AppBlock on Android

If you’re seeing AppBlock’s block screen when you try to open your device Settings, it’s because Strict Mode is active with the Block device settings option turned on.

Why this happens

When you activated Strict Mode, you (or someone who set it up for you) enabled the option to block access to device Settings. This is intentional — it prevents you from disabling AppBlock’s permissions or turning off Accessibility while Strict Mode is active.

How to get access back

You’ll need to deactivate Strict Mode first:

1. Open AppBlock.
2. Go to Strict Mode.
3. Fulfill your access method (PIN, Charger, Timer, etc.).
4. Once Strict Mode is off, Settings will be accessible again.

If you can’t deactivate Strict Mode

Use the Emergency Unblocking flow:

AppBlock → Profile → Help → Contact support → Emergency unblocking.

Good to know

Blocking device Settings is one of the most effective ways to prevent bypassing AppBlock on Android. Unlike iOS, AppBlock can block the Settings app directly — no workarounds needed.

If your banking or payment app isn’t working and you didn’t add it to a blocklist, the most common cause is actually Strict Mode — not your blocking setup.

The most common reason: Block device settings is active

Many banking and payment apps use authenticators or security checks that need access to device Settings to verify your identity. If Strict Mode is active with Block device settings turned on, these authentication steps can’t complete — which means the app appears blocked or broken, even though you never blocked it directly.

To fix this, you’ll need to deactivate Strict Mode:

1. Open AppBlock → Strict Mode.
2. Fulfill your access method (PIN, Charger, Approval, etc.).
3. Once Strict Mode is off, try opening your banking app again.

If you cannot deactivate Strict Mode on your own (for example, when you have a Timer unlock method and it’s set for 50 days), go to AppBlock → Profile → Help → Contact Support and select “Emergency unblocking”.

Other possible causes

• You’re using an Allowlist schedule. If a schedule is set to Allowlist mode, AppBlock blocks everything except the apps you specifically allowed. If your banking app isn’t on the Allowlist, it gets blocked. Check your active schedules and add your banking app to the allowed list if needed.
• The app falls into a blocked category. If you blocked a broad category like “Finance” or “All apps,” your banking app may be included. Review your schedule’s app selection.
• Overlapping schedules. Another active schedule may be blocking the app. Check all active schedules.

Good to know

We strongly recommend always keeping essential apps like banking, emergency contacts, and maps accessible.

Emergency Unblocking is meant to be your safety net, so if it’s not working when you need it, that’s stressful. Here’s how to fix the most common issues.

Make sure you’re in the right flow

1. Open AppBlock and go to Profile → Help → Contact support.
2. Select Emergency unblocking.

If you don’t see the Emergency unblocking option, you may not have Strict Mode currently enabled.

Common issues and fixes

• The flow won’t load. Check your internet connection and restart AppBlock.
• You’re unable to type some character in the string. If you cannot find a specific character on your keyboard, contact our support team via the Other category.
• Support hasn’t replied yet. We do our best to respond within 24 hours. Check your spam folder while you wait.
• Code already used. Please make sure to use every code only once.
• Invalid code. If you enter the code and it says the code is invalid, try switching from Wi-Fi to mobile data or vice versa. Codes are validated on our server, so you always need a stable internet connection to complete the unblocking process.

If you still can’t get unblocked

Contact our support team directly and let us know:

• Your AppBlock version.
• Your Android version.
• What you’ve already tried.

We’ll send you a one-time unlock code to disable Strict Mode.

Good to know

Emergency Unblocking is intentionally not effortless — that’s what makes Strict Mode actually work. But we never want you locked out of essential apps for real, so support is always here as a backup.

The Approval unlock method is powerful, but it relies on a few things working together. If something’s gone wrong, here’s how to track it down.

Common reasons the approval isn’t working

• Your contact hasn’t responded yet. They need to actively approve your request from their email. Send them a reminder.
• The approval email went to spam. Ask your Approval Contact to check their spam or promotions folder.
• Internet connection issue. Both you and your Approval Contact need an active internet connection for the request and response to go through.
• The Approval Contact email is wrong. Double-check the email address saved in your Strict Mode setup.

What to try

• Wait a few minutes — approval requests sometimes take a moment to deliver.
• Check with your Approval Contact directly — by phone, text, or in person — to confirm they received and approved the request.

If it still doesn’t work

Use the Emergency Unblocking flow:

We’ll help you get back in.

Open AppBlock and go to Profile → Help → Contact support.

Select Emergency unblocking.

If Strict Mode deactivates before you expected it to, here are the most common reasons.

Common causes

• You chose Follow schedules as your access method. Strict Mode is designed to turn off when your schedules are no longer active. If your schedule ended, Strict Mode ended with it. This is working as intended — if you want Strict Mode to stay on longer, choose a different access method like Timer or PIN.
• The Timer ran out. If you set a Timer, Strict Mode deactivates automatically when the time is up. To keep it active longer, set a longer timer next time.
• Battery optimization killed AppBlock. If AppBlock was killed in the background, Strict Mode may not have been able to maintain its state. Make sure AppBlock is excluded from battery optimization.
• You are using a free version. The free version of AppBlock has a 24-hour limit for Strict Mode. Once that’s up, Strict Mode will deactivate.

What to do

1. Open AppBlock → Strict Mode.
2. Re-activate Strict Mode with your preferred access method.
3. Consider switching to a stricter or longer-lasting access method (e.g. Approval or a longer Timer).
4. Make sure AppBlock is excluded from battery optimization — go to Profile → Help → Troubleshooting.

Good to know

If Strict Mode keeps turning off unexpectedly and none of the above explains it, contact our support team — this may be a device-specific issue we can help investigate.

If you can’t uninstall AppBlock, it’s almost certainly because Strict Mode is active with the Disable AppBlock uninstalling and Block device settings options enabled. This is intentional — it’s one of Strict Mode’s core protections.

Step 1: Deactivate Strict Mode

You’ll need to deactivate Strict Mode first using your chosen access method:

• PIN — enter your PIN code.
• Charger — connect your device to a charger, then open AppBlock and deactivate Strict Mode.
• Timer — wait for the timer to expire.
• Cooldown — initiate the unlock and wait out the cooldown period.
• Follow schedules — wait until your schedules are no longer active.
• Approval — ask your trusted contact to approve the unlock request.

Step 2: Uninstall AppBlock

Once Strict Mode is deactivated, you can uninstall AppBlock the normal way — long-press the icon and tap Uninstall.

You will also have to disable the device admin permission for AppBlock either from the notification or manually:

1. Go to Settings → Apps → AppBlock (or Settings → Device Admin Apps).
2. Disable AppBlock as a device admin app.
3. Proceed to uninstall normally.

If you can’t deactivate Strict Mode on your own

Contact our support team:

1. Open AppBlock and go to Contact support.
2. Select Emergency unblocking (or “I need to unlock my device” in older versions).
3. We’ll send you a one-time unlock code to disable Strict Mode.

Good to know

If you’re uninstalling AppBlock because something isn’t working as expected, reach out to support first — we’d love a chance to help fix it before you go.

If you’ve forgotten the PIN code that opens the AppBlock app (NOT STRICT MODE PIN), you can reset it with a one-time unlock code from our support team. Here’s how.

Step 1: Get the unlock code

1. Open AppBlock and go to Profile → Help → Contact support.
2. Select the Other category.
3. Type “Unblock me” and you should get an automatic message with instructions to deactivate Strict Mode.
4. Ignore those instructions and only use the code in the message. Check your Spam folder if you cannot find the email.

Step 2: Enter the unlock code

1. Open AppBlock so you see the PIN entry screen.
2. Tap the AppBlock logo 5 times quickly, just above the PIN entry bar.
3. A pop-up window will appear.
4. Enter the unlock code you received from support.

This will reset your AppBlock launch PIN.

Good to know

The unlock code is one-time use only — it’s part of what keeps Strict Mode meaningful. If you forget your PIN again later, the process is the same.

If you can’t access your apps and need to regain control, don’t worry — there’s always a way out. Here’s how to unblock yourself, depending on your situation.

If Strict Mode is not active

Just adjust or disable your schedule:

1. Open AppBlock.
2. Go to Blocking → Schedules.
3. Edit, pause, or turn off the schedule that’s blocking you.

Quick Block can be stopped the same way — open AppBlock and tap Stop Quick Block.

If Strict Mode is active

You’ll need to fulfill the access method you chose when activating Strict Mode:

• PIN — enter your PIN.
• Charger — plug your phone into a charger.
• Timer — wait for the timer to expire.
• Cooldown — start the unlock and wait out the cooldown.
• Follow schedules — wait until your schedules are no longer active.
• Approval — ask your trusted person to approve your unlock request.
• Combined methods — fulfill one of the conditions.

If you can’t fulfill your unlock condition

Use our Emergency Unblocking flow:

1. Open AppBlock and go to Profile → Help → Contact support.
2. Select Emergency unblocking as the reason for contacting us.

What happens next depends on your unlock method:

• If you use Timer or Follow schedules — you’ll be guided through a short in-app flow where you’ll need to retype a long string of text and wait a few minutes. Once completed, Strict Mode will be disabled. This friction is intentional — it makes sure Emergency Unblocking stays a real safety net, not a quick way out.Your first Emergency Unblocking request is faster and does not require retyping the long text or waiting through an extended countdown. We understand that real emergencies happen and don’t want you to spend 10+ minutes unlocking your device.However, each additional Emergency Unblocking request becomes more difficult. The waiting period increases, and you’ll be required to complete the text retyping challenge before Strict Mode can be disabled.
• For all other unlock methods (PIN, Charger, Cooldown, Approval, or any combined method) — our support team will send you a one-time unlock code to disable Strict Mode manually.

Good to know

Strict Mode is intentionally hard to bypass — that’s what makes it work. The emergency flow is here for real emergencies, not for moments of weakness.