How to block apps on Android

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