App blockers for studying on iPhone and Android

Updated November 13, 2026 · 7 min read · Blocking apps

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You may not need to download anything. Both phones come with a free blocker you can point at your study hours. On iPhone it's Screen Time: a schedule with a study window, locked with a passcode. On Android it's Focus mode in Digital Wellbeing, which pauses the apps you pick on a schedule. Each has gaps, though. On iOS 27 the schedule works by category rather than by app, an iPhone Focus only silences notifications, and Android's Focus mode can be paused with one tap. If you keep slipping through, a dedicated app blocker is the next step.

What a study blocker has to do

Three things, really. It should block the apps that pull you away, at the hours you study, without you having to remember to turn it on. It should leave the apps you study with alone: notes, a dictionary, your class portal. And it should be annoying to undo, because the moment you want to quit is the moment you’ll try. Keep those in mind as you go through the options below. Each one covers some of this, and none of the built-in ones cover all of it.

1. iPhone: a study window in Screen Time

This is free and already on your phone. Which steps you follow depends on your iOS version.

iOS 27: Screen Time Schedule

1. Open the Settings app and tap Screen Time. If Screen Time is off, tap Screen Time Schedule, then Turn On App & Website Activity.
2. Tap Screen Time Schedule and turn on Schedule.
3. Tap Add Schedule, tap the days you study (your school days, say), then confirm.
4. Tap the time window. Tap its name and rename it Study, then set the start and stop times.
5. Tap the Time Allowance categories that should be available during the window. Leave Social Media, Games and Entertainment out. If you don’t see any categories yet, create them under Time Allowances → Manage Categories.
6. Go back to Screen Time, tap Always Allowed, then Add Apps and add what you study with.

Each window shows icons for the categories you can use in it, so you can check your study window at a glance. If you also set daily Time Allowances, turn on Match Screen Time Schedule under Time Allowances to use them only at certain times in your schedule.

iOS 26 and earlier: Downtime

1. Open Settings and tap Screen Time. Turn on App & Website Activity if you haven’t already.
2. Tap Downtime, then Scheduled.
3. Select Every Day or Customize Days, then set the start and end times of your study block.
4. Under Always Allowed, pick the apps you need for studying.

During downtime, only calls, messages and the apps you allowed are available. You get a reminder 5 minutes before it starts. For a one-off exam day, Turn On Downtime Until Tomorrow starts it right away.

Lock it with a passcode

By default, Apple’s iOS 26 guide says Screen Time limits can be ignored once you reach them. A passcode is what stops you changing the settings mid-session.

• iOS 27: Settings → Screen Time → Passcode & Management → Lock Screen Time Settings, then enter a four-digit passcode twice.
• iOS 26 and earlier: Settings → Screen Time, scroll down and tap Lock Screen Time Settings. Then go to Downtime and turn on Block at Downtime. Apps that aren’t allowed can’t be opened during downtime; they show dimmed with an hourglass icon.

Ask a parent or a roommate to type the code. If you set up Screen Time Passcode Recovery, you can reset a forgotten passcode with your Apple Account, which also means you can get past your own code.

The catch: on iOS 27 the study window works by category, and Apple’s guide doesn’t show a way to pick one app in it. On iOS 26, Downtime is all or nothing. Everything you didn’t allow is off.

2. iPhone: a Study Focus for fewer interruptions

A Focus doesn’t block apps. It decides which notifications reach you and which Home Screen page you see while you study.

1. Open Settings and tap Focus, tap the add button, then tap Custom.
2. Name it Study, choose a color and an icon, then tap Next.
3. Tap Customize Focus. Under People and Apps, choose who and what can still notify you.
4. Choose a Home Screen page to switch to while the Focus is on. A page with only your study apps keeps the rest out of sight.
5. Tap Add Schedule to turn it on at set times, at a location (the library, say), or when you open a certain app.

To start it right away, open Control Center, tap Focus, then tap Study. You can choose when it ends, for example For 1 hour.

Every app still opens during a Focus. Pair it with the Screen Time window above if you need the apps themselves off.

3. Android: Focus mode in Digital Wellbeing

Android’s built-in tool comes closer to a real blocker, because it pauses the apps themselves.

1. Open your phone’s Settings app and tap Digital Wellbeing, then Focus mode.
2. Choose the apps you want to pause. While Focus mode is on, you can’t use them and you won’t get their notifications.
3. Tap Set a schedule to match your study hours, or Turn on now to start a session.

On some devices you can add Focus mode to Quick Settings, so a session is one swipe away. Google notes that some steps vary by device.

The weak spot is Take a break. It unpauses your apps for a time you choose, and it’s right there whenever Focus mode is on. If that’s where you keep ending up, a daily cap with a PIN is harder to dodge: Settings → Digital Wellbeing → App timers → Set timer, then App limits → App limits PIN and turn on PIN for app time limits. When the time runs out, the app closes and its icon dims until midnight. Some work and school accounts might not work with app timers.

4. Block apps during study hours with OpLoop

OpLoop is an app blocker for iPhone and Android. You choose which apps to block and when, and it’s free to start. On iPhone it uses Apple’s Screen Time API.

• Routines: set your study hours once, with the days and times, and blocking switches on and off by itself. On iPhone, websites can go on the list too.
• Sprint: for a study session with no schedule. Soft blocks the apps you picked. Deep blocks everything except what you allow, so your notes app can stay open.
• Lockdown (Pro): a Sprint you can’t end early. It holds until the timer runs out, so start it on purpose, maybe the night before an exam.
• Passes: a few short passes a day for when you really do need an app, like checking the class group chat. When they’re gone, the block holds.
• Challenges: in the Circles tab, everyone blocks the same apps for 1 to 7 days. A friends’ challenge takes up to 10 people from one invite link, so a study group can quit together before finals. Joining is free; starting one needs Pro.

Open a blocked app mid-session and you get a card instead of a gray wall: a calm line, a gentle poke, sometimes a joke. On iPhone, OpLoop blocks whole apps. On Android, Pro can also block just Shorts and Reels and keep the rest of YouTube or Instagram, which helps if you study from lecture videos.

Which one should you use?

Try the built-in option first and give it a passcode someone else knows. If you still find your way around it during exam week, that’s the time to add a blocker with a schedule and a Lockdown. For blocking study-time websites in Safari, see how to block websites on iPhone.

Questions

Is there a free app blocker for studying?

Yes. Screen Time on iPhone and Digital Wellbeing on Android are free and already installed. OpLoop is also free to start, with Routines, Sprints and Passes. Pro adds Lockdown and starting friends’ challenges.

How do I keep my phone away while studying?

The simplest way is another room. If you need it nearby for a timer or a dictionary, make it less interesting: on iPhone, a Study Focus with a Home Screen page of study apps, plus a Screen Time window for the rest; on Android, Focus mode on a schedule. Set them once so you’re not deciding again every evening.

How do I restrict apps during a Focus?

On iPhone, a Focus only controls notifications and which screens you see, so add a Screen Time Schedule (iOS 27) or Downtime (iOS 26) for the same hours. On Android, Focus mode pauses the apps you choose while it’s on.