you go to bed and ends at the time you want the apps back, for example 10 pm to 9 am. On iPhone, leave social media out of that time window in your Screen Time Schedule; on Android, schedule Focus mode for those hours.

Can I still get calls and messages during a scheduled block?

Yes. On iPhone, put the apps and people you always want to reach you under Screen Time, Always Allowed. On Android, Focus mode only pauses the apps you chose, so calls and other apps keep working.

Why does my scheduled block keep failing?

Because ending it early is one tap away: Take a break in Android's Focus mode, or ignoring the limit on iPhone. Set a Screen Time passcode or use an app with a strict mode, and block the browser too.

Can I block apps until I do something, instead of until a time?

Yes. Some apps unlock only after a task, like push-ups, a walk or a breathing pause. See our guide to apps that lock your phone until you do something.