AppBlock on Android

AppBlock for Android helps you reduce screen time, block distracting apps and websites, and build healthier digital habits. This guide walks you through the essential setup so everything works reliably from day one.

Step 1: Install AppBlock

1. Download AppBlock from Google Play.
2. Open the app.
3. Complete the initial onboarding process.

Step 2: Grant required permissions

For AppBlock to block apps and websites reliably on Android, you’ll need to allow several permissions. The app will guide you through each one:

• Usage access — so AppBlock can detect which apps you’re using.
• Display over other apps — so the block screen can appear on top.
• Accessibility (optional but recommended) — needed for website blocking in browsers and Strict Mode.
• Location (optional) — only if you want to use location or Wi-Fi schedules.
• Battery optimization — turn it off for AppBlock so it can run reliably in the background.
• Autostart (some devices) — so AppBlock starts automatically after a reboot.

Important: Without these permissions, blocking may be unreliable. The most important ones for most users are Display over other apps, Usage access, Accessibility, and Battery optimization.

Step 3: Create your first block

You have two main ways to block apps and websites — pick what fits your goal:

Option A: Quick Block (for one-off blocking right now)

1. Open AppBlock.
2. Go to Blocking → Quick Block.
3. Add the apps, websites, or keywords you want to block.
4. Optionally, if you are in the Premium version, you can set a Timer (25 min, 1 hour, 24 hours, or Custom) or use Pomodoro for focus/break intervals.
5. Tap Start.

Quick Block is perfect for focus sessions, study time, or a quick digital detox.

Option B: Schedules (for recurring or rule-based blocking)

1. Open AppBlock.
2. Go to the Blocking tab.
3. Tap + Add in Schedules, or choose one of our templates.
4. Choose your blocking condition:
   • Time — block apps during selected hours.
   • Usage limit — set a daily or hourly time cap.
   • Location — block apps in a specific area (or outside it).
   • Launch count — limit how many times you can open apps per day or hour.
   • Wi-Fi — block apps when connected to a specific Wi-Fi.
5. Select the apps, websites, or keywords you want to block.
6. Tap Save.
7. You may be prompted if you’d like to block related websites too.
8. Tap Create > Let’s focus to confirm.

Step 4: Enable Strict Mode (Optional)

Strict Mode adds extra protection by preventing easy changes to your blocks.

1. Go to Strict Mode.
2. Choose an Access method (PIN, Charger, Timer, Cooldown, Follow schedules, or Approval).
3. Pick which Options to lock down (Lock blockings in app, Disable AppBlock uninstalling, Block device settings, etc.).
4. Confirm by tapping Continue.
5. Review all your conditions and make sure your SM is set up correctly before activating.
6. Tap Activate lock.

Step 5: Test your setup

1. Open a blocked app.
2. Confirm that the block activates correctly.
3. If something’s off, head to Profile → Help → Troubleshooting.

Final tip

Android has many manufacturers, and each one handles permissions and background services a little differently. If AppBlock stops working unexpectedly, the Troubleshooting section in Profile is your best friend.

Blocking apps on Android is one of AppBlock’s core features. Here’s how to set it up.

Step 1: Open AppBlock and start a new block

1. Open AppBlock.
2. Go to the Blocking tab.

You have two main ways to block apps and websites — pick what fits your goal:

Step 2: Create or open a schedule or Quick Block

Option A: Quick Block (for one-off blocking right now)

1. Open AppBlock.
2. Go to Blocking → Quick Block.
3. Add the apps you want to block.
4. Optionally, if you are in the Premium version, you can set a Timer (25 min, 1 hour, 24 hours, or Custom) or use Pomodoro for focus/break intervals.
5. Tap Start.

Quick Block is perfect for focus sessions, study time, or a quick digital detox.

Option B: Schedules (for recurring or rule-based blocking)

1. Open AppBlock.
2. Go to the Blocking tab.
3. Tap + Add in Schedules, or choose one of our templates.
4. Choose your blocking condition:
   • Time — block apps during selected hours.
   • Usage limit — set a daily or hourly time cap.
   • Location — block apps in a specific area (or outside it).
   • Launch count — limit how many times you can open apps per day or hour.
   • Wi-Fi — block apps when connected to a specific Wi-Fi.

Step 3: Select the apps to block

1. In Schedules, select Apps.
2. All installed apps will appear in the list.
3. Tap apps to select them — selected apps will have a blue checkbox with a white check mark.
4. Use the search icon (magnifying glass) at the top to quickly find specific apps.
5. Confirm your selection.

Tip: From version 7.7.0, AppBlock can group apps into categories (Social, Games, etc.) for faster selection. If you saw the Blocklist categories dialogue when you first added apps and want to enable or disable it later, go to Profile → Customize → General → Blocklist categories.

Step 4: Set what gets blocked

Scrolling down, you can see Extra Options and Settings for the selected schedule.

Extra options (premium features) let you:

• Add newly installed apps — if this feature is enabled, all newly installed apps will be automatically blocked when the schedule is active.
• Porn sites blocking — automatically detects and blocks porn sites in all browsers (based on our database of porn sites).
• In-app purchases blocking — this will stop you from making online purchases of unwanted apps or games.
• Block unsupported browsers — if on, all unsupported browsers in which we cannot block websites will be blocked.

Settings enable you to block only Launch or only Notifications of apps included in the selected schedule:

• Launch — you won’t be able to open blocked apps.
• Notifications — you won’t get notifications from blocked apps.

At least one option must be selected.

Step 5: Create and activate

Tap Create → Let’s focus — your schedule becomes active based on the condition you chose.

Step 6: Make your setup unchangeable with Strict Mode (Optional)

To prevent yourself from disabling the block in a moment of weakness, lock it down with Strict Mode. See “How to use Strict Mode” for full setup instructions

AppBlock blocks distracting websites alongside apps — helping you stay focused even when browsing.

Step 1: Make sure Accessibility is enabled

Website blocking on Android requires the Accessibility permission. If you haven’t enabled it yet:

1. Open AppBlock.
2. Go to Profile → Help → Troubleshooting.
3. Follow the steps to enable Accessibility for AppBlock.

Without Accessibility, website blocking won’t work.

Step 2: Create or open a schedule or Quick Block

Option A: Quick Block (for one-off blocking right now)

1. Open AppBlock.
2. Go to Blocking → Quick Block.
3. Optionally, if you are in the Premium version, you can set a Timer or use Pomodoro for focus/break intervals.
4. Tap Start.

Option B: Schedules (for recurring or rule-based blocking)

1. Open AppBlock.
2. Go to the Blocking tab.
3. Tap + Add in Schedules, or choose one of our templates.
4. Choose your blocking condition (Time, Usage Limits, Launch Count, Location, or Wi-Fi).

Step 3: Add websites or keywords

In your schedule or Quick Block, switch to Websites or Keywords at the top.

• For specific websites: tap Add website, enter the URL (e.g. instagram.com), and tap Add.
• For keywords: tap Add keyword, enter the word (e.g. betting), choose where to check it.

Choose where keywords are checked, you can pick:

• In domain — blocks only if the keyword is in the main part of the URL (before the /). For example, the keyword “game” blocks store.epicgames.com.
• Anywhere in URL — blocks if the keyword appears anywhere in the URL, including subpages and search queries. The keyword “game” would also block reddit.com/r/games and google.com/search?q=play+games+now.

Once done, tap Add.

Step 4: Set Extra options (Optional)

Scrolling down in your schedule, you can find Extra options (premium features):

• Porn sites blocking — automatically detects and blocks porn sites in all browsers (based on our database of porn sites).
• Block unsupported browsers — if on, all unsupported browsers in which we cannot block websites will be blocked.

Step 5: Save and test

Tap Create → Let’s focus and open a browser to test. The blocked site should show the AppBlock block screen.

Good to know: Website blocking works in many browsers — see “Which browsers are supported by AppBlock?” for the full list.

Quick Block is the fastest way to block apps and websites right now — without setting up a recurring schedule. It’s perfect for focus sessions, study time, or just a short digital detox.

When to use Quick Block

• You need to focus for the next hour or two.
• You don’t want a recurring schedule.
• You want a one-tap distraction-free moment.

Step 1: Start a Quick Block

1. Open AppBlock.
2. Go to Blocking → Quick Block.
3. Add the apps, websites, or keywords you want to block.
4. Tap Start.

That’s it — blocking is active until you stop it.

Step 2: Set a Timer (Premium)

Optionally, if you are in the Premium version, you can have Quick Block run for a set duration instead of indefinitely:

• 25 minutes, 1 hour, 24 hours, or Custom time.
• When the timer runs out, blocking stops automatically — or you can stop it earlier.

Step 3: Use Pomodoro for focused work (Premium)

Quick Block also supports Pomodoro — alternating focus and break intervals:

1. Open Quick Block.
2. Tap Pomodoro.
3. Set Focus time, Break time, and the number of Sessions.
4. Start — Quick Block will alternate between blocking (focus) and unblocking (break) automatically.

Step 4: Stop Quick Block

1. Open AppBlock and tap Stop.
2. If Strict Mode is active, you’ll need to fulfill your unlock condition first.

Step 5: Add Quick Block to your Quick Settings (Optional)

You can set up a Quick Block shortcut tile to start or stop Quick Block with a single tap from anywhere:

1. Swipe down from the top of your screen to open Quick Settings.
2. Tap the pen icon (or your device’s equivalent) to edit your tiles.
3. Find the AppBlock Quick Block tile and drag it into your active tiles.

Tip: Pair Quick Block with Strict Mode to make sure you can’t simply turn it off the moment temptation hits.

Step 6: Make your setup unchangeable with Strict Mode (Optional)

To prevent yourself from disabling the block in a moment of weakness, lock it down with Strict Mode.

Important: Once you enable Strict Mode when Quick Block is active, you won’t be able to stop it until Strict Mode expires.

See “How to use Strict Mode” for full setup instructions.

Strict Mode is AppBlock’s commitment layer. Once activated, it prevents you from turning off your blocks, editing your schedules, or uninstalling AppBlock — even when temptation hits.

What Strict Mode does

When Strict Mode is active, you can’t:

• Turn off active schedules or Quick Blocks.
• Edit or delete your blocking rules.
• Remove apps or websites from your blocklist.
• Uninstall AppBlock.

To unlock, you’ll need to fulfill the access method you chose when activating Strict Mode.

How to activate Strict Mode

1. Open AppBlock.
2. Go to Strict Mode.
3. Choose an Access method (see options below).
4. Tap Options to fine-tune what Strict Mode restricts.
5. Tap Activate.

Access methods

• PIN — set a code you’ll need to enter to unlock. We recommend this for beginners since you stay in control.
• Charger — Strict Mode stays active until you plug your phone into a charger. Great for breaking phone-in-bed habits.
• Timer — Strict Mode stays on for a set period and unlocks automatically when it ends.
• Cooldown — when you try to unlock, you have to wait a set amount of time before it takes effect. By the time the cooldown ends, the urge to bypass your block has usually passed.
• Follow schedules — Strict Mode is only active while your blocking schedules are running.
• Approval — ask a trusted person to approve your unlock request. The strongest single option for serious commitments.
• Timer & PIN code — combines a timer with a PIN for extra protection.
• Timer & Charger — combines a timer with a charger requirement.
• Follow schedules & PIN code — schedule-based lock with PIN confirmation.
• Follow schedules & Charger — schedule-based lock with charger requirement.

What can Strict Mode lock down?

In Options, you can pick exactly what Strict Mode restricts:

• Lock blockings in app — you won’t be able to edit, pause, or delete your blockings in AppBlock. This is the core Strict Mode protection.
• Disable AppBlock uninstalling — you won’t be able to uninstall AppBlock itself.
• Block device settings — prevents access to device Settings.
• Block recent apps — prevents using the recent apps switcher.
• Block split screen — prevents using split screen mode.
• Block reinstalled applications — blocks apps even if you reinstall them.

You can turn each of these on or off independently, depending on how strict you want your setup to be.

Recommendations

• For your first time, choose PIN or Charger so you can disable Strict Mode if something feels off.
• For serious focus goals, use Approval or a combined method like Timer & PIN code.
• Avoid setting up a complicated Strict Mode setup right before an important event, in case you accidentally lock yourself out of something essential.

Final tip

Strict Mode works best when you commit to it ahead of time. Set it up when you’re feeling motivated — not when you’re already trying to resist temptation.

Schedules are the backbone of AppBlock. They let you decide when and how apps and websites get blocked — so you don’t have to think about it every day.

What a schedule is

A schedule combines:

• Apps, websites, and keywords you want to block.
• One or more blocking conditions that trigger the block.
• Custom name and icon, if you want to personalize it.

Types of conditions

• Time — blocks apps during selected days and hours (e.g. 9 AM–5 PM on weekdays).
• Location — blocks apps in a specific area (or outside it).
• Wi-Fi — blocks apps when connected to a specific Wi-Fi network.
• Usage limit — blocks apps after a daily or hourly amount of use.
• Launch count — blocks apps after a set number of opens per day or hour.

You can combine multiple conditions in one schedule — see “Can I combine blocking conditions?” for details.

Two blocking modes

• Blocklist — the apps and websites you select are blocked.
• Allowlist (Premium) — the apps you select are allowed, everything else is blocked (currently not available for websites).

Overlapping schedules

You can run multiple schedules at the same time. If two schedules apply to the same app, the strictest one wins — the app stays blocked as long as at least one schedule wants it blocked.

Pause (Premium)

You can pause a schedule temporarily (15 minutes, 1 hour, until end of day, or custom). When the pause ends, blocking resumes automatically. If Strict Mode is active, pausing may be restricted.

Schedule lock

Each schedule has its own lock option (tap the lock icon in the top right of the schedule). You can lock it with:

• Time lock — locks the schedule for a set number of days, hours, or minutes.
• Charger lock — locks the schedule until you connect your device to a charger.

Templates

To save time, AppBlock includes pre-made schedule templates like Focus, Wind Down, Mindful Morning, Study Time, At Home, and Digital Detox. You’ll find them in the Blocking tab.

Good to know

• You can edit a schedule any time unless Strict Mode is active.
• Schedules are based on your device’s local time.
• You can edit, duplicate, pause, disable, or delete schedules from the three-dot menu on each schedule card.

Usage limits let you cap how long you can spend in selected apps and websites — without blocking them completely. Once you reach the limit, AppBlock blocks them for the rest of the period.

How it works

• You create a schedule with a Usage limit condition.
• You set a daily or hourly time budget (for example, 30 minutes for Instagram per day).
• Once you reach that limit, AppBlock blocks the app.
• The limit resets at the Beginning of day (which you can customize).

Daily vs hourly limits

• Daily limit — total time across the whole day (e.g. 30 minutes total per day).
• Hourly limit — time per hour (e.g. 10 minutes per hour, every hour).

You can combine usage limits with time blocking and set up an interval, e.g., 8 am – 5 pm, to limit apps in a specific time window.

Setting your Beginning of day

By default, usage limits reset at midnight. You can change this to better fit your routine:

1. Go to Profile → Customize → General → Beginning of day.
2. Set the hour when your “day” should reset.
3. Tap Save.

Launch count vs Usage limit

If counting time doesn’t fit your goal, try Launch count instead — it limits how many times you can open an app per day or hour, regardless of how long you stay in it.

Tips

• Use one usage limit per app to avoid overlap.
• Combine usage limits with a Time schedule for stronger control.
• If you’re tempted to lift the limit early, lock the schedule or activate Strict Mode.

Want to block specific apps and websites based on where you are? A Location Schedule lets you block apps either when you’re at a certain place or when you’re away from it (Inverse Location).

Steps to create a Location Schedule

1. Go to the Blocking tab and tap + Add in the Schedules section to create a new schedule.
2. Choose the apps and websites you want to block. Name your schedule for easy identification.
3. Select Location as the blocking condition and ensure location permissions are granted. If this is your first time creating a Location Schedule, follow the on-screen instructions to enable the necessary permissions.
4. Choose the Location and Radius — set the radius for the location where you want apps to be blocked. Alternatively, use the search icon in the top-right corner to type and select a specific address.
5. After setting the location and radius, tap Save and then Create to finalize your schedule.

Note: Once you create a schedule, it activates automatically. Unlike Quick Block, there’s no need to enable it manually.

Want the opposite? Set up an Inverse Location Schedule

If you’d rather block apps when you’re outside a specific location (instead of inside it), use the Inverse option:

1. Follow steps 1–3 above to start your schedule and select Location as the condition.
2. Tap the Inverse Location option to apply the block when you’re outside the specified location(s).
3. Set your location and radius, then tap Save and Create to finalize.

You can toggle this at any time — go to your schedule’s Location settings and switch “Inverse radius” on or off:

• Inverse radius ON → apps are blocked when you’re outside the area
• Inverse radius OFF → apps are blocked when you’re inside the area

Optional: Keep blocking active without location access

If you want the location schedule to remain active even when location services are unavailable, go to AppBlock settings → More → Settings and toggle “When Location unavailable” on.

If short-form content like Reels, Shorts, or Stories is what’s pulling you off track, AppBlock can help — without you having to block the whole app.

From version 7.5.0, AppBlock supports content blocking for:

• Instagram — Reels and Stories.
• YouTube — Shorts.
• Snapchat — Stories and Spotlight.
• WhatsApp — Channels and Statuses.

That means you can keep using these apps normally — for messaging, posting, or watching regular content — while only the addictive short-form features are blocked.

Step 1: Create or open a schedule or Quick Block

Option A: Quick Block (for one-off blocking right now)

1. Open AppBlock.
2. Go to Blocking → Quick Block.

Option B: Schedules (for recurring or rule-based blocking)

1. Open AppBlock.
2. Go to the Blocking tab.
3. Tap + Add in Schedules, or choose one of our templates.
4. Choose your blocking condition (Time, Location, Wi-Fi, Usage limit, or Launch count).

Step 2: Select the app

1. Go to Apps.
2. Find Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp or Snapchat in the list.

Step 3: Choose what to block inside the app

You can pick which content types to block within each app:

• Instagram — Reels, Stories, or both.
• YouTube — Shorts.
• Snapchat — Stories, Spotlight, or both.
• WhatsApp — Channels, Statuses or both.

Leave the main app itself unblocked if you still want to use messaging or regular content.

Step 4: Save and activate

For Quick Block, tap Start. For Schedules, tap Create → Let’s focus.

Good to know

• Content blocking inside apps requires the Accessibility permission. If it’s not working, head to Profile → Help → Troubleshooting to make sure Accessibility is enabled for AppBlock.
• You can combine content blocking with Usage limit — for example, allow 15 minutes of Instagram per day, but Reels blocked the whole time.
• If you’d rather block the entire app at certain times, just select it normally in your blocklist.

Make it stick

For serious commitments, pair this with Strict Mode. See “How to use Strict Mode” for setup details.

If adult content or other distracting websites are pulling you off track, AppBlock can help. We don’t have a dedicated betting or gambling blocker, but there are a few effective ways to block this kind of content on Android.

Option 1: Use Porn sites blocking (Premium)

AppBlock has a built-in Porn sites blocking feature that automatically detects and blocks porn sites in all browsers (based on our database of porn sites). You can enable it in any schedule or Quick Block:

1. Open or create a schedule (or Quick Block).
2. Make sure you’re in Blocklist mode.
3. Scroll down to Extra options.
4. Turn on Porn sites blocking.

Option 2: Block specific websites

For betting sites, gambling platforms, or any other specific websites:

1. Open a schedule or Quick Block.
2. Switch to Websites.
3. Tap Add website and enter the URLs (e.g. bet365.com, pokerstars.com).
4. Save.

Option 3: Block by keyword

Keyword blocking catches a whole category of sites at once. Instead of adding URLs one by one, block any URL containing a specific word:

1. Open a schedule or Quick Block.
2. Switch to Keywords.
3. Tap Add keyword, enter “betting”, “casino”, “poker”, or “gamble”.
4. Choose In domain or Anywhere in URL (Anywhere is broader).
5. Save.

Option 4: Block unsupported browsers

If you’re worried, you might switch to an unsupported browser to get around the block, turn on Block unsupported browsers in Extra options. Any browser that AppBlock can’t control will be blocked entirely.

Make it stick

For sensitive blocks like adult content or betting, we strongly recommend turning on Strict Mode. Methods like Approval or a long Cooldown are particularly effective for serious commitments.

See “How to use Strict Mode” for setup details.

A note about effectiveness

Browser blocking is powerful but not perfect — unusual or unsupported browsers might bypass blocking. If a website slips through, please report it to support@appblock.app and we’ll improve our filters.

Want to make sure any new app you install gets blocked automatically? AppBlock has you covered with the Add newly installed apps option.

How to enable it

1. Open or create a schedule (or Quick Block).
2. Make sure you’re in Blocklist mode.
3. Scroll down to Extra options.
4. Turn on Add newly installed apps.

From now on, any app you install on your device will be automatically added to that schedule’s blocklist when the schedule is active.

When this is useful

• You’re trying to avoid distractions and don’t want to be tempted to install a new social media app.
• You’re doing a digital detox and want to lock things down.
• You want a “guard rail” against impulse-installing during a focus session.

Good to know

• This option works per-schedule — you can enable it on as many schedules as you want.
• It only affects apps installed after you turn it on — apps already on your device aren’t added automatically.
• Add newly installed apps is a Premium feature.

AppBlock for Android has a lot of customization options — here are the most useful ones, all under Profile → Customize.

General

• Language — change AppBlock’s language (defaults to your system language).
• Beginning of day — set when usage limits reset (default is midnight).
• PIN code — protect AppBlock with a PIN.
• Check app updates — get notified about new versions.
• Blocklist categories — enable or disable category-based app grouping.
• Daily trend — activity chart on the Blocking tab.
• Mood check-in — daily check-ins to rate your day.
• Appearance — choose between Light, Dark, or Follow system.
• Quick Block card — you can set whether the Quick Block card will be visible on the Blocking tab.

Block Screen

Customize what appears when you hit a blocked app or website:

• Pick from Basic, Dynamic, or Custom designs.
• Add a Message, choose a Block screen timeout before the close button appears (0, 3, 5, 10, or 15 seconds), show the Blocking reason, and turn on Open counter (so you can see how many times you tried).
• Create your own custom block screens with emojis, colors, titles, and subtitles.

App icon

Pick a different AppBlock logo color and design from the icon picker.

Notifications

Manage all AppBlock notifications — for schedules, Quick Block, and statistics. See “How to change notifications from AppBlock” for the full list.

Blocking preferences

• Enable schedule pause — turn the pause option on or off.
• When location unavailable — choose whether location schedules activate when location services are off.
• Block floating windows — prevents already blocked apps from opening in floating windows.
• Blocking AppBlock uninstall — let AppBlock use the device admin to prevent uninstalling.
• Unsupported browsers — if you find some app that gets blocked as an unsupported browser and you want to exclude it from the block, add it here.
• Mindful edits — disable mindful edits if you don’t want to wait 10s to edit your schedules.
• Show Available Settings — let some Settings remain accessible while Strict Mode is active.

Statistics

Turn statistics on or off, separately for App statistics, Browsing statistics, and Incognito statistics.

On Android, you can combine multiple blocking conditions within a single schedule — this gives you much more precise control.

What you can combine

Within a single schedule, you can combine:

• Time + Location — block apps only during specific hours and only when you’re in a specific place.
• Time + Wi-Fi — block apps only during specific hours and only when connected to a specific network.
• Time + Usage limit — set a daily or hourly usage cap that only applies during certain hours.
• Time + Launch count — limit how many times you can open apps, but only during a specific time window.
• Usage limit + Location — usage limit only applies when you’re in a specific area.
• Usage limit + Wi-Fi — usage limit only applies when connected to a specific network.
• Usage limit + Launch count — combine a time cap with an open count cap in the same schedule.
• Launch count + Location — launch count only applies when you’re in a specific area.
• Launch count + Wi-Fi — launch count only applies when connected to a specific network.

Running multiple schedules at the same time

You can also run several schedules in parallel. If two schedules apply to the same app, the strictest one wins — the app stays blocked as long as at least one schedule blocks it.

This is the best way to layer conditions that can’t be combined in a single schedule.

Example combinations

• Work focus: Time schedule 9 AM–5 PM + Location (office) — blocks social media only during work hours at the office.
• Home evenings: Usage limit 30 min/day + Time schedule 6 PM–11 PM — limits Instagram only in the evenings.
• Study sessions: Launch count 3x/day + Time schedule weekday afternoons — limits how often you can open apps during study time.

Tip

Start simple. Adding too many overlapping rules can make it hard to understand why something is or isn’t being blocked. If you’re troubleshooting unexpected blocking, see “Why are apps I didn’t block being blocked?”

Formerly known as “Statistics,” Insights help you understand where your time goes, when you’re most productive, and how effectively your blocking rules are working.

How Insights work

• AppBlock pulls app usage data directly from your device, so the numbers always match what you see in Android’s Digital Wellbeing settings.
• Website tracking uses the Accessibility service to identify specific URLs within supported browsers.
• No double-counting: if you spend time on instagram.com in Chrome, that time shows under Chrome’s total — not counted twice.
• Privacy first: all data is stored only locally on your device. If you delete the app or switch phones, your history is lost.

Main screen: daily and weekly overview

At a glance, you can see how you’re doing today. Premium users also get a detailed weekly overview and trends.

Graphs and most used apps

Below the main graph, you’ll find your most used apps and websites. For browsers, AppBlock shows the top 5 websites that took up the most time.

Habits

• Balance — the percentage of phone use out of your “awake time” (set to 16 hours a day for consistency).
• Peak Time — a visualization of when during the day you use your phone most. Use this as a guide for setting up your blocking schedules.
• Usage categorization — a breakdown of your time into Distractive, Neutral, and Productive.

Focus

• Longest Focus — the longest continuous period spent away from your phone between 7:00 and 22:00 (nighttime is excluded).
• Continuous Use — your record for the longest time in a single app without a break.
• Pickups — how many times you picked up and unlocked your phone.

Note: Focus stats include all apps that are not in your Ignore list. Be aware that Launchers can sometimes count toward usage if a notification wakes up the screen.

Trend: your progress over time (Premium)

The Trend section shows your long-term evolution. On a fresh installation, AppBlock can retrieve up to 10 days of history on most devices (Samsung, Pixel, etc.).

• Weekly comparison — automatically compares the current week of the selected period with the first week of that period.
• Top Time-savers — apps where your usage has decreased compared to before.
• Top Increase — apps that are starting to take up more of your time.

Customizing Insights

Tap the settings icon (gear) in the top-left corner of the Insights section to:

• Turn tracking on/off — separately for app statistics, browsing statistics, and incognito windows. Note: turning off statistics deletes all previous usage data.
• Excluded Apps (Premium) — add system apps or navigation apps you don’t want to skew your stats.
• App Feel Check — categorize apps as Productive, Neutral, or Distractive, then filter your Insights view by category.

You can change AppBlock’s language to match your preference. By default, AppBlock follows your device’s system language.

Step-by-step

1. Open AppBlock.
2. Go to Profile → Customize → General → Language.
3. Choose your preferred language.

Available languages

AppBlock is available in English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Arabic, Czech, Dutch, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Slovak, and Turkish.

If you don’t see your language

• Make sure you’re on the latest version of AppBlock from Google Play.
• If your language isn’t listed yet, let us know — we love hearing what languages our users want.

AppBlock sends its own notifications — like reminders before a schedule starts, blocked app alerts, and weekly reports. You can fine-tune which ones you get.

Where to find notification settings

Go to Profile → Customize → Notifications. You’ll find these groups:

General

• Show blocked applications — list all currently blocked apps in a single notification.

Schedules

• Before start — notify before a time schedule activates (choose how many minutes ahead).
• After end — notify when a schedule ends.
• Show blocked notifications — list apps whose notifications were blocked during a schedule.
• Show remaining application usage — show how much time you have left on a usage limit.
• Notification before usage limit reached — get a reminder before you hit your limit.
• Before pause ends — notify before a schedule pause expires.

Quick Block

• After end — notify when the Quick Block timer runs out.
• Show blocked notifications — list apps whose notifications were blocked.
• Pomodoro notifications — get notified when each focus or break interval starts and ends.

Statistics

• Show usage statistics — show usage in the status notification.
• Weekly statistics report — get a weekly summary with comparison to the previous week.
• Daily reminder — show a daily motivational notification that opens Insights with today’s usage.

Tip: If AppBlock notifications feel overwhelming, just turn off what you don’t need — your blocks will keep working either way.

On some devices, mostly Samsung, you need to go to your device settings and turn off the State notification category first to be able to toggle off the Show blocked notifications.

To do so:

1. Open device Settings → Notifications → App notifications → AppBlock → Notification categories.
2. Toggle off “State”.

AppBlock lets you block just the notifications from selected apps, without blocking the apps themselves. This is great when you want to stay focused but still need access to an app when you choose to open it.

How to set it up

1. Open or create a Schedule (or Quick Block).
2. Scroll down to Settings.
3. Turn off Launch and turn on Notifications.
4. Save your changes.

Now your selected apps will stay accessible, but you won’t be interrupted by their notifications during the schedule.

Good to know

• You can also have both Launch and Notifications blocked — this is the default.
• At least one of the two options must be selected.

Yes — you can require a PIN to open AppBlock. This adds an extra layer of friction if you’re trying to make it harder to disable your own blocks.

How to set it up

1. Open AppBlock.
2. Go to Profile → Customize → General → PIN code.
3. Enter a PIN of 4 to 8 digits.
4. Tap Confirm.
5. Re-enter the same PIN and tap Confirm again to save.

From now on, you’ll need to enter the PIN to open AppBlock.

How to remove or change the PIN

Go back to Profile → Customize → General → PIN code — you can change or remove it from the same screen.

If you forget your PIN

Don’t worry — see “I forgot my PIN to open AppBlock”. We can send you a one-time code to reset your PIN.

Good to know

• The launch PIN is separate from the Strict Mode PIN — they’re two different things.
• For maximum protection, use both: the launch PIN to add friction every time AppBlock opens, and Strict Mode to lock your blocking setup.